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kellee's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
4.0
I enjoyed this book’s premise that fairytales were and remain a way of explaining differences or being “other” to children and even ourselves, and that they may seem innocent but really contain some insidious ideas about what’s “normal.” Each chapter consistered of reframing the way I’ve viewed fairy tales for so long, and at the end of the chapters, Amanda Leduc shared her own experiences as a women with cerebral palsy at the end of each chapter. I think parts of the book could’ve been edited, as they felt a bit repetitive, but this is a read that is worth the time. Leduc is a solid writer, and I appreciated the way she used fairy tales, modern research, and her own experiences to share more about being disabled in an able-bodied world.
arlingtonchamberofgay's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
5.0
Amanda Leduc has made me ask myself: what do I want disabled stories to look like? Because it certainly isn’t the fairytales that she explores, the ones that make us deformed villains, pitiful side characters, or ‘fixable’ protagonists.
I want to exist in a world that embraces disabled folks for our differences and allows us to move freely without outward hindrances. I want disabled protagonists who take rest days, who have aid malfunctions, who are messy and weird and joyous.
I want to exist in a world that embraces disabled folks for our differences and allows us to move freely without outward hindrances. I want disabled protagonists who take rest days, who have aid malfunctions, who are messy and weird and joyous.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, and Medical content
Moderate: Mental illness, Misogyny, and Body shaming
Minor: Rape
regencyfan93's review against another edition
informative
3.0
This was about disability in fairy tales and many related topics. I don't think that I will be aware when disability representation is missing, but I will notice when it is only the villain or someone ineffectual with a disability.
The author doesn't have use for person-centered language, because no matter how one refers to the author, she still has a limp.
The author doesn't have use for person-centered language, because no matter how one refers to the author, she still has a limp.
megnut's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
To make you think about how the stories we see and hear impact how we see the world. (Particularly in regards to fairy tales.)
But thought it was really interesting thinking about the possible connections between disabilities, mental illness or neurodivergence may have had with the myths of fairies and changelings.
But thought it was really interesting thinking about the possible connections between disabilities, mental illness or neurodivergence may have had with the myths of fairies and changelings.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Ableism
Minor: Sexual violence
laura_corsi's review against another edition
4.0
Part memoir, part literary criticism, and all activism for disability normalization. I found this to be a brilliant meditation on the way our values come through in our stories, and therefore, what our stories tell us about how we think about disability. This book makes the subconscious conscious and demands that we do better.
agnesnutter's review against another edition
slow-paced
2.5
This one was a bit of a disappointing read, perhaps because the marketing of the book isn't quite in tune with what the text actually delivers. Although I wouldn't be able to pinpoint where exactly the text is supposed to belong either.
Is this a piece of scholarship? Not really. Is this a memoir? Sometimes, and often those moments are the most interesting ones, but they don't happen as often as they could have.
This genre confusion isn't helped by Leduc's often too-broad analyses, which tend to oversimplify where a more informed, less generalised look would have been more interesting (this is particularly present when she tackles folk tales and their history.)
In a similar vein, Leduc often dodges going beyond the surface when tackling issues of class and race and how they interact with disability, especially beyond North America. There are nods given to this, and capitalism is appropriately pointed as the engine of many types of oppression, but nowhere does the author dig deeper into the system and how fairytales (which often existed way before capitalism or even written words) play a part in that. That same surface level treatment is given to disabilities that are more "invisible", like autism or other neurodevelopmental realities.
A very promising idea that doesn't quite deliver.
Is this a piece of scholarship? Not really. Is this a memoir? Sometimes, and often those moments are the most interesting ones, but they don't happen as often as they could have.
This genre confusion isn't helped by Leduc's often too-broad analyses, which tend to oversimplify where a more informed, less generalised look would have been more interesting (this is particularly present when she tackles folk tales and their history.)
In a similar vein, Leduc often dodges going beyond the surface when tackling issues of class and race and how they interact with disability, especially beyond North America. There are nods given to this, and capitalism is appropriately pointed as the engine of many types of oppression, but nowhere does the author dig deeper into the system and how fairytales (which often existed way before capitalism or even written words) play a part in that. That same surface level treatment is given to disabilities that are more "invisible", like autism or other neurodevelopmental realities.
A very promising idea that doesn't quite deliver.