Disability Visibility (Adapted for Young Adults): 17 First-Person Stories for Today by Alice Wong

Disability Visibility (Adapted for Young Adults): 17 First-Person Stories for Today Reviews

• 
  Lisa of Troy

  An insight into the disabled community through 17 short essays
  
  In Disability Visibility, disability activist, Alice Wong, complied a set of 17 first-person stories from those within the disabled community.
  
  Unlike many of the authors in this book, I was not born disabled, but this last year, I was chronically fainting, falling down, walking into walls, brushing against furniture. I went from training for a 5K to being unable to walk, unable to drive, and landed rather quickly in a wheelchair. Over the course of my journey, I saw more than 30 doctors, most of them completely clueless. When I tried to schedule an appointment, it was not uncommon to be told to wait for 4 months, only to see the doctor and discover that he also did not have any answers. Only until recently did I finally, finally find a doctor who could answer every single question, every single symptom. He put me on a neurotransmitter and magically my walking/stumbling issues have improved 90% in less than two weeks! This experience has not been easy, but I do believe that this experience has a purpose.
  
  The last essay in Disability Visibility was about the need for crip spaces. Personally, I could not agree more! The gaslighting by the medical community is simply unreal so in addition to the physical challenges, we are being told that we are crazy and lazy by the healthcare community. In my mid-20’s, I was experiencing memory loss. When I say memory loss, I could not remember the name of the co-worker who I sat next to me every single day for more than a year and spoke to every day. I could not remember my address and had to dig out my driver’s license from my purse to get the information. When I was asked who the President was, I had to pause and really search through my memory. The doctors weren’t getting answers so they sent me for a neuropsych exam. The doctor diagnosed me with moderate depression. When I said, “But I don’t feel depressed!”, she said that I was just repressing my depression. What? So it turns out, I actually was gluten intolerant and am Celiac. When I started to abide by a completely wheat-free diet, all of my memory problems resolved. Never did I go to a single counseling session or was treated for depression. Yet I was clinically diagnosed as “repressing moderate depression.” When I was at the Mayo Clinic, the doctor told me that I had a psychological problem, just needed to accept my diagnosis, and suggested cancelling all of my testing. Two weeks later, I had heart surgery. The medical community has misdiagnosed me not once but twice with some mental condition. What does this have anything to do with crip spaces? The only way I was diagnosed with gluten problems was that my family member told me that he was experiencing the same issues and discovered he was Celiac and also gluten intolerant. The disabled community needs to be able to talk especially when the medical community is not doing a very good job listening.
  
  This book serves two important purposes: 1) it starts the conversation about disability in society. 2) It helps the disabled community not to feel so alone. These are two purposes that I fully support. However, I do believe that the stories were so short that it was difficult to connect with the authors. A saying that I have heard often is, “It is better to show than to tell.” Given the very short nature of the essays, there was a bit more telling than showing. My favorite essay though was “Love Means Never Having to Say…Anything.” It definitely caused me to tear up. Personally, I also really, really wish there was an essay from someone with a food allergy or Celiac disease. For those of you who are new to Celiac disease, it is a genetic autoimmune condition where the body will attack itself when the person afflicted consumes gluten (wheat, barley, or rye). The small intestines have little tentacles, and when I eat wheat, those tentacles will fall off my small intestines. Unfortunately, those little tentacles help me to absorb my nutrition. I will starve to death no matter how much I eat. I can take vitamin and mineral supplements and consume all the healthy food in the world and still be deficient because my small intestines are damaged. So there are no “cheat days.” I’m not cutting down on my gluten. It is a serious medical condition. However, when I go to a restaurant, there is this attitude that I am trying to be cute like Sally in “When Harry Met Sally” when she says, “I’d like the chef salad please with the oil and vinegar on the side. And the apple pie a la mode. But I’d like the pie heated, and I don’t want the ice cream on top. I want it on the side. And I’d like strawberry instead of vanilla if you have it. If not, then no ice cream, just whipped cream but only if it’s real. If it’s out of a can, then nothing.” Celiacs don’t enjoy being difficult or inconvenient. We aren’t trying to follow a fad or have some weird food lifestyle. We are fighting for our lives. If you work in the food industry, please try to understand and spread the word!
  
