Good Kings Bad Kings

by Susan Nussbaum

Inside the halls of ILLC, an institution for juveniles with disabilities, we discover a place that is deeply different from and yet remarkably the same as the world outside. Nussbaum crafts a multifaceted portrait of a way of life hidden from most of us. In this isolated place on Chicago's South Side, friendships are forged, trust is built, and love affairs begin. It's in these alliances that the residents of this neglected community ultimately find the strength to bond together, resist their mistreatment, and finally fight back. And in the process, each is transformed.

Genres: Fiction, Disability, Young Adult, Book Club, Contemporary, Mental Health, Adult

298 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2013

About the author

Susan Nussbaum’s plays have been widely produced. In 2008 she was cited by the Utne Reader as one of ‘50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World’ for her work with girls with disabilities. Good Kings, Bad Kings is her first novel. She lives in Chicago, America.

Reviews

[Jeanette (Ms. Feisty) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It must feel heady to receive an award for your first novel almost a year before it's published. Susan Nussbaum received the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction in June of 2012. The prize promotes “fiction that addresses issues of social justice and the impact of culture and politics on human relationships.” Good Kings Bad Kings is a perfect fit for the award.

In the voices of residents and employees, Nussbaum presents life in a state-run nursing home for juveniles with disabilities. A novel about institutionalized kids may sound like it's going to be terribly depressing, but it's not. I'm always reading several books at one time, and this was always the one I wanted to come back to when I had a few minutes to read. The abuse and death and mismanagement is balanced by the sass and spirit and hope and indignation of the kids and their caregivers.

This is a strongly character-based novel, employing the alternating voices of seven people. Three are disabled youngsters, three are employees of the nursing home, and one is a recruiter trying to keep the place full.

Seven characters?! I can hear you whining already. How will I ever keep them all straight? And well you might ask. It is difficult at first, and it's one of the minor weaknesses of the novel. It does take some time to sort them out and remember what they've told you each time you encounter another of their chapters. If it's a big concern for you, make a few notes as you begin reading. It won't be long, though, before their lives and personalities become so real and distinct that your confusion will vanish.

Susan Nussbaum was hit by a car in the 1970s, and went from being able-bodied to wheelchair-dependent. Her ability to see handicaps from both sides brings realism and urgency to the novel. From Yessie and Teddy and Mia and their friends, we learn that disabled kids are neither angelic nor pathetic. They're just like other kids in so many ways – potty-mouthed, mischievous, defiant, scared, and often very funny. They want fun, they want respect, they want sex, they want long-term connections with people who love them, and they want as much independence as possible.

[☮Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book club read #4, Feb 2017.

"...not only shines a light on a segment of society often ignored, in art as well as life, but also a really great read."
-The Washington Post

More than shines a light, this book exposes what's wrong and what is right with the whole system, specifically nursing homes for disabled children. Kids are abused, neglected, some die -- even one is too many -- and others grow up within the system hoping some day their lives might go back to normal, on the outside, just wanting what every other kid wants. To have fun, be loved, get a job, feel valued, get married and move into an apartment.

Because this home has the misfortune of also being located in Illinois, where I live, where no matter who they elect to be governor they can't seem to pass a state budget or pay the bills, this place is probably more disadvantaged than others. I can only imagine.

Susan Nussbaum's debut is an amazing success. She manages to tell a sad story with a sense of humor and compassion. Loved it.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A group of mentally and physically challenged young people take center stage in this novel. It is set in a nursing home on the South Side of Chicago and is told in alternating chapters between seven characters, the patients and those who work for the company that administers the facility. The author herself is wheelchair bound after a serious accident so she knows what she writes. This book has an agenda but it is so skillfully rendered that one is entertained or indignant, but not annoyed.

