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4.33 AVERAGE
4.33 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Two days before I finished this, Alice Wong won the MacArthur Genius award! This book is more a collection of essays than a traditional narrative memoir. Always a good reminder to read about how for disabled people, so much more work has to go into doing work.
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced
This was a really cool way to do a memoir. Wong writes a multimodal memoir that includes essays, podcast transcripts, photos, art, crosswords, and all kinds of other things. I’m familiar with Wong’s work, but this book made me feel like I knew her personally.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism
To be honest, the 'multifaceted impressionistic collage' approach didn't work for me. It felt like there were 2 different, partial books pushed together here, which took away from the individual essays. Maybe it would have worked better in print than audio? I'm glad to have read all of the pieces, but I wish I could have read it as 2 separate works.
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
this was a truly remarkable read. i love the way alice’s voice shines in this, she's got such a distinct tone! and she’s fucking hilarious. the way this is laid out and tells her life story without being so overt about it is unique and makes for a great reading experience. i definitely took a lot away from this; it made me laugh, feel seen, lit a fire under me, and made me reflect on my own biases. i work in disability advocacy, and have for years now, so it was great to see this different perspective in storytelling and have it be very upfront about why it’s important that it’s different. that comes up a lot in my work, but isn’t reflected in disability narratives overall. this disruption is innovative and truly indicative of the foundation of the community.
highly recommend!!
highly recommend!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Medical content
Moderate: Bullying, Death
Minor: Religious bigotry
This is a compelling collection of essays, interviews, and reflections that offer a unique perspective on life as a disabled person of color. Wong's scrapbook-style memoir was so beautiful & an engaging, providing valuable insights into the disabled community. This was easy to get through (lots of fun lighthearted bits mixed in with heavier sections) while still impactful. I found the chapter about plastic straw accessibility incredibly thought-provoking! I would’ve loved if Wong went into more depth about her specific experiences more (and some of the interviews could’ve been condensed further, in my opinion, especially listening via audiobook), but I’m happy with what this book was! Overall, a worthy, celebratory, eye-opening read.
4.5 stars—I recommend!!
4.5 stars—I recommend!!