youcancallmefi's review

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challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense

5.0


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spiritedfaraway's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative medium-paced

5.0

Stories are the closest we can come to shared experience… Like all stories, they are most fundamentally a chance to ride around inside another head and be reminded that being who we are and where we are, and doing what we’re doing, is not the only possibility.
       – Harriet McBryde Johnson 

Everyone should read this.



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leahlovesloslibros's review

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challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

I really enjoyed hearing about a variety of disabilities, specifically first-person accounts. There were some disabilities in this book that I hadn't even considered, which is why books like this are so important: so individuals can become more educated and aware. This book should be required reading in school.

A pleasant surprise while reading this book is that I found some validation of my own. I have spent years dealing with impostor syndrome surrounding some of my own disabilities, especially since they are not considered disabilities by all individuals. This book really helped me realize that my disabilities are not only real, but valid. I want to help bring more awareness to both visible and invisible disabilities. We [individuals with disabilities] deserve that.

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foreverinastory's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective

5.0

Everyone should read this. That is all.

CWs from each story as provided by the contributor:

Unspeakable Conversations: eugenics, infanticide, assisted suicide.

There's a Mathematical Equation that Proves I'm Ugly: bullying, suicidal ideation.

The Erasure of Indigenous People in Chronic Illness: settler colonialism, genocide, racism, sexism, ableism, erasure, sexual assault, violence, suicide, suicidal ideation.

The Isolation of Being Deaf in Prison: sexual assault, language deprivation, isolation, incarceration, trauma, audism.

Common Cyborg: hate, misogyny, harassment, rape threats, death threats, racism, suicide, sterilization, ableism, eugenics. 

We Can't Go Back: institutionalization, abuse.

Last but Not Least: body shaming, groping, sexual harassment.

The Antiabortion Bill You Aren't Hearing About: bodily autonomy, eugenics, ableism, trauma, sexual assault, medical trauma, objectification, carceral state, sterilization.

Incontinence is a Public Health Issue...: suicidal ideation, bullying, body shaming, infantilization. 

Failing/Burning: suffering, medication, spoilers for Hannah Gadsby's Nanette.

Lost Cause: abuse, racism, ableist language, child neglect, torture, poisoning, self-harm.

Disability Solidarity: state violence, anti-Blackness, racism, ableism, audism, police brutality, incarceration, murder, white supremacy. 

Time's Up for Me, Too: sexual assault, intimate partner violence, abuse, trauma. 

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annemaries_shelves's review

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challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

A stunning essay anthology centering disabled voices from a diverse range of authors and experiences. The collection is organized in four sections: Being, Becoming, Doing, and Connecting and each provides unique, and intersectional perspectives around this broader element of the disabled experience.

Most of the essays were under 10 pages, which made for a great sampler of each writer’s work and stories without becoming overwhelming. While there were essays I loved more than others, each one gave me something to think about and each essay made sense as part of a greater anthology whole. The trigger content warnings at the top of each relevant essay was also appreciated. And I spent the whole time reading with a pencil in hand, underlining and starring and commenting - just annotating the whole book really.

A few above and beyond elements: You can also access a plain language version of the book on the disability visibility project website, which I think is amazing. The back of the book contains bios of each contributing author as well as recommended additional reading, which I will be taking advantage of. Since Disability Visibility was primarily focused on disabled authors in the USA (with a few exceptions) the book also reinforced my desire to read from Canadian, and other non-American disability perspectives.

I recommend this as introductory/extremely important reading for everyone. For me, Disability Visibility is just the first step in reading and learning more about disability justice and exploring disabled authors’ fiction, non-fiction, and other creative works. 

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clarabooksit's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective fast-paced

4.75

An incredible essay collection. This is a must-read.

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tinana's review against another edition

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emotional informative inspiring sad

5.0


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leighannebfd3b's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

5.0


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caidyn's review against another edition

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emotional informative sad fast-paced

4.5

If you want a collection of essays that highlight disabled living, I highly recommend it. I've found that I don't know much about disabled life because I'm an abled person in an ableist society. And, I wanted to do something about it so I can properly help a diverse set of populations in my career and personal life. I really enjoyed these essays and how broad they were, although they all talked about ableism and how our society is set up to shunt disabled people to the side. It talks about the intersections of race, sexuality, gender, and class. It really is a great read, although hard to stomach at times. I highly recommend it and plan on having a finished copy so I can revisit it as needed.

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yasminreads's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

Incredible insight into so many different personal experiences. I bought this book with the intention of educating myself but I gained so much more. The joy, strength and spirit of each writer is palpable. Its a very well curated book where each essay is as good as the one before. Each piece of writing will include a content warning if required so if any I've listed put you off, just know that they are not applicable to the entire work. 

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