One of the employees receives three hundred for every bed she fills in the facility and she spends her nights scoping out shelters to see if she can find any clientele. These are kids, some severely disabled, many mentally challenged and some that have been abused and yet they think about the same things we do. They want meaningful relationships, people to tell them the truth, power wheelchairs so that they can move when they want instead of when someone else wants. They want all the freedom they can have within their disability. Some of it is downright funny, but I felt somewhat irreverent laughing, but I think that was the point. These kids are sad, they are funny, they are many things. As Yessinia says, "If this is an award of the state, you can have your award."

A well done book that everyone should read.

[Alex Templeton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have very mixed feelings about this book, which is narrated by a cast of characters involved in a public home for teenagers with disabilities in Illinois. On one hand, I feel very positively about it, in the sense that Nussbaum, herself a disability activist, does a great job humanizing the lives and the plights of these often-forgotten and dehumanized individuals. She does an excellent job creating a variety of believable voices. However, (and contrary to the views of an interviewer of Nussbaum I read just today), I found the book extremely didactic. It seemed that many characters were there to serve the purpose of yelling at the reader "Look at how horrible this is!!!" Mia epitomizes victimhood; Joanne is the crusader who is going to expose the horrendously malfunctioning system; Michelle is the almost willfully ignorant woman who thinks she is doing good but is really undermining all of the children. Indeed, the system IS horrible, and I actually think this book can do a lot for opening peoples' eyes to this fact; I just wish it hadn't felt quite so obvious in doing so.

[~✡~Dαni(ela) ♥ ♂♂ love & semi-colons~✡~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Well, this is awkward. How can you give a less-than-stellar rating to a book that deals with youth nursing homes and disabilities? It's just that this novel was so cookie-cutter and predictable. All the bad happens (rape, kick-backs, abuse, mistreatment, etc.). And some good happens too. The characters are not well developed, and everything is wrapped up too neatly.

I appreciate that Nussbaum did her research regarding the "System" and its treatment of the handicapped in Chicago, but the alternating points of view didn't vary much by tone, so each voice sounded exactly the same, and the voices were too colloquial, too much like a teenager from the ghetto talking to his buddies on the street corner. So Ricky the driver sounds like Michelle the recruiter, and they all sound the same, yo, know what I'm sayin'?

There is clearly a Theme here, a very heavy Theme with a big "t," and it's that the system abuses its power and people with disabilities need more autonomy and freedom. I don't disagree, but this book was so preachy; there were so many lessons, and roses grew out of the ashes, and so on.

I was especially annoyed by the romance between Joanne, who was a quadriplegic, and Ricky, the driver at the youth nursing home (and a really Nice Guy!). We are told early on that Joanne is a quadriplegic, and her wheelchair is mentioned, but other than that there is little focus on what it means to live as a quadriplegic, the risks of pneumonia for example. Initially, Joanne is depressed and never leaves her house. Then she gets a job at the youth nursing home where Ricky works, and it's like a complete 360 just like that. Now, Joanne is very independent, and her romance with Ricky progresses as if her being a quadriplegic weren't an issue. I compare this to Moyes' brilliant Me Before You, which truly tackles what it means to live as a quadriplegic and love someone with such a profound disability (which has mental and emotional implications), and this book just falls flat on its face.

[Kate♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25/5stars

Amazing book with amazing disability rep for my disability in literature course for grad school

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Writing this review wasn't easy for me, because reading this book felt very personal. In my life prior to my current career I've worked in a lot of nursing homes and one center for independent living. I worked with adults for a long time before finally finding school psychology. My life experience had a great impact on how I reacted to this book.

Let's start with the characters. With the exception of one non-perspective character, I have worked with every single one of these characters. While to others the characters may seem hamfisted to others, I can say from experience that they all rang very true to me. The stories told by the teenagers and young adults, were not stories I'd heard until I worked at the CIL center. The characters really make this book because they tie together the narrative. They're all well written and fully developed, complex and human.

