Slow Motion: A Memoir of Friendship, Disability, and Advocacy

by Jennifer Dupree

Genres: Memoir

256 pages, Paperback

Published March 3, 2026

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, Jen is a dear friend. I read everything she writes... BUT. This book is special. I can hear her voice so clearly because I know this story is something she knows by heart, she is passionate about, and she wants the world to love, or at least appreciate, Marcel as she does. What a lovely, loving account of a friendship.

[Martha McSweeney Brower · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one that more of us need to read for better awareness of those with disabilities. A wonderful story of friendship and advocacy.

[Lynn Plourde · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm so glad I read this book, a memoir of the author, Jennifer, and her friendship with a man who has cerebral palsy. She tells Marcel's story along with her own story of friendship and advocacy. It's overwhelming how much advocacy is needed and how many hurdles and how much discrimination people in wheelchairs who use communication devices face (and I worked in special education for more than 20 years so my eyes are open wider than many people's). Many assume Marcel is intellectually disabled too and talk about him and ignore him to speak to able-bodied people with him. Marcel is smart as a whip with a great sense of humor and is kind and gentle and forgiving as the world makes erroneous assumptions about him. My heart hurt for Marcel as Jennifer's did. I appreciate her honesty as she questions how best to be a best friend to Marcel...did she say and do the right things, was she too mean to others who discriminate against Marcel, is she letting him be independent enough, is she too selfish meeting her needs at times more than Marcel's? So many questions, but not easy answers. I so enjoyed getting to know Jennifer and Marcel. My criticism is that the book seemed choppy--short sections, going back and forth in time. It took me about a third of the book to get the feel for how the story was being told. Still, it was an eye-opening, real, raw journey that this reader was grateful for.

[KJ Grow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some books find you at exactly the right moment. I came across Jennifer Dupree's Slow Motion in a submissions pile, and I couldn't put it down.

The friendship at the heart of this memoir — between Jen and Marcel, a man with cerebral palsy whose chart clearly notes he has never walked, whose doctor nonetheless tells him to "get up and move around" (Jen's response: "Did you bring your magic wand?") — is one of the most vivid and affecting I've encountered in a long time. Marcel is funny, curious, and possessed of what Dupree calls an unshakeable propensity for joy. He is also navigating a world that routinely dismisses, misreads, and underestimates him. Jen learns, over thirty years of hockey games and hospital battles and countless adventures, what it really means to show up.

This book reminded me of Ann Patchett's Truth and Beauty — that particular quality a friendship memoir has when the author is willing to be completely honest about what the relationship cost, as well as what it gave. Dupree writes with deadpan humor and real tenderness, and she never lets the advocacy themes overwhelm the story. Marcel never becomes a symbol. He stays a person.
Monica Wood says she felt "not so much inspired by this story, but welcomed into it." That's exactly right.

Five stars.

[Kate Kaminski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this memoir. The humor and grace with which Marcel’s story is presented makes this a compulsive read - I finished it in two days. Another thing that sets this story apart from others for me is the way it speaks to more than one theme. I don’t think I’ve ever read a more moving ode to the meaning friendship brings to our lives. The bond between Jennifer and Marcel is deep and rich, and they almost always have a good time even in the worst circumstances. The many challenges Marcel has faced and continues to face in his day to day (and year to year) life are described with candid humor, sometimes directing well-earned rage at a system that tends toward exclusion. I deeply admire Dupree’s narrative voice and the way she makes us feel the difficulties Marcel faces in an often unkind world, and effectively models the ways we can all advocate for others who are differently abled (or just different). Don’t assume and don’t presume based on someone’s differences, this book teaches us. “Slow Motion” is eye opening and attitude-altering. Read it!

[Melanie Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Beautiful Story that Cuts to the Heart of What Friendship Really Means
Slow Motion is a book everyone should read. The story of Jen Dupree's long-term friendship with Marcel, a man with Cerebral Palsy, and the way that friendship has shaped both of their lives is rendered beautifully on the page with humor and warmth. Without ever intending to be, Jen becomes Marcel's fiercest advocate when she must help him navigate systems that reveal the realities of lacking accessibility and disability-based discrimination. In both her writing and her life, Jen always centers Marcel as a person first, and she invites us to remember the dignity and connection inherent in our collective humanity. Buy it, read it, and let it show you how empathy and reciprocity can change how we show up for one another.

[Kathleen Bain · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a retired pediatrician and I think this book should be required reading for all medical learners. Recognizing the sacred space between yourself and the patient and those who love them is the first step toward becoming a healer. In this memoir we learn how "off the cuff" comments can cut deeply and impair a patient's health. What we say and how we say it matters. By telling the story of her friendship with a disabled man and how it opened doors for her own self compassion and discovery, the writer encourages all of us to work harder to see and care for those on the margins of our society. Though the simple act of being curious-seeing, asking questions and caring about the answers, we can make our worlds a better place.

[Sheila Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most inspirational books,I ever read. Two people that formed the greatest friendship ever, one disabled, and the other with a heart of gold. A True story all should read. The strength, Love, compassion ,and true friendship in this story should make all of us reach out and help others more in our life, not run from disability but welcome it . God Bless both of these people, they made each others life happy through out all the good and tough times. A Must Read. Go out today and read this book, it will change your way of living, giving.
Sheila Hayes

[Emma Bootsie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of meeting Jennifer when this book was still taking shape and meeting Marcel by way of my cousin who also has cerebral palsy. This book is first and foremost about the close friendship Jennifer and Marcel build, but it is also a call to treating people with kindness and learning how to advocate for someone who maybe can't for themselves. Slow Motion is beautiful written with humorous moments and is a must read.

[Jennifer Braunfels · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was mesmerizing. I read it in two sessions, only because I had to go to sleep to work the next day; otherwise, I would have read it in one sitting. This book is just what this world needs: it is full of love, deep connection, and compassion. I was so moved by Jen's words and so appreciative that we have been given a peek into this magnificent friendship. I did not want this book to end.

[kate lowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Proofread. Forthcoming from Islandport Press in March 2026 ✨✨ absolutely beautiful tale of friendship and disability advocacy.

[Lorrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book. Spotlights the serious lack of rights and supports for folks who need and deserve them most.