Reviews

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

arrowhead's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

Great read for anyone, specifically disabled folk, and even more specifically for disabled QTBIPOC. I learned so much from this book and have a bunch of highlights I will come back to. If you're looking to learn more about disability justice and the personal experiences from it, this is for you.

There's just so much to love about this book. My favourite parts were when Leah was talking about the concept of crip doulas, how abled people respond to chronic illness, and long/short form communication (as an autistic person, YES). This book in general also made me feel really hopeful and inspired about navigating a queer/transphobic, racist, and ableist world, as a white queer& trans disabled person.

candelibri's review against another edition

hopeful reflective medium-paced

4.5

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

lmcoffman's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad

5.0

teacupsandfirereads's review

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

amaldae's review against another edition

emotional inspiring medium-paced

3.5

In part deeply validating in its grief and fury and love, in part annoying in its desire to claim everything as distinctly BIPOC Autistic/Neurodivergent/Disabled experience (I love the term echotextia though). I'm glad this exists but it wasn't as revolutionary as I'd hoped - I don't feel I got much from this to actually move forward with. I haven't read all of Care Work yet but hope it'll be something I could recommend more broadly to my disabled kin.

emath98's review against another edition

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

mothreadsbookssometimes's review

4.25

I continue to love the author’s narration of their audiobooks. I enjoyed how this collection was centered around COVID and its impact on the disabled community. I liked the mix of good and bad within the essays, reflecting on how far we have to go in disability activism but also on how far we can go. 

CW: pandemic (COVID); ableism; grief; racism; sexism

chelford's review

5.0

I read this in conjunction with Butler's Earthseed duology, which was a 10/10 experience I cannot recommend strongly enough. Even without the Parables pairing, though, this is a powerful work and a wonderful followup to Care Work. Piepzna-Samarasinha sugar coats nothing, but the reader is still left with a rising sense of hope at the end of the book. Even aside from the context, their writing style is just incredible (as is their narration! Top tier audio experience!) Octavia's Brood is next on my list, as soon as I have the mental fortitude for it.