With Wings: An Anthology of Literature by and about Women with Disabilities

by Marsha Saxton (Editor), Florence Howe (Editor), Marsha Saxon

Fiction, poetry, and personal accounts explore the strengths and talents of disabled women and girls

Genres: Disability, Nonfiction

167 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1987

Reviews

[Isabella · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating anthology of stories written by a diverse group of disabled women about their lives and struggles. I felt like each author was very open about their lives, feelings, and struggles, which made this book extremely powerful. Also while this book mostly focuses on disabilities it also mentions topics like identity, independence, sexuality, insecurities, privacy, discrimination, self-growth, and, denial. There were also more topics touched upon in this book, but the ones mentioned were the ones that stood out the most to me.

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

With Wings provoked mixed emotions from me. On one hand, the poetic selection was fascinatingly honest, bitter-sweet, vivid, and intense. I loved reading certain poems so much that I copied them down for later reference. On the other hand, however, the stories became a bit repetitive and similar at a certain point. I started skipping selections and just reading the poetry towards the end of the book.

My main criticism of this anthology is that most of the disabilities represented here were physical, such as MS or severe arthritis. Mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, or even insomnia are just as important. Furthermore, a more diverse selection would have helped make each story unique and powerful in its own way.

That being said, I adored reading With Wings, despite the fact that it was published over thirty years ago (certain literature is timeless). I would recommend it for anyone who believes that it is impossible to truly relate to people with disabilities they will never have.

[behsforensics]

Cutting is for I’m Listening as Hard as I Can
By Terry Galloway