Named one of the best books of the year by Slate; Chicago Tribune; Entropy Magazine; and named one of the top 10 memoirs by Library JournalInto the Wild meets Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man—a lyrical memoir of a life changed in an instant and of the perilous beauty of searching for identity in solitude On a clear May afternoon at the end of his junior year at Harvard; Howard Axelrod played a pick-up game of basketball. In a skirmish for a loose ball; a boy’s finger hooked behind Axelrod’s eyeball and left him permanently blinded in his right eye. A week later; he returned to the same dorm room; but to a different world. A world where nothing looked solid; where the distance between how people saw him and how he saw had widened into a gulf. Desperate for a sense of orientation he could trust; he retreated to a jerry-rigged house in the Vermont woods; where he lived without a computer or television; and largely without human contact; for two years. He needed to find; away from society’s pressures and rush; a sense of meaning that couldn’t be changed in an instant.
#374057 in Books 2013-10-01 2013-10-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x .70 x 6.00l; .80 #File Name: 0807022047240 pages
Review
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful. Informative BookBy Book SharkA Disability History of the United States by Kim E. Nielsen"A Disability History of the United States" is the informative book about the history of the United States through experiences of people with disabilities. It's a story of stigma and pride denied; it's a journey of overcoming special challenges to make oneself at home. Professor of history and author of three books; Kim E. Nielsen takes the reader on an enlightening and often-disregarded history in the United States through the lives of people with disabilities. The book begins prior to European conquest and colonization and ends to the present time. I found the book to be more informational than inspirational but overall educational; I appreciate the author's candor for the need to explore even further and this book will help whet the appetite of such pursuits. This instructive 272-page book is composed is the following eight chapters: 1. The spirit chooses the body it will occupy: Indigenous North America; Pre-1492; 2. The poor; vicious; and infirm: Colonial Communities; 1492-1700; 3. The miserable wretches were then thrown into the sea: The Late Colonial Era; 1700-1776; 4. The deviant and the independent: Creating Citizens; 1776-1865; 5. I am disabled; and must go at something else besides hard labor: The Institutionalization of Disability; 1865-1890; 6. Three generations of imbeciles are enough: The Progressive Era; 1890-1927; 7. We don't want tin cups: Laying the Groundwork; 1927-1968; and 8. I guess I'm an activist. I think it's just caring: Rights and Rights Denied; 1968-.Positives:1. Straightforward accessible prose; a well researched and enlightening book.2. An interesting and often overlooked topic.3. The author does a wonderful job of being fair and even-handed. There is no political agenda whatsoever in this book; it's all about telling a story as accurately as possible. Bravo.4. The description of disability. What it has been equated to and the struggle to redefine it.5. The author does a good job through countless examples; to describe the struggles that people with disabilities have lived with and continue to do so. It's also interesting to see the evolution of the struggle.6. The book takes the reader on a journey through time; progressing chronologically through history and the experiences of people with disabilities.7. Indigenous understanding of disability. How the western concepts of wellness tragically conflicted with the indigenous embrace of body; mind and spirit as one.8. The effects of European incursions. How early European colonists viewed disability.9. The impact of racist ideologies. Tragic stories. The vicious tenets of scientific racism. Slavery.10. Categorizing disability. Understanding the new nation's quest to define good and "bad" citizens. Incompetent citizenship. "Dumb" residents. Legislation. The many different categories of disability and the factions and groups that form to combat societal indifferences .11. The consequences of war.12. There are some stories that will raise some eyebrows; "No woman; he warned; could simultaneously use 'a good brain' and a good reproductive system that serve the race." Thankfully; times have changed generally for the better.13. An exploration of the eugenics; oralist movements. Immigration restrictions and state compulsory-sterilization laws. "The belief that an immigrant was unfit to work justified exclusion; but so did the belief that an immigrant was likely to encounter discrimination because of disability." Some stories will make your jaws drop.14. The impact of industrialization.15. The period that led to activism among people with disabilities. The legislation that resulted from such activism. Education; opportunities.16. The impact of diseases; polio as an example.17. Overcoming architectural barriers through legislation.18. The struggle to overcome employment discrimination.19. Disability activism; disability pride and empowerment. The 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act.20. Links worked great.Negatives:1. My biggest complaint has to do with style versus substance. The book lacked passion or panache; it is clearly more informational than inspirational.2. A section of acronyms was warranted.3. A summary of laws enacted would have added value.4. An excellent notes section but no formal bibliography.5. This book is more an appetizer than the main entree but it's a very good appetizer indeed.In summary; this is quite an educational book. As an engineer I have firsthand knowledge of dealing with productivity and instrumentation as it relates to human methods but my history on disability was sadly lacking. This book did a wonderful job of filling that void. This book caught my eye and I'm very pleased to have read it. My only major criticism and it's merely one of style than substance; is the lack of passion or panache. The book is definitely more informative than inspirational; so if you the reader are looking for a book that inspires a call for action this is not that type of book. Sticking to her professorial roots; Nielsen took the educational route and in doing so did accomplish the goal of enlightening the public on this seldom-covered topic. "The Disability History of the United States" fills a void of knowledge; I recommend it!Further suggestions: "A Journey Into the Deaf-World" by Harlan Lane; Robert Hoffmeister and Ben Bahan; "Miracle Boy Grows Up: How the Disability Rights Revolution Saved My Sanity" by Ben Mattlin; "No Pity : People with Disabilities Forging a New Civil Rights Movement" by Joseph P. Shapiro; "Reflections from a Different Journey : What Adults with Disabilities Wish All Parents Knew" by Stanley Klein and John Kemp; "From Disability to Possibility: The Power of Inclusive Classrooms" by Patrick Schwarz; "The Ugly Laws: Disability in Public (The History of Disability)" by Susan M. Schweik; "One Nation; Underprivileged: Why American Poverty Affects Us All" by Mark Robert Rank; and "Encyclopedia of American Disability History (3 Volume set)" by Susan Burch.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A Disability History of the US is a sobering read.By TwinklesI must say that as a person who is not disabled and who has had limited exposure to disabled people; this book was a real eye opener. It is well written. It shines a bright light into the darkest corners of our nation. This book makes me thankful for all the tenacious citizens who had the courage to stand toe to toe against inequality.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Fascinating and nowhere near as tragic as my own internalized ...By E. JahnekeFascinating and nowhere near as tragic as my own internalized ableism made me fear it might be.(Make no mistake; however; our people have struggled;but we also have unique parts to play.
