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ella_rose88) wrote2019-02-17 09:40 pm
ella_rose88) wrote2019-02-17 09:40 pm
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LJ Book Bingo 2019: Book Review One!
Title: Say Hello
Author: Carly Findlay
Square: Published this year
Synopsis:
A forthright, honest and rousingly triumphant memoir from a woman who has to live with a highly visible different appearancedue to a rare skin condition. Say hello to Carly.
'In fairytales,the characters who look different are often castas the villain or monsters. It's only when they shed their unconventional skinthat they are seen as "good" or less frightening. There are very fewstories where the character that looks different is the hero of the story ... I've been the hero of mystory - telling it on my own terms, proud about my facial difference anddisability, not wanting a cure for my rare, severe and sometimes confrontingskin condition, and knowing that I am beautiful even though I don't have beautyprivilege.'
This honest, outspoken and thought-provoking memoir by award-winning writer and appearance activist Carly Findlay will challenge all your assumptions and beliefs about what it is like to have a visibly different appearance. Carly lives with a rare skin condition, Ichthyosis, and what she faces every day, and what she has to live with, will have you cheering for her and her courage and irrepressible spirit. This is both a moving memoir and a proud manifesto on disability and appearance diversity issues (Source).
My thoughts: Firstly, I’m a big fan of Carly as I’ve watched her on TV, have read her blogs and follow her on social media so I was really looking forward to reading her memoir and it did not disappoint. Yes, it is angry, but understandably so. That is what it is like for people living with disabilities and medical conditions so I didn’t mind that she was angry considering the discrimination and micro aggressions she faces in society and the community. That being said, I also found her manifesto to be hopeful, honest, thought-provoking and funny.
I would also say that it is inspirational, but then I don’t want to give the idea that her book or her reflections on her experiences as making me feel better about myself (1. Because that’s inspirational porn & 2. Because I identify as disabled); however, her book does make me think about my own experiences living with disabilities and about the internalised ableism I may have.
What I love the most about her memoir though, is that she is a perfect example of someone who doesn’t prescribe to the medical model of disability but the social model of disability (this model believes that it is actually the barriers that society imposes that are “disabling” than the disability and by removing these barriers PWD can have a good quality of life) and that despite how severe her skin conditions are she doesn’t want a cure (she - and I - don’t have issues with people wanting cures, Carly says that it’s important to try new things. Her point is rather that if people find ways to overcome the barriers they can enjoy a good quality of life now).
Overall, I really loved this book as it’s about disability (and appearance diversity) and this is a topic that is really important to me as I’m disabled and I’m studying disability currently at university. I think it’s so important that society listens to people with disabilities and I think that Carly is a talented writer who knows how to write honestly and passionately that encourages readers to chalk their attitudes regarding disability and people with facial differences.
Author: Carly Findlay
Square: Published this year
Synopsis:
A forthright, honest and rousingly triumphant memoir from a woman who has to live with a highly visible different appearancedue to a rare skin condition. Say hello to Carly.
'In fairytales,the characters who look different are often castas the villain or monsters. It's only when they shed their unconventional skinthat they are seen as "good" or less frightening. There are very fewstories where the character that looks different is the hero of the story ... I've been the hero of mystory - telling it on my own terms, proud about my facial difference anddisability, not wanting a cure for my rare, severe and sometimes confrontingskin condition, and knowing that I am beautiful even though I don't have beautyprivilege.'
This honest, outspoken and thought-provoking memoir by award-winning writer and appearance activist Carly Findlay will challenge all your assumptions and beliefs about what it is like to have a visibly different appearance. Carly lives with a rare skin condition, Ichthyosis, and what she faces every day, and what she has to live with, will have you cheering for her and her courage and irrepressible spirit. This is both a moving memoir and a proud manifesto on disability and appearance diversity issues (Source).
My thoughts: Firstly, I’m a big fan of Carly as I’ve watched her on TV, have read her blogs and follow her on social media so I was really looking forward to reading her memoir and it did not disappoint. Yes, it is angry, but understandably so. That is what it is like for people living with disabilities and medical conditions so I didn’t mind that she was angry considering the discrimination and micro aggressions she faces in society and the community. That being said, I also found her manifesto to be hopeful, honest, thought-provoking and funny.
I would also say that it is inspirational, but then I don’t want to give the idea that her book or her reflections on her experiences as making me feel better about myself (1. Because that’s inspirational porn & 2. Because I identify as disabled); however, her book does make me think about my own experiences living with disabilities and about the internalised ableism I may have.
What I love the most about her memoir though, is that she is a perfect example of someone who doesn’t prescribe to the medical model of disability but the social model of disability (this model believes that it is actually the barriers that society imposes that are “disabling” than the disability and by removing these barriers PWD can have a good quality of life) and that despite how severe her skin conditions are she doesn’t want a cure (she - and I - don’t have issues with people wanting cures, Carly says that it’s important to try new things. Her point is rather that if people find ways to overcome the barriers they can enjoy a good quality of life now).
Overall, I really loved this book as it’s about disability (and appearance diversity) and this is a topic that is really important to me as I’m disabled and I’m studying disability currently at university. I think it’s so important that society listens to people with disabilities and I think that Carly is a talented writer who knows how to write honestly and passionately that encourages readers to chalk their attitudes regarding disability and people with facial differences.