What Happens At The Ending Of Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio?

2026-02-15 20:48:54
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4 Answers

Valeria
Valeria
Favorite read: The Girl No One Believed
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The ending of Peg Kehret’s memoir is this quiet storm of emotions. After months in the hospital, she’s discharged, but polio leaves its mark—both physically and emotionally. What struck me was how she captures the weirdness of 'normal' life afterward. Simple things, like walking without braces, feel monumental. She doesn’t shy away from the loneliness of being 'the girl who had polio,' but there’s also this undercurrent of gratitude. The final pages linger on how the experience shaped her as a writer and person. It’s not flashy, just deeply honest, which makes it unforgettable.
2026-02-17 04:58:37
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Liam
Liam
Favorite read: Spoilers for My Own Life
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Reading 'Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio' was a rollercoaster of emotions, especially that ending! After battling polio as a kid, the author, Peg Kehret, finally gets to go home. But it’s bittersweet—she’s thrilled to reunite with her family, yet she’s leaving behind friends she made in the hospital, some still fighting their own battles. The way she describes stepping back into 'normal' life, but with this huge invisible weight of what she’s endured, really stuck with me.

What’s powerful is how she doesn’t sugarcoat recovery. Even at home, there are struggles—physical therapy, adjusting to school, and people treating her differently. But there’s also this quiet triumph in small victories, like climbing stairs unaided. The book closes with her reflecting on how polio changed her perspective forever. It’s not a 'happily ever after' in the traditional sense, but it’s hopeful in a way that feels earned.
2026-02-18 03:13:21
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Audrey
Audrey
Favorite read: I Wrote My Own Ending
Book Guide Electrician
I cried buckets at the end of 'Small Steps.' Peg’s journey through polio was so raw, and the ending hit hard. She returns home, but it’s not the same—she’s different, and so is her world. The part where she talks about her old friends not understanding what she’s been through? Oof. That resonated. The hospital became this weird, painful, yet safe place, and leaving it was like losing a second family. But there’s this beautiful moment where she realizes her resilience, and that’s what stayed with me long after I finished the book.
2026-02-20 22:49:46
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Yara
Yara
Book Scout Electrician
Finished 'Small Steps' last night, and wow, that ending! Peg’s homecoming isn’t just a celebration—it’s messy. She’s relieved but haunted by memories of the hospital, especially the kids who didn’t recover as well. The way she writes about her first day back at school, trying to act 'normal' while feeling anything but, broke my heart a little. But there’s this quiet strength in her voice by the last page, like she’s carrying all those small steps forward with her.
2026-02-21 23:12:26
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