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rhammond's review
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
Great memoir. I love the storytelling. I wish there was a bit more about her adult life post law school.
avarla's review against another edition
5.0
Inspiring... ok, just kidding.
Haben Girma shows how the world works for deaf and blind people - or doesn't work a lot of the time. From her pre-teens with a bit of hearing and seeing left to her late twenties meeting the leaders of her country, she leads through spotlight of her life and how her advocacy for disabled people has changed some things for the better, even though it should have been a lot easier in the first place.
Mind-boggling for me was the case against Scribd. Being unwilling to change an application for monetary reasons or simple laziness is one thing, but claiming that you can discriminate against people because you're only working on the internet is simply brazen (brash? presumptuous? Whichever has a rather mean connotation).
All in all a very good memoir which I really enjoyed and which fit my preference of memoirs: people I have never heard of but who I definitely should know more about, because they are showing me a world view quite different to mine.
Haben Girma shows how the world works for deaf and blind people - or doesn't work a lot of the time. From her pre-teens with a bit of hearing and seeing left to her late twenties meeting the leaders of her country, she leads through spotlight of her life and how her advocacy for disabled people has changed some things for the better, even though it should have been a lot easier in the first place.
Mind-boggling for me was the case against Scribd. Being unwilling to change an application for monetary reasons or simple laziness is one thing, but claiming that you can discriminate against people because you're only working on the internet is simply brazen (brash? presumptuous? Whichever has a rather mean connotation).
All in all a very good memoir which I really enjoyed and which fit my preference of memoirs: people I have never heard of but who I definitely should know more about, because they are showing me a world view quite different to mine.
jordanrm's review against another edition
3.0
Definitely meant for non-disabled folks; timing felt off and I wanted the later chapters to be more flushed out.
nikkicking's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent and inspiring book. Critical to understand the importance and power of creating accessibility to all.
cmhorgan's review
emotional
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.75
I learned so much from Haben!! It was a slow start for me but by the end, I felt grateful to have learned from her. This book is necessary to create a better understanding of different disability experiences & create positive changes in technology!!
joemygod's review against another edition
4.0
It was an interesting memoir. It reads really well especially for readers would don’t have a lot of people with disabilities in their lives. Girma’s stories offer important insight on consent (in particular for blind folks who are often touched and guided without permission) and access. It offers good insight into the idea that if you build access for people with disabilities your building more access for everyone.
The only thing that was less exciting for me personally was that it centered so much on her childhood and less on her career as an attorney which seems to have been short lived. I would’ve been more excited to read about activism through litigation and law.
The only thing that was less exciting for me personally was that it centered so much on her childhood and less on her career as an attorney which seems to have been short lived. I would’ve been more excited to read about activism through litigation and law.
denovo_reviews's review against another edition
5.0
This book was absolutely phenomenal. Haben shared so much about her Eritrean and Ethiopian background and insight into what it’s like to experience life as a deafblind person. She definitely leaves you with a lot to think about and I’m so overwhelmed by her story and her journey to continued advocacy.
Also FWIW, she had me literally laughing out loud several times. Again, an amazing read.
Also FWIW, she had me literally laughing out loud several times. Again, an amazing read.