My Body Politic: A Memoir

by Simi Linton

"I read My Body Politic with admiration, sometimes for the pain that all but wept on the page, again for sheer exuberant friendships, for self-discovery, political imagination, and pluck. . . . Wonderful! In a dark time, a gift of hope.
-Daniel Berrigan, S.J.

"The struggles, joys, and political awakening of a firecracker of a narrator. . . . Linton has succeeded in creating a life both rich and enviable. With her crackle, irreverence, and intelligence, it's clear that the author would never be willing to settle. . . . Wholly enjoyable."
-Kirkus Reviews

"Linton is a passionate guide to a world many outsiders, and even insiders, find difficult to navigate. . . . In this volume, she recounts her personal odyssey, from flower child . . . to disability-rights/human rights activist."
-Publishers Weekly

"Witty, original, and political without being politically correct, introducing us to a cast of funny, brave, remarkable characters (including the professional dancer with one leg) who have changed the way that 'walkies' understand disability. By the time Linton tells you about the first time she was dancing in her wheelchair, you will feel like dancing, too."

---Carol Tavris, author of The Misunderstood Emotion

"This astonishing book has perfect pitch. It is filled with wit and passion. Linton shows us how she learned to 'absorb disability,' and to pilot a new and interesting body. With verve and wonder, she discovers her body's pleasures, hungers, surprises, hurts, strengths, limits, and uses."
-Rosemarie Garland-Thomson, author of Extraordinary Figuring Physical Disability in American Culture and Literature

"An extraordinarily readable account of life in the fast lane... a brilliant autobiography and a great read."
-Sander L. Gilman, author of Fat A Slim Book


While hitchhiking from Boston to Washington, D.C., in 1971 to protest the war in Vietnam, Simi Linton was involved in a car accident that paralyzed her legs and took the lives of her young husband and her best friend. Her memoir begins with her struggle to regain physical and emotional strength and to resume her life in the world. Then Linton takes us on the road she traveled (with stops in Berkeley, Paris, Havana) and back to her home in Manhattan, as she learns what it means to be a disabled person in America.

Linton eventually completed a Ph.D., remarried, and began teaching at Hunter College. Along the way she became deeply committed to the disability rights movement and to the people she joined forces with. The stories in My Body Politic are populated with richly drawn portraits of Linton's disabled comrades, people of conviction and lusty exuberance who dance, play-and organize--with passion and commitment.

My Body Politic begins in the midst of the turmoil over Vietnam and concludes with a meditation on the U.S. involvement in the current war in Iraq and the war's wounded veterans. While a memoir of the author's gradual political awakening, My Body Politic is filled with adventure, celebration, and rock and roll-Salvador Dali, James Brown, and Jimi Hendrix all make cameo appearances. Linton weaves a tale that shows disability to be an ordinary part of the twists and turns of life and, simultaneously, a unique vantage point on the world.

Genres: Disability, Memoir, Nonfiction, Disability Studies, School, Autobiography, Biography

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Chelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a little bit obsessed with some of the observations in Simi Linton's disability studies book Claiming Disability, and was very eager to get into her memoir. Linton is a disability rights advocate who has been a wheelchair-user since she was paralyzed in the seventies. I honestly expected to have a little bit of difficulty empathizing with parts of her story, because she had a "normal" body before she was disabled. However, so many of her words resonated with me and my own journey, potentially because she became disabled in her mid-twenties, the age I am now, and faced similar issues of identity.

She claims her disability in a way I'm not sure I've learned to do yet. She disgardes the people-first language I've been trained to adapt, preferring not to shunt disability to the side. She writes of leaning to own being a "disabled woman" in a time when curb-cuts weren't standard. Some of her experiences were incredibly familiar, like when she first went into the Center for Independent Living office in the 1970s. "CIL isn't a place, it's a universe. Entering the door that summer in 1975 I discovered a disability underground." I felt the same way walking into the Boston CIL offices forty-odd years later. Like I'd found a place where I could be reminded that disability didn't make me a patient. It made me a person.


Sometimes it's hard to remember that the disabled life can be as enriching as it is challenging--and as challenging as it is enriching--and Linton's memoir does that. It's an importnat book, I think, to remind disabled people that we're not alone and to remind able-bodied people that disabled people are complex people. The disability community is widespread, sometimes too widespread, and it's in places like the CIL, and Simi Linton's book, that I can remember how many other people are out there encountering the world in ways similar to the way I do.

