The true story behind ‘Wonder’ is even more moving than the movie

Is the boy from the movie Wonder real? That’s something everyone is wondering after the release of this moving movie on Netflix.

This film released in 2017 and starring Jacob Tremblay, Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson is based on the book Wonder, August’s lesson written by Raquel Jaramillo Palacio in 2012.

Since its premiere on July 31, Extraordinary (as it was titled in Spanish) became the most viewed on all of Netflix, which has raised several doubts about the protagonist.

And the biggest of all is whether little August Pullman (and everything that happened to him in Wonder) was real or not. But don’t worry, we will clarify everything here.

What is Wonder about?

Wonder follows the story of August Pullman (Jacob Trembley), a 10-year-old boy who suffers from a rare skull and facial deformity known as Treacher-Collins Syndrome.

After 27 surgeries and being homeschooled his entire life, Auggie’s parents decide to enroll their son in a private school, where he becomes a victim of bullying.

But over time Auggie not only manages to overcome all the prejudices of his classmates, but also becomes one of the best students in the class due to his enormous courage, strength and kindness.

Is the boy from the movie Wonder real?

If you were wondering if Wonder’s story was based on real events, you are not entirely wrong.

Well, although all the characters are fictional, August’s story is based on an anecdote experienced by its author, Raquel Jaramillo Palacio.

In an interview conducted in 2017, Palacio said that everything came about thanks to an encounter that his two children had during an outing to buy ice cream.

After shopping, Palacio noticed the presence of a girl who was sitting right next to her family; the little girl had a severe craniofacial deformation.

When the youngest of her children saw her, he immediately began to cry.

In an attempt to protect the girl from her son’s reaction, the writer simply took the stroller and drove away as fast as she could.

She then confessed to feeling terrible and angry at herself for the way she handled the situation and spent the rest of the day thinking about all the things she could have said or done instead of running away.

So that same night, hoping to inspire children with Treacher-Collins syndrome and their parents, Raquel began writing August’s story.

To show what it must be like to face a world that doesn’t know how to face you every day.

Then, when the book was made into a movie in 2017, the entire cast participated in the #ChooseKind online campaign.

This movement urges all girls and boys to move away from bullying behavior and instead accept and celebrate the differences of their peers.

So there you have it, now you know the real story of August Pullman and Wonder. Remember that you can now enjoy this moving film on Netflix.