Scan barcode
pokeypapaya's review against another edition
5.0
i have no words for how incredible this book truly was. the first three essays were required reading for a writing course I’m taking and i was so struck by them that i had to read the whole book. brown has such an incredible talent for poetically capturing the nuance of her experiences and musings. her explorations of literature, family, religion, and disability were enlightening. almost every essay gave me chills, and many brought me to tears. i’m not sure i’ve ever felt so seen by a piece of writing. this book cut me to my core and i’m sure i will keep returning to it. grateful to have stumbled across it
molly_dettmann's review against another edition
4.0
Beautiful and insightful writing, these essays give the reader a look at what it is like to live, write, love, have faith, and more while living with cerebral palsy, as told by Molly McCully Brown from her own personal experience. They’re essays that talk about a lot of different topics, but because of the personal nature that is still the heart of each one, this book reads almost memoir-ish to me. As a collection of essays some parts get repetitive since some were published individually before. My favorite essays were The Virginia State Colony for Epileptics and Feebleminded and The Broken County: On Disability and Desire.
novelesque_life's review against another edition
4.0
RATING: 4 STARS
I heard about Molly McCully Brown from a poet friend, so went looking for her poetry collection [b:The Virginia State Colony for Epileptics and Feebleminded: Poems|30299014|The Virginia State Colony for Epileptics and Feebleminded Poems|Molly McCully Brown|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1464994915l/30299014._SX50_.jpg|50780677]. As I was searching the library catalogue, I found that Brown recently also wrote a collection of essay. So, I put a hold on both. I started this cute smaller book and wow, Brown is definitely a poet. Her language in this book is delicious with imagery. Brown discusses many topics in this book, but her advocacy on disabilities is high among them. With her imagery she is able to give her readers more than just a little look into her life. I do not have a "disability" but have been really advocating on my own behalf regarding my mental health. There were aspects of Brown's journey that comforted me in knowing I am not alone with thoughts of loneliness. If poetry is not your thing, but you enjoy memoirs, creative nonfiction or essays you might want to slip this in your TBR list.
I heard about Molly McCully Brown from a poet friend, so went looking for her poetry collection [b:The Virginia State Colony for Epileptics and Feebleminded: Poems|30299014|The Virginia State Colony for Epileptics and Feebleminded Poems|Molly McCully Brown|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1464994915l/30299014._SX50_.jpg|50780677]. As I was searching the library catalogue, I found that Brown recently also wrote a collection of essay. So, I put a hold on both. I started this cute smaller book and wow, Brown is definitely a poet. Her language in this book is delicious with imagery. Brown discusses many topics in this book, but her advocacy on disabilities is high among them. With her imagery she is able to give her readers more than just a little look into her life. I do not have a "disability" but have been really advocating on my own behalf regarding my mental health. There were aspects of Brown's journey that comforted me in knowing I am not alone with thoughts of loneliness. If poetry is not your thing, but you enjoy memoirs, creative nonfiction or essays you might want to slip this in your TBR list.
meredith_w's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
madisg's review against another edition
4.0
in this collection of essays, brown writes more than once about representation, about the profound experience of seeing herself in the writing of others, and the importance of writing the kind of thing other disabled people can recognize themselves in.
i read her essay “calling long distance,” included in this collection, in my dorm room in the spring of 2019. i was in a raw time of my life — for the first time, it was occurring to me that the sunk-in-my-bones feeling of what i now know as disability was shared by other people. i was nervous to use the word “disabled,” thinking maybe it didn’t apply to me. the way brown described being in pain at a party bit right at my heart. i could’ve written the words i was reading. it wasn’t the only data point i was working off of, but reading that essay pushed me over the edge towards knowing i was disabled, too.
similarly, this collection found me at a time in my life where i needed the author’s honest clarity about being alive in a different body. i have so much gratitude for her work, and i can’t wait to return to this again throughout my life.
