abilities/disabilities (September 2019)

[Mariah Roze]

The diversity topic we will cover in September is abilities/disabilities.

Please suggest books for this topic. You have till 8/23/19.

[Tsundoku By the Day 📚]

Epilepsy:

Hero by Perry Moore

Or

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

[Michaela]

As far as I see Nicole both books rather have to do with homo/bi-sexuality than (dis)abilities. Can find nothing about epilepsy either.

[Michaela]

Michaela wrote: "As far as I see Nicole both books rather have to do with homo/bi-sexuality than (dis)abilities. Can find nothing about epilepsy either."

The second book has already be read too.

[Michaela]

My suggestion: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck or, if this is too classical, Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's by John Elder Robison.

[Sarah]

I'd urge us to strongly consider books about disability that are actually written BY disabled people. They tend to have a very different perspective than ones written by even well-meaning able-bodied people. for this reason, I strongly recommend AGAINST reading "Wonder".

"My Left Foot" by Christy Brown is a fun memoir and stands the test of time. So does "The Story of My Life" by Helen Keller.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8...

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...


"El Deafo", a graphic nonfiction book by Cece Bell is fantastic.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

"Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot" is hilarious, and was recently made into a bio-pic movie.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...

[Mariah Roze]

Here are books that were privately messaged to me...

The Kiss Quotient
A Curse So Dark and Lonely
El Deafo

Me Before You (Me Before You, #1) by Jojo Moyes
Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper

[Kat]

I would respectfully question whether "Me Before You" is a good choice for a book in a month featuring disability. While it does feature a character in a wheelchair, we have had discussions in other threads about how themes in the book towards the disabled are heavily problematic and ableist. If you look at its reviews on GR, you will see the reviews by able-bodied people who identify with the female character tend to differ widely from reviews from disabled readers who identify with Will.

The author chose to make the theme of her book *major spoilers* (view spoiler)[a disabled life is not one worth living by having her disabled character commit suicide at the end, freeing her able-bodied heroine to go find love with an able-bodied man. Which she does. Which, whatever. The book is what it is. But it feels super-not-awesome for the book we read as a group focused on diversity for the theme of disabilities to be one where the disabled character commits suicide at the end because he decides life isn't awesome anymore now that he's disabled. (Despite having found love and a partner who wants to be with him just as he is. Despite having the support of his family. Despite having money and resources and medical care.) (hide spoiler)]

[Sarah]

Kat wrote: "I would respectfully question whether "Me Before You" is a good choice for a book in a month featuring disability. While it does feature a character in a wheelchair, we have had discussions in othe..."
Thank you for mentioning this. I agree. Whatever book we pick, it would be a shame if we perpetuated problematic views about disabled folks.

[Sophie]

Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Or
The Little Big Things by Henry Fraser.

[Michaela]

Sarah wrote: "Kat wrote: "I would respectfully question whether "Me Before You" is a good choice for a book in a month featuring disability. While it does feature a character in a wheelchair, we have had discuss..."
I agree about this too! Just the mentioning of a disabled person, often in romances as I saw on the GR lists, isn´t enough to make a good read, so Steinbeck´s book that I mentioned wouldn´t be adequate, as it´s more of a general struggle.

[Michaela]

Love your recommendations Sarah! Also saw the film Don´t Worry, He Won´t Get Far on Foot, which was not only hilarious, but also doesn´t show the disabled as the victim or genius as it´s often done.

[Megan]

Lots of great recommendations so far, tho I agree that Me Before You is questionable. I liked it, but after reading opinions of paraplegic readers, I see it does, inadvertently, advance ableist ideas.

I’d like to suggest The Reason I Jump.

[Stuart]

Rather liked the new short story anthology “The Right way to be Crippled and Naked https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...

And even more than that I adore the poetry and essay collection “Beauty is a Verb” by the same editor https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

As a person with disability I am adamantly in the camp that you need to read works written by people with disabilities-unless the point is to explore how disability has been used as a metaphor or has perpetuated stereotypes, or facilitated othering, or inspiration porn.

Agree with comments expressing skepticism about “me before you”

[Lisa]

Mariah Roze wrote: "The diversity topic we will cover in September is abilities/disabilities.

Please suggest books for this topic. You have till 8/23/19."

"An Anthropologist on Mars" by Temple Grandin

"The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat" by Oliver Sacks

[Chuck]

I recommend So Lucky by Nicola Griffith

[Paul]

Sarah wrote: "I'd urge us to strongly consider books about disability that are actually written BY disabled people. They tend to have a very different perspective than ones written by even well-meaning able-bodi..."

I have severe cerebral palsy. I authored a book entitled, "Redefining Normal" in 2017. The book is based upon my experiences as one of the first children--with a disability--to be completely mainstreamed into public schools during the 70's & 80's. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...

[Michaela]

Thanks Paul, that sounds interesting! The definition about normality is a wide theme. I myself live with epilepsy and mental problems (even worse to have a disability that noone sees!), but I wonder if those with glasses aren´t disabled too, as well as people with problems of all sorts.

[Megan]

Auto correct must have done something weird to my suggestion. The book I was trying to suggest was The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism by Naoki Higashida. There’s also a new book released recently, a memoir: Haben The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law by Haben Girma.

[Mariah Roze]

Here is the poll: https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/1...

Please vote!

[Tyler]

Hi, I'd like to suggest a book called What Happened To Ivy. It's about a boy who has a sister who is in a wheelchair and has seizures. It discusses how he manages to balance his friendships and taking care of his little sister. It's a great book.

[NancyJ]

Based on the reviews, The Kiss Quotient is heavy on sex, but has little focus on abilities/disabilities, so I wonder if it meets the goals of this group read. Though it might be inspiring to some. ; )

I really adored Wonder by Palacio, but it doesn't quite fit this read either.

There are many great books nominated, it's hard to choose. Paul's book sounds good and the kindle is on sale right now.

[Kat]

NancyJ wrote: "Based on the reviews, The Kiss Quotient is heavy on sex, but has little focus on abilities/disabilities, so I wonder if it meets the goals of this group. Though it might be inspiring to some. ; )"

It's #ownvoices with an autistic main character.

[Michaela]

NancyJ wrote: "Based on the reviews, The Kiss Quotient is heavy on sex, but has little focus on abilities/disabilities, so I wonder if it meets the goals of this group read. Though it might be inspiring to some. ..."
Totally agree! And perhaps we could read Paul´s book anyway, perhaps as a buddy read or something!

[Megan]

The Kiss Quotient does have a fair amount of sex, but it’s about a woman on the autistic spectrum, written by a woman on the autism spectrum, so there’s lots of daily living experience from that point of view.

[NancyJ]

Kat and Megan, thanks for letting me know that. I agree that hearing her perspective on all aspects of daily living could be very enlightening. Sometimes it's the small surprising details that make a difference.

Michaela, that's a great idea!