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Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-first Century

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Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-first Century is a powerful anthology that brings together a diverse group of individuals with disabilities to share their personal stories and experiences. Through a collection of short essays, interview transcripts, articles, and creative prose, edited by Alice Wong, the book celebrates the universal nature of the disabled experience. Readers are taken on a journey that is raw, painful, beautiful, and inspiring, shedding light on the challenges, joys, discrimination, and resilience faced by those with disabilities in the modern world. The book is structured across four sections - Being, Becoming, Doing, and Connecting - each contributor leaving a piece of themselves within the pages, offering distinct voices and vivid experiences that highlight the intersectionality of disabled lives.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is diverse, combining clarity and emotional depth across various forms, from strictly informative to reflective prose.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot comprises diverse essays reflecting personal stories of disabled individuals, separated into thematic sections, celebrating their unique perspectives.

Setting:

The setting encompasses various contexts that reflect the everyday realities and societal challenges faced by disabled individuals.

Pacing:

The pacing of the anthology ranges from succinct to more elaborate essays, keeping readers engaged and prompting reflection.
He insists he doesn’t want to kill me. He simply thinks it would have been better, all things considered, to have given my parents the option of killing the baby I once was and to let other parents ki...

Notes:

The anthology is divided into four sections: Being, Becoming, Doing, and Connecting.
Each contributor shares distinct experiences and perspectives, making the book diverse and rich in content.
The book addresses intersectionality without using it as a buzzword, emphasizing the value of disabled lives.
Essays include content warnings for difficult topics, ensuring accessibility for readers.
There's a mix of essay formats including short essays, memoirs, and prose.
The collection celebrates the diversity of disabled experiences, including those shaped by race, gender, and sexuality.
Readers report strong emotional responses, feeling anger, happiness, and a sense of enlightenment.
The anthology marked the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Writers discuss a range of topics related to disability, including sex, technology, and personal challenges.
Alice Wong, the editor, aimed to amplify the voices of everyday disabled people from various backgrounds.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

The book includes medium content warnings as it addresses challenging subjects such as ableism, mental health issues, and discrimination, with each essay providing accessible content warnings.

From The Publisher:

ONE OF THE PROGRESSIVE'S BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR

One in five people in the United States lives with a disability. Some disabilities are visible, others less apparent-but all are underrepresented in media and popular culture. Now, just in time for the thirtieth anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, activist Alice Wong brings together this urgent, galvanizing collection of contemporary essays by disabled people.

From Harriet McBryde Johnson's account of her debate with Peter Singer over her own personhood to original pieces by authors like Keah Brown and Haben Girma; from blog posts, manifestos, and eulogies to Congressional testimonies, and beyond: this anthology gives a glimpse into the rich complexity of the disabled experience, highlighting the passions, talents, and everyday lives of this community. It invites readers to question their own understandings. It celebrates and documents disability culture in the now. It looks to the future and the past with hope and love.

Ratings (9)

Incredible (1)
Loved It (2)
Liked It (5)
It Was OK (1)

Reader Stats (16):

Read It (8)
Want To Read (7)
Not Interested (1)

2 comment(s)

It Was OK
7 months

I had a difficult time rating this book because I feel that it is good knowledge. I would definitely recommend it for anyone wanting to learn more about the struggles of disabilities. However, I wasn't a huge fan of the way the book was laid out. This is probably more of a personal preference as I have read similar short story books and felt the same way. I thought the strangest entry was the podcast. It probably would have been better if I were reading instead of listening but it was weird hearing someone read a written podcast. I guess the main thing is that I would recommend this to friends who are in the process of expanding their knowledge of others hardships. Happy reading!

 
Loved It
1 year

This anthology has its highs and lows, but generally it is an immensely diverse collection of essays investigating the daily experiences of disabled people. While the writing itself is unlikely to remain with me, the ideas and stories presented will, and I highly suggest this as a consciousness raising book for people trying to work through internalised ableism (which we all have).

 

About the Author:

Alice Wong is a disabled activist, media maker, and research consultant based in San Francisco, California. She is the founder and director of the Disability Visibility Project, an online community dedicated to creating, sharing, and amplifying disability media and culture….

 
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