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A review by rorikae
Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century by Alice Wong
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
'Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century' edited by Alice Wong is a great collection of essays by disabled authors that covers a range of subjects. The collection is broken up into four sections: Being, Becoming, Doing, and Connecting and each section has a number of different essays each written by a different author.
One of my favorite things about this collection is that it covers so many topics and perspectives. Wong did an exceptional job of gathering a diverse group both in terms of race and sexuality as well as disability and gender identity. As such, this is a great starting point for someone interested in finding more authors to follow and getting glimpses into the struggles and celebrations that come with being disabled. Many of these essays deal with difficult subjects including ableism, sexual assault, racism, and more but equally the essays cover creating space, connection, and community.
I listened to the audiobook, which was a great experience though my one issue is that some of the essays seem quite short. There are so many essays that the length and specificity varies widely. I found that my favorite pieces tended to be the longer pieces and some of my favorites included 'Radical Visibility: A Disabled Queer Clothing Reform Movement Manifesto' by Sky Cubacub, 'Why My Novel Is Dedicated to My Disabled Friend Maddy' by A. H. Reaume, and 'On NYCs Paratransit, Fighting for Safety, Respect, and Human Dignity' by Britney Wilson.
I think this is essential reading and I will definitely be using it as a jumping off point to explore more works by these authors.
One of my favorite things about this collection is that it covers so many topics and perspectives. Wong did an exceptional job of gathering a diverse group both in terms of race and sexuality as well as disability and gender identity. As such, this is a great starting point for someone interested in finding more authors to follow and getting glimpses into the struggles and celebrations that come with being disabled. Many of these essays deal with difficult subjects including ableism, sexual assault, racism, and more but equally the essays cover creating space, connection, and community.
I listened to the audiobook, which was a great experience though my one issue is that some of the essays seem quite short. There are so many essays that the length and specificity varies widely. I found that my favorite pieces tended to be the longer pieces and some of my favorites included 'Radical Visibility: A Disabled Queer Clothing Reform Movement Manifesto' by Sky Cubacub, 'Why My Novel Is Dedicated to My Disabled Friend Maddy' by A. H. Reaume, and 'On NYCs Paratransit, Fighting for Safety, Respect, and Human Dignity' by Britney Wilson.
I think this is essential reading and I will definitely be using it as a jumping off point to explore more works by these authors.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Chronic illness, Transphobia, Sexual harassment, Racism, Ableism, Mental illness, Homophobia, Hate crime, and Grief