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Bezig met laden... Too Late to Die Young: Nearly True Tales from a Life (2005)door Harriet McBryde Johnson
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"Harriet McBryde Johnson's witty and highly unconventional memoir opens with a lyrical meditation on death and ends with a bold and unsentimental sermon on pleasure. Born with a congenital neuromuscular disease, Johnson has never been able to walk, dress, or bathe without assistance. With assistance, she passionately celebrates her life's richness and pleasures and pursues a formidable career as an attorney and activist. Whether rolling on the streets of Havana, on the floor of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, or in an auditorium at Princeton debating philosopher Peter Singer, Harriet McBryde Johnson defies every preconception about people with disabilities, and shows how a life, be it long or short, is a treasure of infinite value."--Publisher's description. Geen bibliotheekbeschrijvingen gevonden. |
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Google Books — Bezig met laden... GenresDewey Decimale Classificatie (DDC)362.196Social sciences Social problems and services; associations Social problems of & services to groups of people People with physical illnesses Services to people with specific conditions DiseasesLC-classificatieWaarderingGemiddelde:
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The title is great. I wish I'd thought of it. It is also perfect for this particular group of stories.
Johnson subtitles the book "nearly true tales from a life". The tales are about her life, from early childhood into middle age, as a person with a neuro-muscular disease. She did not want to know specifically which disease, and it didn't matter anyway. The stories begin with her realization that she would some day die. And that whatever disability she had would likely figure into that death. She came to grips with the realization early and got on with it. Saying to herself such things as "As long as I'm going to die I might as well be in Kindergarten"...on up to "...I might as well have a law degree" and "I might as well be a lawyer". She spent no time on self-pity.
The stories are arranged chronologically so the book really reads as a memoir. The underlying theme is that people with disabilities are no less likely to be happy or to live full lives than are able-bodied persons. It seems like a no-brainer but to much of the world it is not. Taking the message further, Johnson fought for accommodation for persons with disabilities so that it would not be so unnecessarily difficult for them to get all they can from life.
The tales are told with a brand of humor that is easy to like, that seems to come naturally to her. The book is thus easy and fun to read, yet it packs a powerful punch. ( )