Illuminating portraits of disability activism with much to teach nondisabled readers.
A disabled journalist charts the progress his community has made since the passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act in 1990, but he is clear that “we are not resting on our laurels.”
Born with spinal muscular atrophy, Mattlin offers unique insights into disabled people's fights for civil rights, the many faces of ableism, and the emergence of a spirit of disability pride. “The idea of disability has shifted from a medical signifier to an emblem of cultural identity,” writes the author, and he shows the links between the fight against disability oppression and the civil rights movement. He describes a move from "internalized ableism" and disability shame to the sense that, as one activist noted, "being disabled can be a positive experience." Mattlin illustrates the "trend of high-profile disability inclusion" with examples from the worlds of fashion, Hollywood, Broadway, and government, and he explains all five main "titles" of the ADA and follows the path of its many amendments and implications. Most significantly, the author expands the parameters of disability to include those with hidden disabilities, chronic illnesses, cognitive and intellectual disabilities, and autism spectrum disorders. He makes convincing arguments that “poverty is linked to high incidences of every disability type” and that White privilege is a continuing problem in mainstream disability circles. The author laments the flawed representations of disabilities in Greek myth, Shakespearean drama, and contemporary film and TV. "The only disability figures in the media were Captain Hook or villains in James Bond,” said a disabled male model whose "ruggedly" handsome face and "rippling" muscles prove that "disability doesn't have to be ugly,” as actor Jillian Mercado notes on her agency’s website. Mattlin cites relevant public personalities such as Ali Stroker, the first actor in a wheelchair to win a Tony Award. The author also describes "adaptive apparel" that meets the needs and tastes of disabled people and introduces some stand-up comedians living with disability, using humor as a tool of awareness.
Illuminating portraits of disability activism with much to teach nondisabled readers.Pub Date: Nov. 15, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-8070-3645-7
Page Count: 264
Publisher: Beacon Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A short, smart analysis of perhaps the most famous passage in American history reveals its potency and unfulfilled promise.
Words that made a nation.
Isaacson is known for expansive biographies of great thinkers (and Elon Musk), but here he pens a succinct, stimulating commentary on the Founding Fathers’ ode to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” His close reading of the Declaration of Independence’s second sentence, published to mark the 250th anniversary of the document’s adoption, doesn’t downplay its “moral contradiction.” Thomas Jefferson enslaved hundreds of people yet called slavery “a cruel war against human nature” in his first draft of the Declaration. All but 15 of the document’s 56 signers owned enslaved people. While the sentence in question asserted “all men are created equal” and possess “unalienable rights,” the Founders “consciously and intentionally” excluded women, Native Americans, and enslaved people. And yet the sentence is powerful, Isaacson writes, because it names a young nation’s “aspirations.” He mounts a solid defense of what ought to be shared goals, among them economic fairness, “moral compassion,” and a willingness to compromise. “Democracy depends on this,” he writes. Isaacson is excellent when explaining how Enlightenment intellectuals abroad influenced the founders. Benjamin Franklin, one of the Declaration’s “five-person drafting committee,” stayed in David Hume’s home for a month in the early 1770s, “discussing ideas of natural rights” with the Scottish philosopher. Also strong is Isaacson’s discussion of the “edits and tweaks” made to Jefferson’s draft. As recommended by Franklin and others, the changes were substantial, leaving Jefferson “distraught.” Franklin, who emerges as the book’s hero, helped establish municipal services, founded a library, and encouraged religious diversity—the kind of civic-mindedness that we could use more of today, Isaacson reminds us.
A short, smart analysis of perhaps the most famous passage in American history reveals its potency and unfulfilled promise.Pub Date: Nov. 18, 2025
ISBN: 9781982181314
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 29, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
A familiar format, but a timely reminder that cities are made up of individuals, each with their own stories.
Portraits in a post-pandemic world.
After the Covid-19 lockdowns left New York City’s streets empty, many claimed that the city was “gone forever.” It was those words that inspired Stanton, whose previous collections include Humans of New York (2013), Humans of New York: Stories (2015), and Humans (2020), to return to the well once more for a new love letter to the city’s humanity and diversity. Beautifully laid out in hardcover with crisp, bright images, each portrait of a New Yorker is accompanied by sparse but potent quotes from Stanton’s interviews with his subjects. Early in the book, the author sequences three portraits—a couple laughing, then looking serious, then the woman with tears in her eyes—as they recount the arc of their relationship, transforming each emotional beat of their story into an affecting visual narrative. In another, an unhoused man sits on the street, his husky eating out of his hand. The caption: “I’m a late bloomer.” Though the pandemic isn’t mentioned often, Stanton focuses much of the book on optimistic stories of the post-pandemic era. Among the most notable profiles is Myles Smutney, founder of the Free Store Project, whose story of reclaiming boarded‑up buildings during the lockdowns speaks to the city’s resilience. In reusing the same formula from his previous books, the author confirms his thesis: New York isn’t going anywhere. As he writes in his lyrical prologue, “Just as one might dive among coral reefs to marvel at nature, one can come to New York City to marvel at humanity.” The book’s optimism paints New York as a city where diverse lives converge in moments of beauty, joy, and collective hope.
A familiar format, but a timely reminder that cities are made up of individuals, each with their own stories.Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781250277589
Page Count: 480
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: Aug. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
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