  The other thing this book was a bit light on was hope. This last year, I was planning to train for a 5K. Instead, I started to read books. Less than a year later, I’m ranked the #6 US Book Reviewer and #12 in the world (at least according to GoodReads). Although if you asked me at the outset if I would sign up for this experience, I would have said, “No way” but now I wouldn’t change it. My life has a purpose. Every life has a purpose. Don’t give up. Your purpose might be just around the corner.
  
  Overall, a beautiful book that is starting to change the tide of societal opinions about the disabled.
  
  *Thanks, NetGalley, for a free copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest opinion.
  
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• 
  Kristen

  In my search to find more short pieces for my classroom that depict varied perspectives, I was excited to see a YA version of this anthology. Within this short text, there are 17 different personal narratives from a wide variety of diverse authors. Each piece is prefaced with a content warning for teens to know what to expect. And each essay is short, bite-sized, which would work well for a group of reluctant readers.
  
  While this is marketed for a YA audience, I think this book may take TOO much away from the "adult" anthology. Shortening pieces and cutting essays are definitely good strategies for appealing to younger readers, but I'm wondering if the editors also attempted to make the language more accessible. There were only a few stories in here that had engaging prose or would be teachable beyond just the content. I'd say an educator could use all of the pieces in here to teach theme, but there were only a handful that made me excited about the writing.
  
  Nevertheless, I am happy to see more representation in this area. It's definitely one that gets missed in the high school classroom, so I may pick up the full version and see what I can add to the few I loved in this anthology!
• 
  JoyAnn

  While representation has improved in many areas, there is still not enough and especially when it comes to hearing from authors with disabilities. Some of the facts shared I did not know (there was an ugly law?!) and many experiences shared can help youth readers develop their level of understanding and empathy. An important work with a range of authors. I look forward to reading the adult version and to purchasing and recommending this version to students and secondary librarians. What a gift the featured writers have given readers to share some of their truth.
• 
  Elyse (ElyseReadsandSpeaks)

  This was enlightening. I liked that there were a variety of disabilities represented and there were some essays that I really did take something away from. There were some that didn't hold my attention or "speak to me," but that doesn't take away from the overall necessity of this book. I'm sure those same essays that didn't resonate with me would undoubtedly speak to someone else.
  
  These kinds of books and points of view are important. They remind us able-bodied people that there's so much more than what we've simply become accustomed to.
• 
  Hailey

  Absolutely eye opening book of essays. I enjoyed Alice Wong's opening section and added her new book coming in Fall 2022 to my tbr.
  
  Everyone needs to read this to see the harm that ableism causes. I have been guilty of it as well, I'm always learning and I'm so glad I picked this book up!!!
  
  It was wonderful to also read about the accomplishments and joy these authors have!!
• 
  Josephine

  
  4.5 stars
• 
  Dan | whatsdanreading

  all I can say is “wow,” because I kept finding myself at a loss for words while reading this book. As an able-bodied person this book brought me so much insight to what individuals with disabilities can face throughout their lives and in their everyday lives. I’m going to be honest, prior to reading this book I thought I had an idea as to what individuals with disabilities may face day-to-day, what I thought I knew was actually a very shallow understanding of the psychological and emotional complexities disabilities can present to people. That’s not to say I wasn’t empathetic to individuals with disabilities and it’s not to say that I wasn’t already trying to be aware of language and inclusivity, but this was such an eye opening book.
  
  Unfortunately, things like bullying and a lack of accommodations for disabled individuals is a common theme, and one I had some sort of awareness to, but what really struck me from this book were the personal accounts of struggling with self-acceptance, self-forgiveness, self-love, self-worth, confidence, and so forth.
  
  There are so many ways a person can be disabled. This book is not a guide to understanding everything about disability but I will be recommending this book to anyone for its perspectives, the awareness it helps bring, and true, personal stories of individuals with disabilities. Please add this to your TBR.
• 
  Rebecca McPhedran

  I really enjoyed this collection of essays written to give young readers some insight into the disabled community. Each author had such an interesting and profound perspective; whether it was a young deaf man struggling to communicate in a correctional facility, or a woman who struggled with feeling beautiful with her rare condition, despite what society tells us is beautiful.
  
