Nonfiction New Releases!

Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha follows up their incredible book Care Work with The Future Is Disabled. Piepzna-Samarasinha writes about the last two years of surviving COVID-19 as a disabled femme of color in an ableist world that isn’t interested in protecting disabled folks. They also discuss mutual aid and disabled joy in the face of isolation and discrimination.

The pandemic has been incredibly difficult for disabled people who have been asked to “take one for the team” by wider society. Piepzna-Samarasinha writes encouragement to disabled folks, relishing in our community’s creativity in our fight for survival. They also mourn those lost in the pandemic and the care crisis so many of us still face.

Amy Kenny writes a call to the broader Christian community, asking the church to change its mistreatment of disabled people in their midst. She emphasizes that disabled people, and our bodies, are still image bearers of God. But far too often, people ask disabled people what we have done wrong to “deserve” the curse of our body. Or they say we would be healed if we “just prayed enough.” Obviously, these church members are way out of line, and Kenny calls them out on their ridiculous notions.

Heading into this book, I worried that Kenny would hold back, but she did not. Instead, she demands that the church change their behavior and stop harming disabled people with their ableist perspectives. She writes clearly and directly, giving a number of examples, including many from her own life. She also gives readers an introduction to some disability 101 concepts, and recommends further reading. Overall, this is an excellent tool for disabled people to advocate for ourselves and share with others.