Reviews tagging 'Ableism'

The Future Is Disabled: Prophecies, Love Notes and Mourning Songs by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha

24 reviews

cielosiluminado's review against another edition

hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

“Disability is not a catastrophe to me. It's just a fact of life.”

despite it not fully being theory-based or some parts as fleshed out as i wish it was, this book was still... wow. this book was beautiful, incredible, meaningful and very impactful. it contains in-depth, subtle, and very much needed conversations about disability justice, and it demonstrates interconnected disability justice is.

i highly recommend this to anyone who wants to learn a bit more about disability justice.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Grief, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Death, Racism, and Medical content

Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

teacupsandfirereads's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

3.5

I quite enjoyed Care Work and this one is no different. The societal barriers disabled folks face, especially during the pandemic are brought to light through honest, open thought.  While I did not feel the focus was on the future, as the title would suggests, it highlights that even in the 21 century there is a large gap in access for us disabled folk. What I did find challenging in this, was how the claim was put to this solely being a BIPOC/chronically ill/neurodivergent experience. I feel as though the disability community needs to be united, not trying to put up us vs them mentality. I do understand BIPOC/2SLGBTQ+ adds additional intersectionalities and challenges, but this should in no way present as discounting others' experiences with disability.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Death, Grief, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, and Medical trauma

Minor: Rape, Suicide, and Toxic relationship

puttingwingsonwords's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

Everyone should read this.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Death, Grief, Gaslighting, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Racism and Transphobia

Minor: Domestic abuse, Suicide, and Death of parent

emath98's review

challenging dark emotional funny informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

If you are going to read only one book this year, make it this one. An incredible book that has made me feel so much less alone, and has reignited my convictions in continuing to be covid safe as a radical act of community love 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Ableism, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Suicide, Terminal illness, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

dominic_t's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

This is a paradigm-shifting book for me. I'm interested in disability justice, and this book helped me engage with DJ ideas on a whole new level.

There are just so many deeply meaningful parts of this book. I would encourage everyone to read this.

There was some really practical information on the practice of pod mapping and activist actions people can take when they are low on spoons. They also talked about the revolutionary actions disabled people and communities are taking every day. I learned about so many cool community groups, and I'm really inspired by all their ideas.

I loved the chapter called "Wild Disabled Joy: Disabled Pleasure Activism." She talked about how disabled people prioritize pleasure and how meaningful it is. It's one way that disabled people demand more than the bare minimum and fearlessly occupy space in the face of a society that feels like disabled people only deserve enough to stay alive and nothing more. She also talked about how pursuing beauty relates to her femme identity. "We are navigating unsafe worlds...by taking up space with our bright colors and gorgeousness...They are ways we insist on our right to be here and create vibrant lives." (p. 318)

The chapter "Home is a Holy Place: The Sacred Organizing Spaces of Disabled Homes" really made me think about what home really means to me. They talk about how a disabled home is a space where disabled people can live openly with all the accommodations they need instead of masking or hiding their needs to avoid ableism from the public. "The right to live alone is not on many access checklists or demands, but it is a key one for many disabled people, and especially Mad or ND people. We need space where it is safe to be weird, or sick, without enforced "support" that is cruelty and control." (p. 265). 

"Loving Stacey: An Honor Song" was a beautiful tribute to their friend and comrade Stacey Park Milbern. They talk a lot about how Stacey practiced unconditional disabled love and how that continues to inspire their work. "When I talk about unconditional disabled love, I don't mean having relationships without boundaries, cosigning abuse, or letting anyone do anything...I am thinking of unconditional disabled love as a rigorous commitment to reaching to each other with love." (pp. 291-292). She talks about cross-disability solidarity as a form of disabled love, and she also mentions that not giving up on people when they make mistakes is another way of showing disabled love.

This whole book was beautifully written, and I got so much out of it. I would highly recommend it to everyone.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism and Fatphobia

blue_boy62's review

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Chronic illness, Death, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Suicide, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Body shaming, Drug use, Fatphobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, and Alcohol

culpeppper's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective slow-paced

5.0

This was a beautiful series of essays. Truly changed how I view care work, myself, those around me, and recontextualized how I view the world. I cried, I grieved, I laughed, I felt held by these essays while listening to the author read her own book in her own voice. I'm very excited to read Care Work, when I have proper time to process it. For now, I am recommending this to others who want to grow their care, empathy, desire for change, and introduce them to disability justice, specifically because Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha seems to have shared a piece of her soul with the greater world, and it would be a shame if it's beauty wasn't shared. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Death, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Child abuse, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Medical content, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

mitchell_1's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Hate crime, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Medical trauma, and Murder

lottie1803's review

challenging emotional informative

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Grief, and Pandemic/Epidemic

arlingtonchamberofgay's review

emotional funny informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

Leah has a way of making me feel seen, in all of my AuDHD, queer, enby, disabled splendor. On the days when the everyday ableism and fear of the MIC neglecting me to the point of death, I come back to their and DJ’s words. And I remember I’m not alone, I can not only imagine a disabled future, but help to make it a reality. There will always be work to do, but we can at least live a life worth while at the same time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Death, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Racism, Rape, Suicide, Transphobia, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Sexual violence and Police brutality