The character who most impressed me was Michelle, and not because I think she's an admirable character. I think it's because she is the average reader of this book. She's an important perspective because the whole idea that institutionalization is "for the good of the disabled" is seen by many and acceptable ableism. It's not that Michelle has this blinding revelation that changes her perspective but it's that small realization that something isn't right with the system. I think one of the reasons Michelle made me so angry is that a part of me knows I thought like that at one point. The beauty of this book is it's ability to evoke strong emotions without being overly sentimental or unrealistic. The characters are people telling their story, it's clearly their narratives without moralizing.

What also made this book harder to review was that this was a book that evoked a lot of feelings from me. And feelings are hard to review. This book spoke to me and it's a conversation that needs to happen.

[Amina Gautier · Rating 1 out of 5]

I find it quite disconcerting that a writer who prominently features two Puerto Rican characters does not know that Puerto Ricans are not immigrants. When a writer is going to portray a culture other than her own, she should do some research. Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of the United States of America. The Jones Act of 1917 makes all Puerto Ricans US citizens, yet for some reason this novelist has her character Ricky Hernandez refer to his Puerto Rican parents as immigrants. This is unacceptable, since Ricky and Yessenia are two of the main characters featured in the novel and the writer does not even know their citizenship status. Such a lazy lack of research is very disappointing.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been anxiously waiting for 8 months to read this book. In June I watched Barbara Kingsolver give Susan Nussbaum the Bellwether award and Susan's inspirational and emotional speech left most of us in tears. Since then I've been pestering the publisher's rep for a galley and received it the other day. So far I am absolutely loving it and hope it continues to be fabulous so I can recommend it to everyone I know.

Update: It took a bit to sort out the various characters as the story is told from the viewpoints of the staff and residents of an institution for juveniles with various kinds of disabilities, but eventually the novel became engrossing and moving. This book will rip out your heart, stomp on it with 6-in platform heels, and stuff it back into your chest. Truly amazing and I hope it's the huge success it deserves. It would also be worth recommending to older teens.

A word of warning, though, try not to finish it in public and have a few tissues handy.

[didi · Rating 3 out of 5]

i love jimmie i love yessie anddd thats ab it. this had so much potential but susan just fell short and tried to be overly inclusive to the point where it just stopped working.. so many unnecessary comments were just thrown in there too and for what????

[Priya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very well written book about a very difficult subject. It's heartbreaking because of this very reason yet offers a very much needed perspective.

Juveniles with disabilities are put into homes where they can receive the care they need. The Illinois Learning and Life Skills Center, IILC for short, is one such place that's supposed to help the kids it takes in, the operative word being 'supposed'.

Unfortunately, IILC is a breeding ground for a lot of illegal activities including abuse of the kids who cannot protect themselves, negligence as well as fund misappropriation.
Through a set of characters, some of whom live in IILC, others who work there and even one who 'recruits ' for these centres to fill the beds and keep the companies running the facilities profitable, a lot of uncomfortable truths about how those with disabilities are mistreated is portrayed. Not only are their wishes never taken into consideration, they are never seen as anything but 'patients' with no thought ever given to what kind of life they may very well be able to manage independently, given the right resources. They are at the mercy of those who 'treat'them, the adults who have their way with them, call them out for the slightest things, take out their own disappointments on them and generally make them miserable.

I liked the direction the story took, the reactions of the kids as they each went through this torture, the way they took the hands held out to them in support though few and refused to give up.

I think it's a must read as it's an eye opener.

[max theodore · Rating 3 out of 5]

the best word for this book, i think, is incisive; it's a brutal look into the institutionalization and treatment of disabled children/adolescents, one that doesn't pull punches or shy away from horror. it's hard to say i "enjoyed" reading it, because, again: pretty brutal. but it's very well-written and very unflinching. three stars less because there's anything, like, wrong with it and more because i just... didn't find myself particularly engaged; i tended to put it down and forget about it in favor of the other things i'm reading, maybe because there wasn't much of a building plot (it's slice-of-life right up until the domino chain that causes the ending). shoutout to yessenia (and jimmie... a family can be a lesbian singer and a sixteen-year-old firebrand 🥺), my best friend and favorite character yessenia, i'd die for you

[Evelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

SUSAN… WHAT WERE YOU THINKING??? HITLER AND BLOWJOBS? PUNANI?? I understand what Nussbaum intended to convey from her text, but there are so many sideplots that were never fully explored. I wish there was a chapter in Cherí’s perspective or Pierre’s. I wish the ending was complete. This book has so much potential!! Don’t get me wrong, it’s good and there are definitely nuances in the text, but I feel like Nussbaum could’ve done so much more!!! IT’S MISSING SOMETHING!!

