maeverose's review

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Dnfed @ 48%

This is the second time I’ve attempted to read this - the first time was via audio and I retained very little of it - this time my ebook copy was due back to the library.

I’m not sure if I’ll attempt to read it again, hence why I’m marking it as a dnf instead of putting it back on my tbr as I normally would. I think this book is important and has a lot to offer, especially if you  want an insight into the lives of actual disabled people telling their own story, as opposed to inspo porn books/movies made by non-disabled people — It just put me in a bad mood every time I picked it up. I’m currently going through a lot regarding my own disabilities, so it made me feel a bit hopeless.

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wandering_canuck's review

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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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korourke's review

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challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

Wonderful book, mostly American centred, but so thoroughly examines where we are now, what got us here, and what world we could build.

My fav essays were:
- Unspeakable Conversations by Harriet McBryde Johnson
- Common Cyborg by Jillian Weise 
- How to Make a Paper Crane from Rage by Elsa Sjunneson
- Why My Novel Is Dedicated to My Disabled Friend Maddy by A.H. Reaume
- Six Ways of Looking at Crip Time by Ellen Samuels
- Times Up for Me, Too by Carolyn Gehrig
- Still Dreaming Wild Disability Dreams at the End of the World by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha

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waybeyondblue's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

5.0


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maddy4prezident's review

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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.

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lipstickitotheman's review against another edition

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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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yourfavavery's review

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challenging emotional informative

4.75


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kelleykamanda's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

Damn. Read this book!

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leelaamanda's review

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challenging emotional informative reflective fast-paced

5.0


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chronicacademia's review

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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