Disability activist Jackson uses her debut book (BISAC’ed as memoir, though it could also fit in social sciences) to illustrate ways society devalues, undervalues, or marginalizes people with disabilities. The book combines personal experience, blunt honesty, and occasional humor with research from primary sources like
Disability News Service,
New York Times,
Financial Times,
The Nation, the CDC, and the BBC. The topics of the book’s eight stand-alone essays range from the practical (visiting a department store that turns out to be scooter-inaccessible) to philosophical (removing ableism from the bedroom), and they redefine terms such as “recovery.” This book thoroughly discusses the various ways the public perceives visible and invisible disabilities. Jackson demonstrates what it means to be disabled, and she pushes for changes in public attitudes and access. The book includes eye-opening statistics, as well as quotes about disability from Margaret Atwood, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Immanuel Kant (all fully identified in the endnotes).
VERDICT This gripping title will appeal to readers interested in how the lives of people with disabilities are impacted by architecture, access, clothing, employment, transportation, and mobility. It will also interest people working with or providing services as caregivers, social workers, think tanks, and more.
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