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very realistic view of private residences for disabled youth. They are created to serve children with physical and or psychological and mental challenges and quickly become cash cows for unscrupulous investors and greedy, lazy doctors. I saw this first hand almost 40 years ago when I worked in a similar institution which employed "milieu therapy," which means no therapy.

Susan Nussbaum, the author, has the advantage of being born able and later on, being hit by a bus. She is able to breathe life into the character of Joanne who also was hit by a bus. Ms. Nussbaum used her experiences working with others who belong to the special club, "crips," to people Good King, Bad King. The young people become "awards of the state," because their parents, physically, financially and emotionally are unable to care for them. These teens are fierce and frail having survived the School of Hard Knocks. Their academic deficits are rarely addressed in their especially bad education. The State is deaf and blind to the needs of a community which no one wants to see.

That being said, many of these down and out children are resilient . For every scheming predator, there is an underpaid overworked houseparent, teacher, Legal Aid lawyer to offer support and guidance.

Parts, but not all, of this very realistic novel are grim. It is truly the story of man against himself (kids fighting their own bodies) and man against society (kids fighting to be seen , heard and respected). Nussbaum is inspired by her characters and hopes to give hope to those who fight.

[SheriC · Rating 3 out of 5]

Proponents of privatizing public services argue that, by managing operations like a private business, these services can be provided much more efficiently. So what is the natural outcome when residential/custodial care is outsourced to a corporation whose board demands a healthy profit, and profits are driven by keeping as many beds filled for as little cost as possible? The goal is certainly not to try to support families with disabled children, to keep them at home instead of in residential care. It’s not to prepare those children for living as independently as possible when they reach adulthood, becoming contributing members of society. Oh, and if that same company holds government contracts for residential psychiatric care? Perhaps there’s a profit motive for assigning psychiatric diagnoses to children with behavioral problems?

This was an interesting book with some interesting things to say. But it is grim reading, and I was outraged at the way the author chose to end it. I don’t expect or even want happy endings, especially in a book so determined to strive for realism. But there is no sense of resolution, no looking forward, no… anything. It just stops, like the author got tired of writing or the publisher refused to print more than 465 pages.

Audiobook, purchased via Audible. The performances by a cast of readers were the best part of this book. They breathed life into the characters as each told his or her own story. This is one good exception to my dislike for first person present tense. The writing style, in this case, fit the story being told perfectly.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars. I enjoyed this book. It was a fast read but not an easy read due to the fact that most every scene takes place inside an institution for disabled youth. Our health care system is wrong on so many levels that I've lost track. This is a perfect example of many of the problems. And the biggest victims are the sick people in need of quality care. However, as long as a few at the top continue to get rich because of it, the system will continue to nourish itself.

Each character had his/her own distinct voice, which I think was the best thing about the novel. And the audio performance was equally well-done. Maybe better than the book!

[Alena · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book knocked the wind out of me. Told from the perspectives of 7 different people connected to the "System" of disabled care in Illinois, this is a disturbing work of fiction. In fact, I had to keep reminding myself that it is a socially-responsible work of fiction because it felt all too real.

Corruption. Abuse. Love and friendship. Neediness. Disappointment. These are all present and mixed together through the eyes of patients, caretakers, activists and even a recruiter (a role I never knew existed).

Susan Nussbaum is a brave voice, an author with strong writing and an important viewpoint. I will certainly read her again.

