Waubonsee Community College

Don't call me inspirational, a disabled feminist talks back, Harilyn Rousso

eng

individual biography

no index present

non fiction

Don't call me inspirational

794711813

Harilyn Rousso

a disabled feminist talks back

For the author, a psychotherapist, painter, feminist, filmmaker, writer, and disability activist, hearing well-intentioned people tell her, "You're so inspirational!" is patronizing, not complimentary. In this memoir, the author, who has cerebral palsy, describes overcoming the prejudice against disability, not overcoming disability. She addresses the often absurd and ignorant attitudes of strangers, friends, and family. She also examines her own prejudice toward her disabled body, and portrays the healing effects of intimacy and creativity, as well as her involvement with the disability rights community. She intimately reveals herself with honesty and humor and measures her personal growth as she goes from "passing" to embracing and claiming her disability as a source of pride, positive identity, and rebellion. A collage of images about her life, rather than a formal portrait, this memoir celebrates the author's wise, witty, productive, outrageous life, disability and all. -- From publisher's website

I. Close encounters with the clueless : Who's Harilyn? ; Birth, mine ; Close encounters with the clueless ; The beggar and the cripple ; The stare ; Always the other ; Why I am not inspirational ; Home -- II. On leaving home : Wedding day, 1933 ; Dancing ; Exploding beans ; My sister ; Adolescent conversation ; On leaving home ; Hideous shoes ; Driving high ; Eli ; My father, myself ; Driving away from home -- III. On not looking in the mirror : Walk straight! ; On not looking in the mirror ; Facing my face ; Meditations on speech and silence ; Daring digits ; Right-hand painting ; Being only one: some meditations on solitude -- IV. What's a woman? : What's a woman? ; He was the one ; Blank page ; Buying the wedding dress ; First date ; First night ; Mixed couple ; Sylvester ; Faces of Eve ; Tough bird ; Hand in hand -- V. Why claim disability? : Finding my way ; Keeping the distance ; That "inspirational" label ; Token of approval ; Disabled women's community ; The story of Betty, revisited ; Listening to myself ; Activist sisters ; Toilet troubles ; My mentoring project ; Why claim disability? ; Broken silences ; Eulogy for my nondisabled self ; Eulogy for my freakish self ; Ode to my disabled self

Do not call me spiritual