[Kristi Wettstone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eye-opening and well written. I had to confront my own biases against people with disability, especially the "doctor-patient" bias, that is, viewing them as patients first, defined by perceived level of functioning and independence. That people live and succeed "in spite of" disability, as opposed to viewing it as a new version of life, a whole person, equally capable of love and joy and freedom. I also needed to know the historical context of physician-assisted suicide against the disabled population! Policy does NOT equal practice!
I struggled with some things. Dr. Linton's privilege, which she acknowledges, is truly incredible. Berkeley, Columbia, NYU, Paris. What's missing is the recognition of whiteness. I thought often about the BIPOC of her time (and mine) who never saw the access or community that surrounded Dr. Linton on her journey. I wrote on a sticky, "I can't help thinking that if she were any other race, she would've had such a hard time finding friends + social life." Acknowledging race in the stories she told would have gone a long way. I also know there remains an inequitable distribution of the resources that every person with disability has a right to. Perhaps I wish this had been a bigger part of her activism. All this being said, this is a memoir and Dr. Linton can write whatever she wants!

[Anaika · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I think this memoir is important because of its insight and knowledge on disability, disability identity, and disability studies I did not enjoy the writing. The writing made it hard for me to read through large chunks at a time and seemed unnecessarily drawn out in many instances. I enjoyed the themes and would recommend this book on its content but the format and writing hindered my reading experience.

[Anna Schechter · Rating 4 out of 5]

An essential disability memoir. Combines Simi Linton's experience, the experience of others, disability theory, and law. A perfect book to read if you are new to disability studies, especially as it debunks many of the commonly held and grossly untrue myths of disability. Life is worth living!

[Sam Wills · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is interesting, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. It seems multilayered with meanings and drawing the reader into action. It is not judgemental of its reader, whether you are able bodied or not, making it accessible for all, which is really the main point, isn't it? That everything should be accessible for all. I only gave it a 3 star review because I felt some points were repetitive (which is a bugbear of mine) and others felt slightly long winded. I was simply less keen on the style of prose, but that does not detract from the actual story. That being said, I would read this book again (without being told to for class) and I would also recommend it to others.

[Linda Dezenski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though Simi acquired her disability and I was born with mine, a lot of her story rings true for me. She was the only person with a disability in many places she went. Simi also was very creative about accommodating the barriers in the inaccessible places she frequented.
We both went to school before a lot of the civil rights laws were in place. Simi also mentioned the weight of being the first disabled person in among nondisabled people. It is a burden at times to feel like you have to be positive and leave a good impression so that people are more open to meeting the disabled behind you.

[I.O. Scheffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a solid book with great insights into the world of disability, as well as insights into the author's own life as someone who was born able-bodied and then became disabled through a tragic car accident. I had to read this book for an Intro to Disability Studies class, and it was honestly a pleasant and informative read. It was well-written, too. Easy to read. I highly recommend anyone who is interested in disability and the stigmas / culture around it to read this book.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this memoir. It is so solidly set in an era of the past, while also managing to be completely timeless. Linton is also a fantastic story teller and this memoir really shows off her humor. Due to the structure of the memoir, there is a bit of jumping around that can make the writing feel disjointed, but each individual story is so engaging that it doesn't sour the book. A must-read for anyone newly coming in to the world of disability.

[Carolyn Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

By PhD. and Disability Advocate Simi Linton. She presents her life from the day she went hitchhiking with her best friend and husband at the age of 19 to waking up the only survivor and paraplegic in an ICU. She tells how she was rehabilitated in the late 60’s in NYC. She writes about her relations with her family, the other patients in the unit who tried to make sense of their new lives, the hospital and doctor relationship in the time period to finding community in the Society for Disabled Studies.

It’s the story of someone who went from privilege to powerlessness to growing into her own powerful, unique self through the disabled community, getting educated, teaching, the Arts and her family and friends. It’s about her detailed experiences of all these things that provide rich resources to anyone disabled or who care for them.

[good1102 · Rating 3 out of 5]

GOOD

[Gabrielle Prehn]

Had to read for class but actually pretty good and you already know I had to make it count towards my goal

[Caroline Costello]

Had to read for class, found it very enlightening and will be taking from lessons from it!

[Callie Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed her discussion of sexuality and her stories of college life/her first times navigating the world as a disabled woman. A bit dry at times tho, and somewhat monotonous (unfortunately, most of her experiences were largely the same - Simi being unable to access a facility, Simi facing prejudice, etc). Her take on euthanasia was very interesting (in summary, she is against euthanasia as she views it as a way to further suppress people with disabilities). While I think her point is valid, with my current knowledge, I think that euthanasia provides enough benefits to the aging and terminally ill population to outweigh the potential harm caused to people with disabilities.