  So many fantastic essays and interviews. I’m glad it’s part of my school library. I just wish it was longer. I’m definitely going to pick up the companion read for adults.
• 
  Thuanhnguyen

  This book, like the adult version, is essential reading. It is the most educational and eye-opening collection of writing about disability that I have ever read. What I appreciate is that there are so many stories that I didn't know, and that I should have known. Why haven't I thought more about disability and indigenous people? I would never have known what it's like for a blind person to have a guide dog. I also appreciate that this is a collection of writing by disabled people. Too often we seek to learn more about marginalized people from places of privilege. There are stories of discomfort and sadness, but there are also stories of love and hope. I am grateful for the mixture. As I move about my life now after reading it, I am always thinking about it. I see disability more, and I hope that makes me act in a way that moves more towards justice.
• 
  Renata

  Really engaging and compelling! I haven't read the ~adult~ version so I'm not sure what's changed for the young readers edition but this would be great for abled and disabled teens and adults alike to just get different perspectives.
• 
  Chelsea

  Maybe because this was an adapted version, but I felt like the stories in this book were too short to provide thought-provoking insight. Nothing was surprising or made me feel anything. For what it is, however, this book is worth reading for its focus on the stories of disabled people.
• 
  Jaclyn

  3.5 stars
  I this was an interesting look at the disabled experiences. I'm not sure how much I will remember it though
  
• 
  Julie

  This includes a wide diversity of experiences and I learned a lot. From what I can tell, these are the same essays (possibly edited?) that are in the adult version of the book, but just 17 of them were selected for this edition. Some of the topics include: nystagmus, bipolar disorder, incontinence, and cerebral palsy. Important reading.
• 
  heather

  I want to read the non YA version of this book. I appreciated the variety of experiences shared in the essays. So much to think about and reflect on. Definitely a book that different teachers can use in different disciplines.
  
  I listened to this as an audiobook. One thing I wish was that different voices were used for each essay rather than having one male and one female reader for all the essays. I found it distracting and it took away from the content.
• 
  Malia

  It's so important to broaden our perspectives, to see the world from other viewpoints. While it helps to watch movies or read fiction that have characters with disabilities, this book gives them the mic and says, "We're listening to your voice." It's different. It's as if that person is in the same room talking to you, and that's powerful. Bringing their reality near brings our responsibility into full focus.
  
  Each narrative presents a different disability and if any of its content is questionable for younger readers, that is disclosed before the story begins. (This would include suicidal ideation, trauma, and abuse.) While the contributors represent a range of ages, the book is accessible for ages 13+.
• 
  Sacha

  Thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. Here is that review:
  
  5 stars
  
  In this abbreviated version of last year's _Disability Visibility_, Wong refines the essay selection and targets the pieces to a teen audience. The writings and experiences are compelling and reflect the diversity that Wong mentions in the introduction. Any reader of this work will come away learning something new, feeling connected to at least one experience that is totally unlike theirs, and hoping for more.
  
  I'm grateful that the original text exists because the only complaint I can imagine from this version is the desire for more. Fortunately, enthusiastic readers - teens and adults alike - can find that in the original version if they so desire.
  
  This is a memorable read that I look forward to sharing with students and beyond for years to come.
• 
  Kendra

  An excellent collection of essays on disability and chronic illness, drawn from the full/"adult" version of this book. I don't know why there needs to be a separate YA edition, but I suppose that the length and some of the essays are more suited to reading in classes or as families or with friends. I'm an advocate for disability issues, and would happily put this book into the hands of everyone I know, although the title is bizarre to me: visibility is working here in an ableist context.
• 
  Bridget

  I like short essay/story collections for the chance to discover new to me writers, and this is great for that. It also had a really wide range of styles and stories, and I'll definitely booktalk it. It's a super quick read, and each essay/story are unique, but it's easy to see the themes running through the different lived experiences, so I hope teens pick this one up!
• 
  Becky Linderholm

  I am making a conscious effort to engage with more works by disabled creators. I learned a lot, and I look forward to learning more. I also think the short pieces in this book would be a great resource for language arts classrooms and teachers working to be more inclusive.
• 
  Courtenay

  Thank you to Delacorte Press, Alice Wong, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!
  
