1:13am June 23, 2014

“

My long legs don’t work right, but I’m proud to have them, proud in fact of all my body parts. At the same time, I’m not disgusted by the others, people with pieces missing or mangled. I count it a rare privilege to see them all without their coverings, their equipment, their attachments, their replacement parts, as they really are, in all their storage variety.

I pass Denise. She’s staying near the edge, maybe afraid of what could happen if she gets in too deep. For a moment the memory of this morning has me spooked, but I splash my way forward and realize that witnessing that force overtake her — even that horror — is part of the privilege. I’ve seen Denise up close, learned her secret. I’ve seen her as she’s never seen herself.

”

Harriet McBryde Johnson, Accidents of Nature

(The main character, Jean, says “this morning” and “that force overtake her” etc. when she means that she saw Denise have a grand mal seizure, never having seen anyone have a seizure before.)

Oh I should also note that the author has very little understanding of autism or intellectual disability and that becomes clear, and it can be a bit of a shock if you aren’t prepared.  If you are prepared… I’ve been able to overlook it as a realistic portrayal of how people see us, especially during the time when the book was set, but I could see how it could disturb or offend people, so I thought I should warn you before you pick up the book.  I still love the book, warts and all, because it speaks to so many experiences I’ve had, secret experiences that I didn’t know other disabled people had.

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