maddy4prezident's review

Go to review page

emotional informative reflective fast-paced

3.75

Read this book for a book club at work, and overall, I really enjoyed it. I thought the flow and thematic ties in the essays were excellent, and I loved that they all offered very beautiful and powerful perspectives on disability and disability justice. Some of the essays felt slightly more basic and redundant than others, but overall it was really enjoyable and informative.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

yourbookishbff's review

Go to review page

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective slow-paced

5.0

Disability Visibility is an anthology of essays edited by disability justice advocate Alice Wong. I don’t think I’ve ever read a collection of stories and perspectives so intersectional, raw and (as a non-disabled person) necessary. The structure of the collection is itself a stunning example of “disabled praxis,” as defined by A.H. Reaume in their essay “Why My Novel is Dedicated to My Disabled Friend Maddy,” as each essay simultaneously adds to and stands apart from preceding narratives, building a collage of experience that reflects the community built by and for those seeking disability justice.  

Loosely framed as essays, these range from first-person narratives to transcribed Ted talks to eulogies to artist manifestos to poetry. Several of these stories reflect the trauma and abuse experienced by those living at complex intersections of marginalization, and I was thankful that every essay includes detailed content and trigger warnings at the start. Through this unvarnished truth-telling, the intention of the anthology is made crystal clear - this is a collection rightfully built to amplify disabled voices for the benefit of disabled people and not for the gaze or comfort of non-disabled people.

I read this slowly, over more than a month, and I’m grateful I took my time with it. It challenged me to think about my own areas of deep-seated privilege and about the systems and spaces I have made inaccessible because of this privilege. It expanded my understanding of and respect for inclusivity and helped me to see the ways in which disability rights work has been consistently constrained by non-disabled people. These stories force us to ask, as s.e. smith does in their essay “The Beauty of Spaces Created for and by Disabled People:” “How can we cultivate spaces where everyone has that soaring sense of inclusion, where we can have difficult and meaningful conversations?”

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

lipstickitotheman's review against another edition

Go to review page

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. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

zombiezami's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

I consider myself familiar with disability justice principles and discussions, and I still learned a lot from this.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

yourfavavery's review

Go to review page

challenging emotional informative

4.75


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

leelaamanda's review

Go to review page

challenging emotional informative reflective fast-paced

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

lizziaha's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

important work being done here to build a disability archive

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

atuin's review

Go to review page

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective

5.0

Truly an amazing collection detailing stories from people with different backgrounds all living in a world with disabilities. This book helps communicate how disabled people are not lesser in any way, and are perfectly able and willing to lead happy lives if given the proper chance. A must read. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

arlingtonchamberofgay's review

Go to review page

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

4.75


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

honeyvoiced's review against another edition

Go to review page

informative medium-paced

4.25


Expand filter menu Content Warnings