“A Disability Justice framework understands that all bodies are unique and essential, that all bodies have strengths and needs that must be met.”
Summary - A collection of essays about disability justice, a movement that centers the experiences of sick, disabled, queer, and trans people of color. The book is a “toolkit” for building resilient and sustainable communities by promoting concepts like “care webs,” where communities collectively provide support and resources to one another, and “collective access,” where access is seen as a shared responsibility rather than a chore. It addresses difficult topics like suicide, trauma, and emotional labor while ultimately offering a hopeful vision for a future where no one is left behind.
While I don’t think this should be your first book about disability justice (I’d recommend Disability Disability if you haven’t read any yet), it shouldn’t be looked over. It opened my eyes even further and honestly reframed my perspective about what disability justice is and what it should look like. Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha is completely honest and calls it like she sees it, even if that means we will get uncomfortable, it is important that we hear her words and act accordingly.
Thank you to the #read group for reading this with me this month, I’m very much looking forward to hearing their thoughts.
If you don’t read nonfiction, I’d love to hear why. If you do, I highly recommend you add this book to your list.
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Toni Rocchetti is a copy editor helping authors strengthen their narratives, deepen character arcs, and find the story that is already in the draft. She reads 80+ books a year across literary fiction, memoir, and nonfiction — and writes about what she is learning along the way. Work with Toni →
