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A review by thefattingtonfrisk
Accidents of Nature by Harriet McBryde Johnson
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This book was published in 2006 and set almost 4 decades prior. Reading it in 2024, you won't be surprised to hear that not all of it has aged well. But as with all works of writing, we have to consider the context of when it was both set and written to really understand it. Yes, there are things in this book that make me cringe. But I also think, for some of it, that's the point.
Some have pointed out that Sara is clearly meant to be a sort of stand-in for the author. Given some of the details she includes, she certainly wasn't trying to hide it. But I think Jean was, in some ways, a version of Harriet as well. The story is told through Jean's perspective, and it's one of intense internalized abliesm. It can be painful to read, but I believe that that was the point -- to force the reader into that mindset, in part to help us reach into out own ableism, internalized or otherwise. Along with Jean, we get to experience her transformation over the course of the ten days of camp. And I for one really enjoyed the journey, even while acknowledging some of the shortcomings that became more obvious with the book's aging.
Some have pointed out that Sara is clearly meant to be a sort of stand-in for the author. Given some of the details she includes, she certainly wasn't trying to hide it. But I think Jean was, in some ways, a version of Harriet as well. The story is told through Jean's perspective, and it's one of intense internalized abliesm. It can be painful to read, but I believe that that was the point -- to force the reader into that mindset, in part to help us reach into out own ableism, internalized or otherwise. Along with Jean, we get to experience her transformation over the course of the ten days of camp. And I for one really enjoyed the journey, even while acknowledging some of the shortcomings that became more obvious with the book's aging.