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bkish's review
5.0
Diffficult to write about this very personal story by Jan Grue published in Norway and won awards in 2018 and just recently english translation. The honesty and straightforward thinking and writing by this young man it blows me away far away.
Jan Grue has had from childhood a muscular damage atrophy not sure what actually is his diagnosis. He speaks as someone who couldnt do what a child should do wants to do run stretch and he is able to walk and there is here one description of how he gets up from chair with his wife to get water. Jan is a Professor (not sure what subject)a husband a father a son a friend a writer. He has manual and electric wheelchair. He lets readers know about the life of this man and it is all said all written. He regrets his regrets are that the world doesnt allow for someone like him doesnt allow for the wheelchair and so he has taken these years to write about being him being himself and being him and being himself in the world as it is. He has traveled and studied at UC Berkeley for a year and really liked California (where I live). He talks about being a father and his very young son who can run.
This book should give each reader an opportunity to be more conscious
Judy g
Jan Grue has had from childhood a muscular damage atrophy not sure what actually is his diagnosis. He speaks as someone who couldnt do what a child should do wants to do run stretch and he is able to walk and there is here one description of how he gets up from chair with his wife to get water. Jan is a Professor (not sure what subject)a husband a father a son a friend a writer. He has manual and electric wheelchair. He lets readers know about the life of this man and it is all said all written. He regrets his regrets are that the world doesnt allow for someone like him doesnt allow for the wheelchair and so he has taken these years to write about being him being himself and being him and being himself in the world as it is. He has traveled and studied at UC Berkeley for a year and really liked California (where I live). He talks about being a father and his very young son who can run.
This book should give each reader an opportunity to be more conscious
Judy g
ziltoidia's review against another edition
4.0
I know this is a 5 star book, but for me it was a 3 star book, so I'll average it to 4. I'll certainly recommend this book without hesitation. But as ever, I struggle with books that expect me to read between the lines. Some paragraphs were a *pleasure* to read whereas I've got no clue what other paragraphs are trying to convey. So a lot of the 5-star material go straight over my head.
The book is doing many things at once, and I love it! But I struggled to get a sense of the structure as it's neither ordered thematically nor chronologically. I could read the paragraphs in a different order and it'd make the same amount of sense to me. I'd find bits that I was excited to read and then the book went back to the more clouded language I couldn't grasp.
In conclusion, I enjoyed this book more for the disability reflections than the writing style. And when those reflections were clear to me I was mentally cheering. If anything, it's the story of an emerging "I won't accept inaccessibility anymore" capital-D-Disabled person. In that sense, it reads more like the prequel to the beginning of a story, and I'm here for it. I can't wait to read the next book on my shelf by Grue.
The book is doing many things at once, and I love it! But I struggled to get a sense of the structure as it's neither ordered thematically nor chronologically. I could read the paragraphs in a different order and it'd make the same amount of sense to me. I'd find bits that I was excited to read and then the book went back to the more clouded language I couldn't grasp.
In conclusion, I enjoyed this book more for the disability reflections than the writing style. And when those reflections were clear to me I was mentally cheering. If anything, it's the story of an emerging "I won't accept inaccessibility anymore" capital-D-Disabled person. In that sense, it reads more like the prequel to the beginning of a story, and I'm here for it. I can't wait to read the next book on my shelf by Grue.
dai2daireader's review
3.0
I love memoirs but I felt oddly disconnected from the way this story was being told.
samanthadilley's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed the set up of this book with insights into Grue’s life mixed with clinical information/diagnoses. It felt distant at times which broke some of the connection for the “memoir” aspect for me.
sssnoo's review
4.0
A short and worthy memoir. I was especially struck by the authors description of his son’s birth and the ways it changed his perspective. There is a lot in here that everyone would benefit from listening to, but I think teachers and other service people would especially benefit from it.
rose_dreamer_'s review
5.0
This is a book that everyone should read. The subject matter is important; the author Jan Grue has a unique perspective as a person with physical disabilities coupled with an extensive academic background, including with advocating for people with disabilities. This is possibly the most important book I've read this year. I cannot stress how much his perspective needs to be seen. This is also a powerful study on grief that I can relate strongly to.
I have one caveat. As a parent of twins with intellectual disabilities as well as physical disabilities, I couldn't help but pick on up the author's desire to not be thrown into the same category as people like my children. Yes, he is incredibly intelligent, driven, passionate and threw his whole being into life. I can't help but feel that it was to distinguish himself from people who cannot achieve so much academically from no fault of their own.
That being said, this is his story. While I am affected by my own journey, my children's journey and the perspective this gives us, I cannot fault him for his own perspective and the desire to not be seen as mentally incapable.
I want to reiterate, this book is powerful. Please read it. Don't take my criticism as a reason not to read it. We are all humans, learning how to be humans and Jan Grue deftly communicates this in his memoir.
I have one caveat. As a parent of twins with intellectual disabilities as well as physical disabilities, I couldn't help but pick on up the author's desire to not be thrown into the same category as people like my children. Yes, he is incredibly intelligent, driven, passionate and threw his whole being into life. I can't help but feel that it was to distinguish himself from people who cannot achieve so much academically from no fault of their own.
That being said, this is his story. While I am affected by my own journey, my children's journey and the perspective this gives us, I cannot fault him for his own perspective and the desire to not be seen as mentally incapable.
I want to reiterate, this book is powerful. Please read it. Don't take my criticism as a reason not to read it. We are all humans, learning how to be humans and Jan Grue deftly communicates this in his memoir.