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A review by ninjakiwi12
A Disability History of the United States by Kim E. Nielsen
informative
medium-paced
3.0
Fun(ny) fact(s): Shoutout to Madi for recommending this book to me and to Baylor libraries for their forgiving late books policies.
Favorite quote/image (quoting Clara Chow): "'I guess I am an activist,' she concluded. 'I think it's just caring.'" (pg. 161)
Honorable mention: "Disability is not just a bodily category, but instead and also a social category shaped by changing social factors–just as is able-bodiness. That is not to argue that we should all hold hands and cheerfully insist that we're all disabled in some way or another. That ignores the lived reality that disability can bring physical discomfort or difficulty. It also ignores the historical reality that being defined as disabled has made access to power and resources limited or difficult; and that hierarchies of power contribute to definitions of disability." (pg. xv)
Why: Nielsen provides a brief survey of the history of disabilities in the US, which is no easy task given the diversity of experiences that people with disabilities have at any given point, much less through history. She rightly points out that this is just as part of the American story as the history learned in school, seeking to offer fresh perspective on such a nuanced, complex story.
Favorite quote/image (quoting Clara Chow): "'I guess I am an activist,' she concluded. 'I think it's just caring.'" (pg. 161)
Honorable mention: "Disability is not just a bodily category, but instead and also a social category shaped by changing social factors–just as is able-bodiness. That is not to argue that we should all hold hands and cheerfully insist that we're all disabled in some way or another. That ignores the lived reality that disability can bring physical discomfort or difficulty. It also ignores the historical reality that being defined as disabled has made access to power and resources limited or difficult; and that hierarchies of power contribute to definitions of disability." (pg. xv)
Why: Nielsen provides a brief survey of the history of disabilities in the US, which is no easy task given the diversity of experiences that people with disabilities have at any given point, much less through history. She rightly points out that this is just as part of the American story as the history learned in school, seeking to offer fresh perspective on such a nuanced, complex story.