Our latest selection of the books that you should look out for.
“Normal Schmormal” by Ashley Blaker, ISBN: 978000855811652999
Sometimes reading well-meaning advice about how to raise children, especially those with disabilities or additional needs, can feel like a nasty mind game, designed to showcase just what a bad job you’re doing. Happily, Ashley Blaker’s “Occasionally helpful guide to parenting kids with special needs” succeeds in guiding, without either patronising or punishing his readers.
Blaker is a successful comedy writer and producer, having worked on hit TV shows such as ‘Little Britain’, where it’s clear that at least a portion of some of the bizarre characters and situations have been influenced by his life as a parent of six children.
While you might consider raising children, all with differing needs and of course, unique personalities, is his main challenge, it’s easy to read between the lines and see that actually, it’s the perpetual meetings and appointments and negotiations with schools and healthcare providers among others, in meeting their obligations, that takes up much of his and his wife’s time and energy – let alone dealing with otherwise horrified parents of other children, friends, families and tutting strangers.
Perhaps as a comedian, Blaker has a fast-track to seeing the funny side of situations that cause more than the occasional faux pas. This simple twist in perspective doesn’t mean that he isn’t occasionally mortified by his children but more-so that he isn’t engaged in a constant struggle, the like of which would be completely unsustainable. In other words, he’s wise enough to ‘pick his battles’ knowing full well that no parent can be everywhere all of the time.
As well as being genuinely funny, there are plenty of gentle tips for making things easier. What also comes across is just how happy and proud Blaker is of his children – quite right too!
“How To Do Life With A Chronic Illness” by Pippa Stacey, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, ISBN: 9781805010173
Every so often, a book comes out that really manages to get to grips with a subject. Living with a disability is far more than the medical jargon that surrounds it. Pippa Stacey starts to unpack the psychological and physical challenges of living with chronic illness, from the fact that there is no day off, to the problem of getting your points across to people that don’t have lived experience – but that do have an unintentional ableist bias.
This is a book that everyone receiving a new diagnosis should read and that will challenge people who have lived with chronic illness for some time to look at things afresh.
“Monstrum” by Lottie Mills, Oneworld Publications, ISBN: 9780861545629
This collection of short gothic tales will immediately remind you of the darkness of Edgar Allan Poe but with some of the sweetness of Hans Christian Andersen.
While it’s a fine balance to write about and discuss disability in such troubling and disturbing ways, it’s fair to say that what Mills is really concluding is that shame, guilt and pity are the real monsters, rather than disability itself.
Hardly surprising is that Mills won the BBC Young Writers’ Award in 2020, since every sentence seems to be twisted together with gold thread, with some passages more poetry than prose. Perhaps Lottie Mills is herself, the real ‘monstrum’, that is to say by literal meaning, ‘a divine omen’ or ‘supernatural appearance’ since I’ve never read anything quite like this.
“Occupational Therapy, Disability Activism, and Me” By Georgina Vine, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, ISBN: 9781839976674
You’d think that a profession such as occupational therapy would be largely free of ableism, or indeed, that educators and practitioners would ‘look after their own’. Unfortunately, the experience of Georgia Vine underline that ableism can be found pretty much everywhere, though she demonstrates the upside, that, with determination and passion, it can be overcome.
Georgia has cerebral palsy and takes us on her journey from childhood services, right through to studying at university and finding her feet as a graduate occupational therapist.
While it’s clear that Georgia has made an impact in her field and has been a shining light to other disabled people, she also challenges us to untangle ourselves from internalised ableism.
Georgia has been there and done it – and shows that you can too.
“The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” By L. Frank Baum, adapted for easier reading with illustrations by Archina Laezza, Every Cherry Publishing Ltd, ISBN: 9781802633429
Every Cherry has Publishing created a series of beautiful ‘symbolised classics’ for children with additional needs. Not only are the stories told with large print, but each sentence has symbols that support the meaning of the words, for people just breaking in to reading – as well as a touch and feel fidget texture point.
Smartphone users can also pick between two QR codes that will take them to a BSL signed version of the story, or to a choice of spoken word versions or ‘audiobooks’.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a superb choice as an adapted title, since of course it’s the story of people that can’t immediately see past their assumed weaknesses, to their actual strengths, including courage, intelligence and love. Plenty of disabled children will relate to that feeling – and imagine our surprise when we discovered that one of the audiobook versions was read by Able Magazine columnist and Scope ambassador, Ciara Lawrence. She really does do this magical and uplifting tale justice.
We also enjoyed Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (adapted for easier reading with illustrations by Nick Moffat) and Moby Dick by Herman Melville (adapted for easier reading with illustrations by Arianna Belluci).
“Frankenstein” By Mary Shelley, Every Cherry Publishing Ltd, ISBN: 9781802633429
“Moby Dick” By Herman Melville, Every Cherry Publishing Ltd, ISBN: 9781802634853
“The Autist’s Guide to the Galaxy” By Clara Törnvall (translated by Alice E. Olsson), Scribe, ISBN: 9781915590879
Life in this world is indeed dominated by ‘neurotypicals’, who outnumber ‘autists’ (sic) by quite some way and are therefore responsible, in the main, for setting cultural rules and standards. Clara Törnvall however, turns this idea on its head and examines neurotypical people from the perspective of people with autism.
With a light touch and dry humour throughout, Törnvall demonstrates that although people with autism are often described by their differences, that these things work both ways and that what neurotypical people think about people with autism, in a way, applies just as much to themselves.
It’s rare to read about the observations of people with autism. In sharing her voice and that of other people with autism, Törnvall provides a fresh perspective on an old issue.
