The Company of Others: Stories of Belonging

by Sandra Shields, John Ralston Saul (Foreword), David Campion (Photographer)

In the next decade, six million North American families will be caring for someone with a disability. But other disabled people are not so lucky, left to live in isolation and without support in an era of federal and state cutbacks. This extraordinary book is about the transforming power of family and community on “vulnerable” individuals—the mentally challenged, the mentally ill, the elderly—and how these efforts enrich us as a society. The book tells the stories, interwoven with photographs, of five such people, who are surrounded by social “circles—friends and family whose respect, encouragement, and unconditional love give them a sense of purpose and belonging. Featuring beautiful duotone photographs, the stories told here are profoundly inspiring, giving hope to anyone who, because of age, health, or disability, has been excluded from having a full and meaningful life. Co-produced with PLAN (Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network).

184 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2006

Reviews

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book I've had for ages that I just never got around to. I'm so glad I did, though. Basically, this is a compilation of the stories of five different disabled people in Canada and how being involved in groups has helped their lives. It's very short, with small snapshots of daily life interspersed with background information about the five people upon whom the book focuses, as well as some information about their families and support groups.

At first I was worried that this simply would be an attempt to raise money for the organization that funded the book and assisted some of the people featured (PLAN), but the further I read the more I realized that not all of the five people were being helped by this particular organization and, even if they were, so what? Clearly lives of the disabled are enhanced when they're "allowed" to live "normally" and interact with non-disabled people, and this is the case for people beyond those mentioned in this book.

Also, the best part, for me, was reading about how for the people who are supposed to be "helping" the featured disabled ones mentioned that really the reverse was the case: interacting with the disabled made the "other" peoples' lives better, too. I couldn't help but get just a little emotional while reading this; I feel encouraged when I read about people who selflessly help others simply for the sake of doing do.