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A review by pucksandpaperbacks
The Pretty One: On Life, Pop Culture, Disability, and Other Reasons to Fall in Love With Me by Keah Brown
5.0
Trigger Warnings: bullying, ableist slurs, disordered eating, depression, suicidal thoughts, self-depreciation, grief, loss of a loved one, graphic depiction of a suicidal attempt.
*This book contains spoilers for the movie Love, Simon
I truly wish I had a physical copy (and will probably get one at some point) because I wish I could've tabbed and highlighted the HECK out of this book. I resonated with so much of it but damn it has so many important conversations inside.
This book taught me a lot about how to dismantle my language that can be harmful to disabled folks & how to be an accomplice to the disabled community through my actions. Keah talks about how much the government has failed disabled people and made them feel invisible. Accessibility is a huge conversation in this novel and it angers me to hear how much the disabled community is wronged in our world.
Keah discusses how she strives to become a TV or film writer to receive the representation she and the disabled community as a whole deserve. She has a whole chapter dedicated to the poor representation of able-bodied people playing disabled characters on TV or in films & how harmful the representation is (i.e. Glee, Everything, Everything, and ??). She discusses how through the media's portrayal, ableism exists. Able-bodied people begin to believe that all disabled people want to be "free" or hate their bodies which isn't the case in the slightest. I'm so grateful for Keah's book and her words.
My favorite chapter was about one of my favorite bands, Paramore. Keah talks about how her love for Paramore and Demi Lovato got her through some hard times in her life (+ depression) and I couldn’t relate more. Paramore became a crucial part of my development in high school and they still remain one of my favorite bands.
This book is a great start to helping able-bodied people becoming anti-ableist. Also, if you're struggling with depression or self-esteem issues, Keah has a great essay for the last chapter about "it's okay, not to be okay" and learning how to manage depression.
Quotes:
“It is a different kind of beast to spend so much time with your thoughts that you create a whole new life that you are convinced is better in every way than the one you are living.”
"I am tired of accepting scraps as representation,"
"Progress is remembering that breaks from pain are not only recommended but necessary, that finding joys in life despite systemic oppression can save lives"."
"When you have no idea that the world is a place that may judge you because of a thing you can't change, it is jarring when you realize that not only is it a possibility but it's a certainty"."
*This book contains spoilers for the movie Love, Simon
I truly wish I had a physical copy (and will probably get one at some point) because I wish I could've tabbed and highlighted the HECK out of this book. I resonated with so much of it but damn it has so many important conversations inside.
This book taught me a lot about how to dismantle my language that can be harmful to disabled folks & how to be an accomplice to the disabled community through my actions. Keah talks about how much the government has failed disabled people and made them feel invisible. Accessibility is a huge conversation in this novel and it angers me to hear how much the disabled community is wronged in our world.
Keah discusses how she strives to become a TV or film writer to receive the representation she and the disabled community as a whole deserve. She has a whole chapter dedicated to the poor representation of able-bodied people playing disabled characters on TV or in films & how harmful the representation is (i.e. Glee, Everything, Everything, and ??). She discusses how through the media's portrayal, ableism exists. Able-bodied people begin to believe that all disabled people want to be "free" or hate their bodies which isn't the case in the slightest. I'm so grateful for Keah's book and her words.
My favorite chapter was about one of my favorite bands, Paramore. Keah talks about how her love for Paramore and Demi Lovato got her through some hard times in her life (+ depression) and I couldn’t relate more. Paramore became a crucial part of my development in high school and they still remain one of my favorite bands.
This book is a great start to helping able-bodied people becoming anti-ableist. Also, if you're struggling with depression or self-esteem issues, Keah has a great essay for the last chapter about "it's okay, not to be okay" and learning how to manage depression.
Quotes:
“It is a different kind of beast to spend so much time with your thoughts that you create a whole new life that you are convinced is better in every way than the one you are living.”
"I am tired of accepting scraps as representation,"
"Progress is remembering that breaks from pain are not only recommended but necessary, that finding joys in life despite systemic oppression can save lives"."
"When you have no idea that the world is a place that may judge you because of a thing you can't change, it is jarring when you realize that not only is it a possibility but it's a certainty"."