  "These stories… are not focused on being ‘special’ or ‘inspirational.’ Rather, they show disabled people simply BEING in our own words, by our own accounts.” - Introduction from Alice Wong.
  
  Disability Visibility (Adapted for Young Adults) is an abbreviated version of Disability Visibility (First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century), released in 2020. Containing 17 of the stories included in the full version, this book presents readers with new perspectives, thoughts and ideas that are approachable for both adult and young adult readers.
  
  The true beauty of this book is that despite the gravity of the content, it left me with hope:
  Hope that young (and less young!) readers with disabilities will see themselves in these stories. That their takeaways are that they are whole people deserving of access and love and joy and support and success. Hope that our society - which is so heavily centered around ableism - will become a place that’s accessible to everyone. Hope that everyone who reads this walks away with a refreshed intention and/or understanding, on how we can work together to make the world an equitable, safe, and accessible place for people with disabilities.
  
  There’s also hope in the fact that this is a YA book, which means that we can give younger readers the tools, knowledge, and language to engage in difficult - and necessary - conversations early on.
  
  If you can’t tell, I strongly urge you to read this book. It’ll leave a lasting - and hopeful - impact.
• 
  Barbara

  While some of these essays are quite brief, all of them offer food for thought when it comes to how disabilities are defined and how individuals with disabilities are treated. Several of the 17 pieces challenge the assumptions often held by outsiders and may prompt readers to reflect on their own attitudes toward those with disabilities. For instance, Ricardo T. Thornton Sr. , one of the first developmentally disabled individuals to be allowed to marry, writes about how far the disability rights movement has come and how far it still needs to go. Eugene Grant discusses how the dwarfism of Benjamin Lay, an abolitionist, has been erased in most texts when it was very much a part of him. Readers can also find some historical notes about disability rights and the movement toward being more visible. The book is divided into four sections: Being, Becoming, Doing, and Connecting, and all of the entries have been written by individuals who are disabled. As readers close the book, they will surely feel more aware, more informed, and more conscious of the dangers in marginalizing or ignoring these individuals but also the problem in making them seem somehow larger than life or "inspiring," a word used often when discussing someone with a disability. Worth noting, of course, are the many technological innovations, including augmentative and alternative communication. While this book addresses many areas of confusion, many readers may come away with even more questions about this area than they had when they first opened the book.
• 
  Swampscott Library

  *Content warnings: bullying, mild language, and suicidal thoughts.*
  
  Disability Visibility (adapted for YA) consists of 17 first-hand short essays/stores from disabled people in our community. Their stories are full of insight and inspiration for those with and without disabilities. The book is divided into four parts with a prologue from each narrator and a general content warning listed beforehand. I thought this was very smart and creative and think more authors should include these in their books. Each story is written by the principal person talking about their personal experiences in their own words. I found this to be fantastic since some of the people are deaf and or blind; it just comes to show that everybody can accomplish any task set out to them or by them no matter how challenging it is. I enjoyed reading this book because it opened my eyes to another world and had a wide range of disabilities from cerebral palsy to deaf-blindness. I found every story to be compelling and fascinating since even though each person was different, they had one thing in common: they are complete humans who have a life and are happy with themselves and their life despite not being perfect. I personally look forward to reading the unabridged version with all 30 stories. I would recommend this book to high school students and above. I would not say this is a leisurely Saturday morning read, it deserves your full time and attention in order to experience the thought and care put into the book. Happy reading!!
  
  --Lily
  
• 
  Sammi Chev

  *In the interest of transparency I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for a review. These are my own honest opinions*
  
  This took me a while to read because it was very emotional as a disabled person myself. To read about other people experiencing the same things and feeling the same way was validating in a way I didn’t know I needed.
  
  Personally I have a love hate relationship with nonfiction. I love it because it can be so informative and I love learning, but I hate it because so often it’s shrouded in convoluted language and long sentences that quite frankly make it inaccessible to me and so many others. So when I saw that this was “adapted for young readers” I decided to give it a try and I’m glad I did.
  
  The essays give a clear picture of what it is like to be disabled and how that can manifest in different ways; while still being accessible and easy to read and understand. I also especially appreciate the content warnings before the essays as that gave me a chance to collect myself or put it down and come back when I was ready to handle that type of content.
  
