Tienes cinco años, dos hermanas y deseas con todas tus fuerzas un hermanito para jugar a cosas de chicos. Un día tus padres te anuncian que tendrás a ese hermano y que será especial. Estás loco de alegría: especial para ti significa «superhéroe». Tras su nacimiento, poco a poco entiendes que sí, que es distinto a los demás, pero que lo de los superpoderes no acaba de ser verdad. Al final descubres las palabras «síndrome de Down», y tu entusiasmo se transforma en rechazo, incluso en vergüenza. Deberás atravesar la adolescencia para darte cuenta de que tu idea inicial no estaba tan equivocada y dejarte contagiar por la vitalidad de Giovanni hasta concluir que quizá sí es un superhéroe de verdad. Y que, en cualquier caso, es tu mejor amigo. You are five years old. You have two sisters. And you wish, with all your heart, you could have a little brother to play boy games with. One day, your parents announce that you will have a brother; that he will be special. You are mad with joy. To you, special means “superhero.” After his birth, little by little, you understand that, yes, he is different from the others, but the superpower thing is also not quite true. In the end, you understand what the words “Down syndrome” mean, and your enthusiasm turns to rejection, even shame. You must go through adolescence to realize your original idea was not so far off and let yourself share in Giovanni’s vitality—up to a point—where you conclude he might be an actual superhero. And, in any case, he is your best friend. Within each person lies a unique world. In summary, this is Giovanni’s story. has sold over 150,000 books in Italy alone, in the span of a year.