Christine (Queen of Books)'s Reviews > About Us: Essays from the Disability Series of the New York Times

About Us is a compilation of essays from the Disability Series of the New York Times. I found so many of these essays thought-provoking and inspiring conversation with others. I loved that they're so short, allowing the book to contain a lot of them, showing a range of experiences. As the book states, the essays presented here both normalize and exceptionalize disability. "Disabled lives are as valid as nondisabled lives, but they are not the same."

The essays are grouped under different topics: justice, belonging, working, navigating, coping, love, family, and joy. I read them in order; as such, I was able to see various experiences relating to one specific topic in the span of 15 minutes. The different authors often seem to be in conversation with each other, despite having a variety of backgrounds and perspectives.

This is a book I am certainly glad to have read and am grateful it exists.

Thank you to W. W. Norton & Company and NetGalley for a free e-arc of this title for review.


Content warning: recollection and discussion of ableism throughout, suicide in the last essay