  I learned a lot about my own community through this collection of essays and I’m so glad I read it. This is now one of those few books that I’ll be recommending to anyone who will listen because I think everyone should read it!
• 
  Eileen Winfrey

  This is a quick, but important, read, one introduction and then 17 first person stories by different individuals.
  
  I remember a short PD by our ASD program teacher who said something like "if you know one autistic kid then you know one autistic kid". That was the sense I had reading these stories also, each person facing different challenges depending on their own situation as well as a range of desires and emotions but united in their decision to write who they are without apology. I think that I learned more about just how challenging it can be simply to get up and go about one's day let alone taking on advocacy in order to be afforded basic needs, appropriate health care and a sense of belonging in a largely able bodied world. I definitely felt some discomfort in reading about some things I've thought (like "oh that poor person" or similar) and having to face what that says about me. (Kind of like reading about white fragility, but I digress).
  
  If anything, reading this reinforces something that we librarians have talked about in discussion boards and in-person: that disabled literature needs representation by disabled authors. The quote on the back cover more or less sums it up: "...we are diverse, brilliant and unique. More important, we should tell our stories in our own words; we are the experts about our lives." Alice Wong.
• 
  Karen

  Activist, media maker, and research consultant Alice Wong collects several essays by people living with a wide range of disabilities and intersectionality, which amplifies their experience, voice, and perspective on negotiating relationships, work, education, and political action while living with disabilities.
  
  I like that the collection takes a pretty broad view of (dis)ability: communication disorders (really communication differences) such as challenges with hearing, seeing, and talking; physical differences aka non-normative bodies such as living with MS or cerebral palsy or dwarfism; and being neuro-atypical.
  
  This title (as is indicated in the subtitle) is adapted for young adults, but it is not patronizing or watered down. There are a lot of substantive topics discussed that are pertinent to people inside and outside of the disability (aka crip or krip) community. Long gone are the days where Jerry Lewis sets up people as "inspirational." Instead, people living with disabilities are shaping the conversations and participating more fully in roles as creators, leaders, and activists.
• 
  Lavender

  It's not often that I veer off from fiction when I'm reading, but my latest read was an advanced reader copy of the young adult adaptation of Alice Wong's 2020 book Disability Visibility: First-person Stories From the Twenty-first Century. I primarily read through the ARC to decide if my library should purchase a copy (spoiler alert: I ordered it), but ended up fully drawn into the essays and interviews that make up the text. book will make for a quick read for most teens, especially due to the short entries from each contributor. Despite their brevity, the stories are able to strike a chord and put the reader into their shoes for a moment. This kind of empathy can be absent in non-fiction books that are strictly fact-based, so this is a must-read for anyone who wants to learn more about people living in these spaces versus just needing to cite a source in a project. The book will be released on October 26th and is definitely going to be a reader's advisory recommendation for anyone looking for titles that discuss disabilities.
• 
  Caylie Ratzlaff

  Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this anthology. 3/5 stars.
  
  Honestly, I love anthologies. I love when they're adapted into YA versions. This one just didn't pull me in, and I think it was almost TOO easy to read and digest. This isn't a bad thing, but I definitely didn't expect it to only be about 150 pages and finished within 2 hours of starting it.
  
  The stories themselves are beautiful, but I'm curious to see how it compares to the adult version. I like the range of disabilities discussed, and the person first language and POV is an amazing disability rep and process to begin fighting against ableism within communities.
  
  I also like the diverse perspectives and the intersections of race, gender, and disability within the stories.
  
  Ultimately though, this best serves as an introduction to disability studies, and I would have liked more in-depth information and resources.
• 
  wanderonwards

  Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for sending me a free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
  
  Disability Visibility (Adapted for Young Adults) is a collection of 17 first-person essays from disabled authors with a vast range of lived experiences. Representation matters so, so much and it’s important to have accessible narratives for every age. Whether or not you can relate to the specific experiences the authors share, you will find something that resonates with you within these pages.
  
  I haven’t read the original version yet (why is it that I always come across the young readers’ version before the original?), so I can’t say if (or how) any of the included essays were adapted from the original.
  
  Thank you again to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the privilege of reviewing an ARC.