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karinlib's review
4.0
I really liked this memoir by Haben Girma who was the first Deafblind woman to attend Harvard (and succeed). Although I have always been fascinated with law school, and I had wished that she had discussed more about her time at Harvard (I have read [b:One L|14914326|One L|Scott Turow|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|8282] by [a:Scott Turow|2749|Scott Turow|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1208462425p2/2749.jpg] 3 times), I am so glad she wrote this book about her experiences.
shai631's review
5.0
As the title states, this is the story of a deaf-blind Black woman, all of the -isms she encounters, and how she overcame them. I am rarely able to say that a book is inspiring but it is a fitting description for this book. She has all of these "disabilities" (which, BTW, she dislikes that term), and does more with her life than many of us could even begin to imagine doing with ours.
She travels all around the globe. She doesn't fear people and embraces new experiences. Everyone has fears but she charges forward through life determined not to let anything hold her back. I wish I had the cojones she has, even sliding off a mountainside all on her own. I don't know that I could do that even with my sight and hearing. When her school's cafeteria didn't provide menus in Braille, she threatened a lawsuit to make them email her and the other blind people in the school the menu the night before. Her love of advocacy gave her the determination to power through her studies at Harvard Law School and become an attorney and I'll leave you to find out the rest of her story.
I would recommend this to anyone looking for a feel-good book, a short read, or a biography.
She travels all around the globe. She doesn't fear people and embraces new experiences. Everyone has fears but she charges forward through life determined not to let anything hold her back. I wish I had the cojones she has, even sliding off a mountainside all on her own. I don't know that I could do that even with my sight and hearing. When her school's cafeteria didn't provide menus in Braille, she threatened a lawsuit to make them email her and the other blind people in the school the menu the night before. Her love of advocacy gave her the determination to power through her studies at Harvard Law School and become an attorney and I'll leave you to find out the rest of her story.
I would recommend this to anyone looking for a feel-good book, a short read, or a biography.
rich2023's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
5.0
Such a good book! I love how Haben overcame a lot of obstacles. She didn’t give up. She persevered! She is fearless and brave! She is an inspiring person who doesn’t let her disability define what she can do.
sindibookworm's review
5.0
Haben takes us through a mile (and more) in her shoes as she narrates experiences from her youth to the present. Most memoirs I’ve read only retell a person’s life story but Haben’s memoir educates the reader.
I learned about Eritrean culture, history, and liberation from Ethiopian occupation, ableism and how it affects deafblind people, and how technology has advanced to make life and communication more accessible.
There is a need for advocacy for accessibility rights. I encourage anyone who, like me, is unknowledgeable about disability rights and inclusion to start with this book.
I learned about Eritrean culture, history, and liberation from Ethiopian occupation, ableism and how it affects deafblind people, and how technology has advanced to make life and communication more accessible.
There is a need for advocacy for accessibility rights. I encourage anyone who, like me, is unknowledgeable about disability rights and inclusion to start with this book.
qkitten's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
5.0