Week 3: (Nov. 11 to 15) – Be The Expert/Ask the Expert/Become the Expert (Katie at Doing Dewey): Three ways to join in this week! You can either share 3 or more books on a single topic that you have read and can recommend (be the expert), you can put the call out for good nonfiction on a specific topic that you have been dying to read (ask the expert), or you can create your own list of books on a topic that you’d like to read (become the expert)
This week I’m recommending memoirs of people with disabilities. I’ve learned a lot about what needs to be done to make the world more accessible for everyone by reading these books.
If at Birth You Don’t Succeed: My Adventures with Disaster and Destiny by Zach Anner
“Comedian Zach Anner opens his frank and devilishly funny book, If at Birth You Don’t Succeed, with an admission: he botched his own birth. Two months early, underweight and under-prepared for life, he entered the world with cerebral palsy and an uncertain future. So how did this hairless mole-rat of a boy blossom into a viral internet sensation who’s hosted two travel shows, impressed Oprah, driven the Mars Rover, and inspired a John Mayer song? (It wasn’t Your Body is a Wonderland.)
Zach lives by the mantra: when life gives you wheelchair, make lemonade. Whether recounting a valiant childhood attempt to woo Cindy Crawford, encounters with zealous faith healers, or the time he crapped his pants mere feet from Dr. Phil, Zach shares his fumbles with unflinching honesty and characteristic charm. By his thirtieth birthday, Zach had grown into an adult with a career in entertainment, millions of fans, a loving family, and friends who would literally carry him up mountains.”
I loved this book. I absolutely recommend it on audiobook which is read by the author.
To get an idea of Zach’s personality and see why this is such a fun book, watch my favorite video of his: The Quest for the Rainbow Bagel
Have Dog, Will Travel: A Poet’s Journey with an Exceptional Labrador by Stephen Kuusisto
“At the age of thirty-eight, Stephen Kuusisto—who has managed his whole life without one—gets his first guide dog, a beautiful yellow labrador named Corky. Theirs is a partnership of movement, mutual self-interest, and wanderlust. Walking with Corky in Manhattan for the first time, Steve discovers he’s “living the chaos of joy—you’re in love with your surroundings, loving a barefoot mind, wild to go anyplace.â€
Have Dog, Will Travel is the inside story of how a person establishes trust with a dog, how a guide dog is trained. Corky absolutely transforms Steve’s life and his way of being in the world. Profound and deeply moving, theirs is a spiritual journey, during which Steve discovers that joy with a guide dog is both a method and a state of mind. Guaranteed to make you laugh—and cry—this beautiful reflection on the highs, lows, and everyday details that make up life with a guide dog provides a profound exploration of Stephen’s lifelong struggle with disability, identity, and the midlife events that lead to self-acceptance.”
The thing that amazed me about this book is that the author was raised believing that he needed to hide the fact that he was blind. He traveled, graduated from college, and became a professor without ever really acknowledging it. People around him thought his level of visual impairment was on the level of “needs very thick glasses” when it really was “legally blind so I really, really shouldn’t be driving this motorbike right now.” Deciding to live openly as a blind person was a major life adjustment for him. His family was not supportive. This book explains a lot about learning cane skills in order to navigate and how you need mastery of those skills in order to work with a dog.
Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law by Haben Girma
“Haben grew up spending summers with her family in the enchanting Eritrean city of Asmara. There, she discovered courage as she faced off against a bull she couldn’t see, and found in herself an abiding strength as she absorbed her parents’ harrowing experiences during Eritrea’s thirty-year war with Ethiopia. Their refugee story inspired her to embark on a quest for knowledge, traveling the world in search of the secret to belonging. She explored numerous fascinating places, including Mali, where she helped build a school under the scorching Saharan sun. Her many adventures over the years range from the hair-raising to the hilarious.
Haben defines disability as an opportunity for innovation. She learned non-visual techniques for everything from dancing salsa to handling an electric saw. She developed a text-to-braille communication system that created an exciting new way to connect with people. Haben pioneered her way through obstacles, graduated from Harvard Law, and now uses her talents to advocate for people with disabilities.”
This is another book that highlights what is possible with technology, a supportive community, and a determined attitude.
Do you have any other recommendations for books I should read?
These all sound like great reads. I’m cringing at the idea of driving a motorbike blind though; I’m risk averse enough that I would never ride a motorcycle, regardless of how good or bad my eyesight might be!
I agree that reading memoirs of people of disability fosters awareness and understanding, thanks for sharing these titles.
Most recently I added I’m Only in it for the Parking by Lee Ridley to my TBR pile
Please stop by to see my NonFicNov: Become The Expert
That’s a great title
Great topic!! I could do with reading more books about people with differences.
What a great trio of books. I’ve had my eye on Haben, but had not heard of the other two.
Very unexpected topic–and very fun choices for it!
I love this topic! So near and dear to my own heart. My son was born 7 weeks early and has cerebral palsy, so we certainly understand the beginning of Zach’s story. I will have to read this book – if I can, sometimes these things make me cry- but if not I will certainly check out his videos. Thank you so much for sharing this list, and for spotlighting the courage of those who live with disabilities.