[Kathie Yang · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was recommended to me by the BPL for a collection of books about disabilities/disabled characters. I thought it looked interesting enough, so I picked it up. But let me warn you, this book can be really heavy at times. So check for trigger warnings (major one I can think of is for sexual assault).
This book definitely has an agenda, but it didn’t annoy me the way I think it could’ve. It discussed ways disabled people are treated by the government and community. It also, and I liked this a lot, talks about disabled people as normal people. Most of the characters are disabled iirc, and there’s a lot of discussion of family and crushes and grievances and other things. I guess it’s a low bar, but it was nice to see multiple disabled characters who are each unique and feel at least somewhat fleshed out. I got sucked into this book the way I haven’t in a while, in the way where you read it and you just completely tune out everything else, which is the main reason for my high rating. The ending was realistic, but it wasn’t very satisfying. Overall though, I still really enjoyed it.

One major complaint about the audiobook. The volume varies WAY TOO MUCH!! Each POV has a different reader, and some of them talk louder than others, or they whisper sometimes and talk loudly other times. I had to keep adjusting my volume, and sometimes I couldn’t hear what they were saying and had to go back. One woman, the one who’s a patient recruiter (her name is Michelle or something??) was the WORST! Her reader was always getting quiet and kind of mumbling. I get that she’s acting, but job #1 is to actually convey the words that are in the book!!!

Rating: 4 stars
but im not disabled so this may change if i read that people actually thought it wasn’t good representation

[Kamari · Rating 3 out of 5]

My rating is a 3.25. I feel like this story had a lot of potential to be great, but it was just so incomplete. Not even the ending of the book, but the stories of the characters. So much was brought regarding identity or past, but it wasn't explored enough or brought back up for it to even have meaning. I had some issues with some of the narratives, and almost the self-insert character. However, I definetly see points where it was trying to touch on serious issues. It had thought-provoking moments and good instances of aspects such as foreshadowing. But it isn't a story I'd pick up again.

Again, had great potential but definelty lost me many times. Especially because there were characters (specifically adults), that I was likely meant to like and side with that I just could not like at all.

[Stephanie (aka WW) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book presents life in a juvenile nursing home, from the points of view of several of the most colorful residents and employees of the home. It could be depressing in the wrong writer’s hands, but Nussbaum infuses the story with humor and positivity. Recommended for a socially-aware read.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you're "award" of the state, with physical or mental challenges, you have few–if any guarantees–in life. But chances are high that while living within the System, you will face uncertainty, alienation, powerlessness, neglect and/or abuse. And you will likely be the witness to or victim of traumatic events that will greatly impact your life.

It will take creative thinking, a sense of humor and willingness to break the rules to survive this broken system. With resilience and earned trust, you might make friends, fall in love and even form attachments with the few adults who seem to genuinely care for you. A fortunate few will be survive and thrive long enough to find purpose and meaning in their lives. And one or two might even find freedom, beyond the institution walls.

Nussbaum gives a raw and real perspective on those tied to this institute for youth with disabilities: From the painfully vulnerable, half-blind and language-challenged Mia to the fierce and feisty Yessenia, always on the look out for a love interest; from the disabled clerk/social justice warrior Joanne to the oblivious and soulless recruiter Michelle; from the tough, yet tenderhearted, houseparent Jimmie to the heartless and hostile guards, like Louie, who abuse their power–and the children under their care. No one is unseen by Nussbaum's probing and perceptive eyes.

Despite the troubling abuse, the painful losses and the frustration of having one's hands tied–all vividly captured by Nussbaum–her characters are courageous, resilient and passionate enough to inspire hope that they'll find a way to turn the tides toward a more positive and empowered future.

