Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
A lushly illustrated graphic memoir about how the author navigates the world living with a progressive disability, including childhood trauma, grief, the struggle to obtain healthcare services, the effectiveness of alternative therapies especially medical marijuana, and the vital significance of friendships and love.
Synopsis
A graphic memoir about ableism and the small personal triumphs which make up daily life in a society designed without you in mind.
A view into the endless challenges involved in navigating the world while living with a progressive disability, including childhood trauma, grief, and the struggle to obtain healthcare services. We see the relief offered by alternative therapies, especially medical marijuana, and the vital importance of the support of one's chosen family and friends.
The struggles of living in an inaccessible world are at the heart of this collection of personal vignettes. The strictures and structures of ableism weigh heavily on Maria's life. Able-bodied readers can see what it's really like to view life from the position of an ambulatory wheelchair--how ordinary moments such as entering a building, going to a doctor's appointment, or simply getting through the day can be drastically different for someone else. This book brings to light the injustices that members of the disabled community endure on a daily basis by often well-meaning and able-bodied individuals.
Synopsis
An evocative and heartfelt graphic memoir about the challenges of living with a progressive disability.
When Maria Sweeney was young, she kept count of her broken bones. As she grew older, she stopped: living with Bruck syndrome, a rare progressive condition that gives her very brittle bones and joint abnormalities, meant that those numbers climbed and climbed.
Today, she struggles every day, living in an often-inaccessible world. As an ambulatory wheelchair user, ordinary actions like entering a building, sitting at a caf , or holding a cup of tea can be drastically different for her than for others.
With lush illustrations, Maria tells the story of her lifelong struggle to obtain care in an increasingly complicated and disinterested US healthcare system. But for every step that presents a struggle, there's also beauty, friendship, art, and growth. She documents the relief she's found in alternative therapies, particularly medical marijuana; in loving community and chosen family; and in nature and her creative practice. A powerfully understated critique of our modern world, Brittle Joints offers a generous, expansive look at how to live and love amidst the challenges of survival.