IT WASN'T MEANT TO BE PERFECT

A disabled musician tells her story.

Lea, a violinist and vocalist, was born in Duluth, Minnesota, with osteogenesis imperfecta, a rare collagen condition sometimes called brittle bone disease. While the disease led to multiple surgeries, her supportive parents and teachers ensured that she was not only able to be her most authentic, independent self, but that she could pursue her passion for music. At first, she played violin in her school orchestra and studied classical technique. Then, at age 17, she discovered improvisational fiddling, a technique that would become the basis of her future musical career. After a traumatic medical scare, Lea dropped out of Macalaster College and moved home to Duluth, where she began playing open mics with her brother, Greg. Gigging led Lea to opportunities with musicians she loved, including Alan Sparhawk of the band Low. Eventually, she began writing songs. Others took notice: She won National Public Radio’s Tiny Desk competition. Lea composed a score a for a Broadway musical and committed to a life as a full-time, touring musician, with the help of her husband, Paul. On the road, at first, she didn’t realize, in her wheelchair, that “inaccessibility was a systemicproblem, not just a fluke of a few venues.” Along the way, she cofounded the disability rights organization Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities (RAMPD). Lea’s book is optimistic, hopeful, vulnerable, and filled with delight. She writes, “Countless times, my disability has shown me that it is truly possible to build a life that is enriching, creative, joyful, and authentic—no matter what my body or mind is going through.” For Lea, disability is not an obstacle to the life that she lives but essential to its meaning, purpose, and trajectory. It seems at times that her positivity might be glossing over difficult moments, but this is, overall, a stirring book.

A lovely memoir celebrating disability, family, and art.