[Snotchocheez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Damn. Am I going to be the ogre that trashes a fledgling author's debut effort? Not exactly, although despite winning the Barbara Kingsolver seal of social responsibility award (what did she win? Artisanal Ewe Cheese? Free range quail eggs?) a full year before it was published, Ms. Nussbaum's Good Kings Bad Kings is, I suppose, an eye-opening look at the assisted-living industry. Ms. Nussbaum takes Upton Sinclair-sized scythe swipes at a specific facility in Chicago which helped disabled teens. The problem I had with the book centered mostly on Ms. Nussbaum's choice to tell the story of the facility through the eyes of eight or so different characters: four employees of the facility, and four residents. Ms. Nussbaum keeps all the voices separate, unique. and convincingly real: quite a juggling act. It's just her choice of characters that makes this book way too muckrake-y, devoid of nuance and subtlety, to make this an enjoyable read for me. I wish she could've provided better counterpoint (say, from someone high up in the facility's administration, to balance out the one-sided yuck within the facility) so that this exercise in social commentary disguised as a novel doesn't feel so much like an instrument to bludgeon its readers into awareness. This is an okay first-effort....but I get the feeling fiction-writing is not the direction Ms. Nussbaum needs to be taking her literary career.

[Paul Lunger · Rating 2 out of 5]

Susan Nussbaum's "Good Kings Bad Kings: A Novel" is one of those books that if you don't pay attention to you'll get lost in a plot that's simple & yet also overtly complicated for no real reason. The story alternates perspectives between Yessenia, Teddy, Mia & Joanne across all aspects of life from rape to foster care to just about everything in between. It is these shifting perspectives & stories that while at times help the book also hurt it since it's very easy to get lost in the plot. The characters I want to care about & could be anyone of us, but at times are so thinly written that I as a reader stopped caring about partway through. Granted there are some shock value moments from Teddy's death to Mia's rape but it all seems so forced at times that it doesn't work. A very disappointing book that I had far higher hopes for.

[Saleh MoonWalker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Onvan : Good Kings Bad Kings - Nevisande : Susan Nussbaum - ISBN : 1616202637 - ISBN13 : 9781616202637 - Dar 336 Safhe - Saal e Chap : 2013

[Kelly Risser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that everyone should read to understand how institutions work, to empathize with those who are failed by the system, and to be aware of their own outlook on their fellow human beings. When you consider yourself superior to another person for whatever reason - race, gender, ability, religion, etc., you may justify all kinds of horrible behaviors. It’s a cautionary tale that’s also woven with resilience and hope.

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This book takes a look at the institutions that serve the disabled children. This is, I think, a really important subject, and I agree with a lot of what the author is saying in the book; however, the actual book part was sometimes lacking for me.

First, Nussbaum uses seven different narrators to tell the story. And yeah, yeah, didn't I just give my high rating to a book that uses multiple first-person points of view? Yes. I did. In the case of The Brides of Rollrock Island, Margo Lanagan used narrators from different generations and she stuck with them for dozens, sometimes around 100 pages. She didn't jump back and forth, back and forth. Each section was written with a depth so that it could have stood alone as a short story. This book? So many changing perspectives. Three pages for character A, five for character B, two for character C, three for character A, seven for character D, etc, etc. Which could still be cool...except that, I don't know, I feel like Nussbaum used it in a way that weakened character development. I can see why she would want to take this approach--to give a broader perspective and many distinct voices to disability and those affected by it--but, although the reader did get a fairly good impression of the motivations and experiences of the characters, it still seemed to short-change her characterization, most especially the "shifts" of her "dynamic" characters.

Another gripe: this book is sooo heavy handed. And that is where it really lost a lot of its appeal for me. I mean, I am one of those people who are like, "Nuance? For a rape? No thank you" (nuance for dealing with the aftermath, the recovery, the healing--yes; nuance for the act or the rapist? not so much!). But this book was just...drenched in preachiness. As an example, the whole "system vs. individual" responsibility was spelled out really simply for the reader: "Joanne always thinks it's the System. And I agree! But the thing is, to me--does that, like, erase that people are responsible for their choices? [...] I can say to myself, 'It's the System,' but does that mean I couldn't do anything about anything? To change things?" (page 200). Maybe it's part of being a "young adult" book, and if I was reading this book 12 or 14 years ago, I probably would have been like, "wooow!!! the insight!!" But, well, I didn't actually even know this was supposed to be a "young adult" book until I came and found its page on Goodreads when I was halfway through it. And it's also true that not all "young adult" books hit you around the head so thoroughly (again, see Brides of Rollrock Island).

