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4th out of 30 books
—
6 voters
My Body Politic: A Memoir
by
Simi Linton
"I read My Body Politic with admiration, sometimes for the pain that all but wept on the page, again for sheer exuberant friendships, for self-discovery, political imagination, and pluck. . . . Wonderful! In a dark time, a gift of hope.
-Daniel Berrigan, S.J.
"The struggles, joys, and political awakening of a firecracker of a narrator. . . . Linton has succeeded in creating...more
-Daniel Berrigan, S.J.
"The struggles, joys, and political awakening of a firecracker of a narrator. . . . Linton has succeeded in creating...more
Paperback, 256 pages
Published
January 23rd 2007
by University of Michigan Press
(first published 2005)
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I found this book at random at the library. It gives a great picture about what it's like to be a paraplegic/to live life in and from and with a wheelchair. It made me notice how many or few curb cuts there are in our town, for example. There was a lot I learned about the lives of people with "disabilities," and the disability movement, which she avoided for years but finally embraced. For example, there is the stereotype of being dismissed when you are perceived as being spunky or courageous or...more
I thought this was a great book. I had already read Linton’s book, “Claiming Disability,” which I thought was excellent and very insightful for people with disabilities and those interested in teaching. As a person with a disability who often feels isolated from the disabled community, I find my connection in reading books like these.
As a memoir, I think this book was very good, but even more so as a disability memoir. I feel a lot of disability memoirs I’ve read are rather shallow, a long accou...more
As a memoir, I think this book was very good, but even more so as a disability memoir. I feel a lot of disability memoirs I’ve read are rather shallow, a long accou...more
I'm a little bit obsessed with some of the observations in Simi Linton's disability studies book Claiming Disability, and was very eager to get into her memoir. Linton is a disability rights advocate who has been a wheelchair-user since she was paralyzed in the seventies. I honestly expected to have a little bit of difficulty empathizing with parts of her story, because she had a "normal" body before she was disabled. However, so many of her words resonated with me and my own journey, potentiall...more
I'm a little over half way done with this book right now, and it's really amazing! Siri Linton really highlights what it means to be a disabled person in our society and how our system needs to change.
This is one of the best, most thoughtful, and most important memoirs I've read.
i was really looking forward to reading a memoir by a disability rights activist since there aren't many books written from this perspective (most are inspirational crip stuff). maybe my excitement for the book is the reason i was left a little disappointed? it's great--- definitely a good read--- but something is missing..
i wish there had been more on community and her involvement, rather than coming-to-terms with her disability (although that's very important.)
i wish there had been more on community and her involvement, rather than coming-to-terms with her disability (although that's very important.)
Feb 17, 2007
Joanna
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone
Shelves:
memoir,
disabilitystudies
Linton was my teacher. I learned from the book a different view of the Viet Nam era. She was injured in a car accident while hitchhiking to a march on Washington with her best friend and her husband. She became a paraplegic and her friends were killed. She documents her experience as a disabled person in the early 70's advocating for herself, and ultimately becoming one of the founders of the disability rights movements
A riveting read.
Get it! Read it! Share it!
A riveting read.
Get it! Read it! Share it!
Excellent consciousness-raiser about living one's whole adult life with a significant disability. Recommended for all able-bodied people to better understand the life experiences and challenges of people with disabilities.
I did enjoy this book, but I don't think my affinity for it can be quantified in stars. I'm torn between "liked it" and "really liked it". Three and a half stars?
May 17, 2013
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Mar 23, 2013
Laura
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Feb 12, 2013
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Jan 30, 2013
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Jan 20, 2013
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Jan 13, 2013
Alice Gibson
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