Why read Why I Burned My Book and Other Essays on Disability?

Book cover of Why I Burned My Book and Other Essays on Disability

Book description

"Personal inclination made me a historian. Personal encounter with public policy made me an activist."

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American history

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Why read it?

1 author picked Why I Burned My Book and Other Essays on Disability as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Meredith Eliassen

Author

As a student at San Francisco State University, I took Paul Longmore’s HIST 490 “Disability in America” course and it quite simply changed how I interpret United States history. The autobiographical title essay in Why I Burned My Book presents foundational logic for understanding legal and cultural barriers impacting the disabled, and how capitalism impacts minority groups. Nobody speaks better on disability than the disabled. Longmore creates a model built upon the work of earlier disability scholars-activist in presenting “Catch-22” paradigms in oppressive laws related to race and gender impacting minority groups. When I read Longmore’s ideas, I can again…

From Meredith's list on disability and related inclusive movements.