Also, there was a passage in the book that made me wonder if Nussbaum was slut-shaming one of the characters. The least sympathetic (corporate climber) character, who is portrayed as being air-headed, petty, and unaware/in denial, catches gonorrhea (even though she was using a condom) and it has absolutely no bearing on the story whatsoever. It's mentioned for two paragraphs and never again. I think it's just supposed to be something we're supposed to laugh at her about, like, "Haha that dumb lady got an STD! Maybe you shouldn't have been having casual sex, stupid!" I could be wrong, but combined with the previously mentioned lack of nuance in the rest of the book, it kinda made me "?!"

But there are definitely good things about the book too. It shines a light on the institutionalization (incarceration?) of disabled children, especially the most vulnerable in terms of money and parental resources. It shows healthy relationships among that group as well as a healthy relationship between a disabled and an abled person. The high point in this book for me was probably the author interview in the back, where Nussbaum talks about how society treats disabled people (Million Dollar Baby? The lady that movie was arguably based on is still alive but they "mercy kill" her in the movie, gross). I also appreciate that she addressed the way she writes in dialect for characters of color. The book is a very quick read and it is engaging. It's true that there are not many books out there that deal with disability in a respectful and realistic way, so the book might be worth reading for that feature alone.

[Shana Z · Rating 1 out of 5]

Cw: sexual violence

I am surprised by just how much I actively dislike this book. While I appreciate that the author “did her research,” it feels less like she’s *amplifying* marginalized voices and more like she’s speaking for them. And she’s speaking for them in this overworked way, in which the alternating perspectives are in these stereotypical “voices.” The characters lack depth—they all are personifications of their stereotypes.

I was made deeply uncomfortable by the first person perspective stream of consciousness as a character is raped. I’m struggling to find something objective to say that supports my thesis, but for now all I can say that it feels exploitative.

This book is praised for promoting disability rights. I found the portrayal of disabilities infantilizing—very “disabled people are people too!” without showing complexity or depth. And I felt hit over the head with this message.

[Lou · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story whirls in and around a cast of characters who find themselves either working or living at The Illinois Learning and Life Skills Centre, their narratives are in first person and told alternately in different chapters. The centre caters for eighty young institutionalised crips.
You learn of their days there and their mannerisms. The way the centre worked in this story has you think on the more serious problems out here in the real world dealing with the way the vulnerable and sick are sometimes victim to abuse, carelessness, inadequate and unprofessional treatment and care.
There are some scenes of ill treatment and so be advised.
Well written with memorable characters, a tale that leaves you with a possibly warmer heart for others with disabilities and less ignorance on the what their daily life may entail.

[Mrs. Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book featuring disabled characters, characters with mental illnesses, characters of various ethnicities. They're written in a way so that you see their humanity.No pity parties or "inspirational" stories here. The author herself is disabled, and she makes it clear that the characters in the book are not defined by their disabilities. They are real people with desires (big surprise, right?)
The story takes place in an institution for children with severe disabilities in Chicago. I am sure it is modeled on a real place. The story is very depressing in parts and it really makes the realities of how people with disabilities are treated in the world (especially the poor), and it makes the reader want to take action. Perhaps that's one of the reasons the book won the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction. The world needs more books like these.

[Samantha Hoffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

My main problem with Good Kings Bad Kings is that I couldn't put it down. It's a mesmerizing story of disabled kids living in an institution in Chicago, how they cope with their environment and what goes on behind the scenes.
There are numerous characters - each chapter is told from a different point of view - and at first it was tough to keep track of everyone. But I soon got to know them so well that it seemed they were real. Nussbaum does a great job of giving each person his or her own voice and personality.
This is a beautifully written, emotion-packed story that will grab you and won't let go of you until you turn the last page. And then those characters will stay with you.