Reviews tagging 'Classism'

Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century by Alice Wong

8 reviews

wandering_canuck's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

Beautiful and raw, this collection of essays is mind-blowingly honest and unapologetic. Told from the first person, these stories are wonderful complex and offer a glimpse into the just as complex and varied experiences of disabled people. 

This is exactly what you don't expect to read: unapologetic, candid, genuine tales of the lived disabled experience. Do not expect inspiration porn or movie of the week stories of overcoming. This book gives space and voice to the realities of the day to day lived experiences of disabled people.

This book served to highlight my shameful ignorance and forced me to confront some of my own biases. This isn't a one-and-done type of book. I challenge you to read this book and not have your world shook. 

Wong does a fantastic job of bringing together many types of voices. A common theme throughout is the unjust marginalization of disabled people and it's intersectionality with other invisibilized qualities, such as poverty, queerness, size, and race. 

This is an absolute must-read and is deserving of a permanent spot on your bookshelf. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Chronic illness, Sexual violence, Ableism, Rape, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Sexual assault, Violence, Classism, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Sexual harassment, and Homophobia

Moderate: Bullying, Chronic illness, Racism, Addiction, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Classism

lipstickitotheman's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny

4.5

Really stunning collection of pieces. Only thing taking it down in stars is how some felt a little shorter/less fleshed out than I'd expected. Overall a really well-curated selection with great narrative voices. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism

Moderate: Hate crime, Pregnancy, Body shaming, Bullying, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Police brutality, Rape, Self harm, Confinement, Sexual assault, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Terminal illness, Classism, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Murder, Chronic illness, Sexual violence, and Racism

laupm's review

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Ableism, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Genocide, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, and Classism

lilacs_book_bower's review

challenging hopeful informative lighthearted sad fast-paced

4.75

I really enjoyed this book. Alice Wong as the editor has gathered a wide range of essays and interviews from people with disabilities, and the collection covers a huge range of topics. I liked the approach of reading about the different aspects of disabilities that people wanted to discuss; topics range from medical care, discrimination, wheelchairs and artificial limbs, transportation, and accessible clothing. I appreciated the wide selection of topics. The only flaw I would say with this book is that some of the essays are so short (three pages), that the reader is left wanting more. A few felt like they introduced a topic and then abruptly ended. Overall, a very strong collection of narratives and a fast read!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Pregnancy, Racism, Fatphobia, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Abandonment, Chronic illness, Classism, Death, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Ableism, Abortion, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Terminal illness, Body shaming, Dysphoria, Self harm, and Sexual harassment

softgalaxy's review

hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

One of the best books I’ve ever read. Everyone should read this. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Medical content, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Xenophobia, Colonisation, Physical abuse, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Sexism, Cancer, Chronic illness, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Classism, Confinement, Death, Fatphobia, Hate crime, and Sexual assault

Minor: Blood and Acephobia/Arophobia

atomicbritt's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Medical content, Medical trauma, Body shaming, Racism, Abandonment, Classism, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Ableism, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Mental illness, Chronic illness, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Sexual assault

kbairbooks's review

emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

4.5

I loved every moment of reading this and it was my first book now that I finally have a library card back in my life. I will be highly recommending this book to everyone I can.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness

Moderate: Drug use, Medical trauma, Forced institutionalization, Ableism, Bullying, Classism, Gaslighting, Grief, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Cancer, Car accident, and Panic attacks/disorders

thedisabledreader's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective slow-paced

4.0

Although it may not be *the* disabled book, it is certainly a place to start for listening to diverse and individual perspectives within or out of your own communities. These creators, Alice Wong included, are witty and funny yet still maintain the vulnerability and strength necessary to share their experiences in such a public light. They are captivating and open to being wrong, willing to learn and letting the reader do so as well. 

The authors and speakers are all disabled, but there is very little overlap within disabilities. Diversity is not just a theme in this, it is a celebrated requirement. Thoughts are shared on different issues, different identities, different marginalizations and intersections, walks of life, and opinions. Despite the individuality of each story, the stories are well structured and engaging, especially when stories relate or build off similar foundations.

This is the first time I have ever seen one of my chronic illnesses, Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, even briefly mentioned in any mainstream media - or anywhere outside of the disabled community on social media. 

The author with EDS wrote an entire story for this. Although it wasn’t necessarily groundbreaking to me in its subject, disabled motherhood, it will remain a part of my life that I can attribute an important ‘first’ to. That’s a feeling I want everyone to feel - and then a million times afterward - and that is a feeling that this book can bring.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Ableism, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Medical content, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Forced institutionalization, Fatphobia, and Classism

Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia and Transphobia