[A.J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a great book. I had already read Linton’s book, “Claiming Disability,” which I thought was excellent and very insightful for people with disabilities and those interested in teaching. As a person with a disability who often feels isolated from the disabled community, I find my connection in reading books like these.

As a memoir, I think this book was very good, but even more so as a disability memoir. I feel a lot of disability memoirs I’ve read are rather shallow, a long account of all the bad things that have happened to them and all the mean things people have said, with maybe a touch of the sociological workings and consequences of the disability experience in an able bodied world.

Linton’s book takes the bigger picture even further than I could imagine, introducing readers to different people in her life, many of whom have a range of disabilities. Her experiences teaching, being involved with disability activism, and the various cities she lived and studied in gave me such a wider perspective of the disability experience than I thought I would ever get from one book. Being born in the 80’s and raised in the 90’s there are many aspects of the history of disability rights that I take for granted. Linton made it a point to show the work, dedication, and time it took for simple things like access to restrooms, buses, and museums, or the right for a disabled child to go to school with able-bodied peers.

I’m very glad I read this book. Though I’ve read and studied disability books for several years now, Linton really did point out aspects of disability that I had thought I knew how I felt about, and made me realize that I myself had some ego-centric views of disability. Though I don’t share the political zeal for rallying and protesting of which Linton participates, I appreciate the history, and the unabashed honesty I encountered in her writing and would certainly recommend this book to others interested in disability culture/studies/sociology.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book at random at the library. It gives a great picture about what it's like to be a paraplegic/to live life in and from and with a wheelchair. It made me notice how many or few curb cuts there are in our town, for example. There was a lot I learned about the lives of people with "disabilities," and the disability movement, which she avoided for years but finally embraced. For example, there is the stereotype of being dismissed when you are perceived as being spunky or courageous or somesuch. People say stuff like "My, you're brave to be out in your wheelchair." In other words, most "disabled" people's lives suck, but this person is different, and so we'll write about them in the newspaper. Not sure if I'm conveying it right, but you should read the book.
Right from the beginning, after her accident, when she was in a rehab, Linton became interested in the intersection of disabled people and sexuality, and she has continued to pursue that interest. Because disabled people are also dismisseded on that score also. She also makes the point that people with similar injuries as hers, today, including soldiers coming back from Iraq, get WAY way less rehab than she did, which she doesn't think is a good thing at all. She got the comraderie and the expertise of months in rehab. Today people are sent home and forced to sort things out alone.

[Jennifer]

This book recounts Linton's personal story from the accident that left in her in a wheelchair to her voyage learning more about the needs and battles of the disabled community. Linton starts off experiencing the discrimination commonly associated with disability including lack of access to places, transportation and inadequate social and health services. Once she moves to the west coast, she discovers the disability rights movement. There she meets people and ideas that would influence this book. This memoir focuses on some tough issues including social theory, sexuality and disability, social justice, legal rights, urban design and an extremely relevant issue in Canada right now : assisted suicide. This book provides an insight not easy to understand for those without disabilities. It is well-written and though provoking.

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Linton was my teacher. I learned from the book a different view of the Viet Nam era. She was injured in a car accident while hitchhiking to a march on Washington with her best friend and her husband. She became a paraplegic and her friends were killed. She documents her experience as a disabled person in the early 70's advocating for herself, and ultimately becoming one of the founders of the disability rights movements
A riveting read.
Get it! Read it! Share it!

[Ann Millett-Gallant · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great read! I love the way the author tells her own story, as part of a movement for disability rights. She also discusses the formation of the Society for Disability Studies and advocates for disability studies as a key component of cultural studies. I also love her descriptions of dance within disability studies.

[Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent consciousness-raiser about living one's whole adult life with a significant disability. Recommended for all able-bodied people to better understand the life experiences and challenges of people with disabilities.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a little over half way done with this book right now, and it's really amazing! Siri Linton really highlights what it means to be a disabled person in our society and how our system needs to change.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was assigned this book for my 1st semester of graduate school. It was very informative and interesting. It was great to see where Simi began and how she used her disability to learn about herself, others and the society we live in.

[sylas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book, but I don't think my affinity for it can be quantified in stars. I'm torn between "liked it" and "really liked it". Three and a half stars?

[l · Rating 4 out of 5]

The one incredible misstep was the art gallery/strip club comparison which was ??? Otherwise, a really great book.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best, most thoughtful, and most important memoirs I've read.