i read her essay “calling long distance,” included in this collection, in my dorm room in the spring of 2019. i was in a raw time of my life — for the first time, it was occurring to me that the sunk-in-my-bones feeling of what i now know as disability was shared by other people. i was nervous to use the word “disabled,” thinking maybe it didn’t apply to me. the way brown described being in pain at a party bit right at my heart. i could’ve written the words i was reading. it wasn’t the only data point i was working off of, but reading that essay pushed me over the edge towards knowing i was disabled, too.
similarly, this collection found me at a time in my life where i needed the author’s honest clarity about being alive in a different body. i have so much gratitude for her work, and i can’t wait to return to this again throughout my life.
ameliasbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
Very raw, honest and insightful essays. Not in a linear structure and sometimes a bit too repetitive. Reads like a collection of pieces that have been published in other publications before.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Chronic illness, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
robotswithpersonality's review against another edition
There's a special poignancy to a poet relating personal experiences of chronic pain and disability. By turns eloquent and raw, the author touches on issues of accessibiity and ableism (internalized and perpetrated by others) fostering rage, and grief and self-hatred, battling against acknowledgement of privilege and personal awareness of being loved and desired. Also vividly recounted are the trauma of an extensive medical history, multiple surgeries to manage her disability contrasted with the darker past of America's eugenics-forced-sterilization period in response to similar disabilities; the modern anxieties of health insurance and considering motherhood when her cerebral palsy is likely to giver her a shorter time frame than others who aspire to bear children; the lack of representation that made growing up with a disability that much harder to envision a future; how exhausting it is to constantly be advocating/explaining because her particular mobility restrictions are never automatically accepted/accomodated.
I can vouch as an athiest that I did not find the thread of religion running through to be 'preachy'. Just a way an individual found solace, and an improved outlook.
And then there's the twin sister who died shortly after birth to add to the mental load...'Fragments, Never Sent' WILL make you cry.
Taken as essays rather than a cohesive narrative, I don't find the subject matter overwhelming, but I wouldn't say it's a light read, and I'd argue for all the moving/travelling that is mentioned it's really NOT a travelogue.
It provided what I hoped for, which is an honest perspective from a person living with chronic pain, with a disability. I think all those existing with able-bodied privilege would benefit from reading it, always with the understanding that this is one person's perspective living in one situation, with a specific condition - disabled people are not a monolith; one story does not define all experiences and individual barriers.
I can vouch as an athiest that I did not find the thread of religion running through to be 'preachy'. Just a way an individual found solace, and an improved outlook.
And then there's the twin sister who died shortly after birth to add to the mental load...'Fragments, Never Sent' WILL make you cry.
Taken as essays rather than a cohesive narrative, I don't find the subject matter overwhelming, but I wouldn't say it's a light read, and I'd argue for all the moving/travelling that is mentioned it's really NOT a travelogue.
It provided what I hoped for, which is an honest perspective from a person living with chronic pain, with a disability. I think all those existing with able-bodied privilege would benefit from reading it, always with the understanding that this is one person's perspective living in one situation, with a specific condition - disabled people are not a monolith; one story does not define all experiences and individual barriers.
kp_writ's review against another edition
4.25
Took 4 pages of notes from my highlights - so many amazing quotes and beautiful prose. Reading this made me want to return to my poetry practice, and I devoured it in one sitting.
That said, there were many chapters where I didn't highlight a single thing. I think this is partly to do with the repetition, but it is largely because the intended audience felt different across some essays - I wish Brown engaged more with her disabled readers and challenged her internalized ableism more (though that's a hard task to ask of an author you don't know). I'm not sure the organization worked well, and I wish some of the pieces were edited to flow more with each other.
I will definitely be reading Brown's other work.
That said, there were many chapters where I didn't highlight a single thing. I think this is partly to do with the repetition, but it is largely because the intended audience felt different across some essays - I wish Brown engaged more with her disabled readers and challenged her internalized ableism more (though that's a hard task to ask of an author you don't know). I'm not sure the organization worked well, and I wish some of the pieces were edited to flow more with each other.
I will definitely be reading Brown's other work.