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extemporalli 's review for:
I learnt a LOT from this book about how young women are affected by serious/chronic illnesses and navigate not just physical constraints, but social ones - in various aspects of their lives. Really well-thought out, researched, and nuanced book. Hirsch made an effort to interview young women and non-binary people from different walks of life, and it's clear that people who are, say, trans or POC generally have an even harder time than a cis white woman would. I also appreciated Hirsch's effort to ground her book in a feminist framework, which made the issues under discussion and her analysis richer and smarter. For example, Hirsch discusses the bias in science toward viewing male human subjects as 'neutral' while also assuming that women's bodies can't differ that much, and how that leads to big problems in diagnosing women with substance abuse issues. Other points in the book that really stood out for me: (1) the way men treat (and generally walk away) from women they're dating who get diagnosed with serious health issues; (2) abuse in the medical setting, especially of black women who face much higher rates of physical/sexual assault in addition to not being given the pain medication they require (I'd known about that, but I hadn't known this was due to the tendency to view black women as requiring pain medication to feed substance abuse habits. Seriously!!! this made my blood boil).
The book was hard reading, if only because the content was so heavy and... well... sad that I couldn't read it in a single setting. Otherwise, I wouldn't say this was a difficult TO read. Hirsch writes clearly and informatively, and the personal stories of the people she speaks to illuminate the points she's trying to make. I only have two criticisms to make: first, Hirsch could have delved more into the literature there is on disability and feminism. Second, there are some odd uses of collective nouns ('a fistful of issues', 'shreds of autonomy') that felt rather stilted. Aside from that, I'd still say this was definitely worth a read.
The book was hard reading, if only because the content was so heavy and... well... sad that I couldn't read it in a single setting. Otherwise, I wouldn't say this was a difficult TO read. Hirsch writes clearly and informatively, and the personal stories of the people she speaks to illuminate the points she's trying to make. I only have two criticisms to make: first, Hirsch could have delved more into the literature there is on disability and feminism. Second, there are some odd uses of collective nouns ('a fistful of issues', 'shreds of autonomy') that felt rather stilted. Aside from that, I'd still say this was definitely worth a read.