Here is a story that illustrates why it was important for me to make an effort to read down my physical TBR this year. I purchased a signed copy of of Being Seen by Elsa Sjunneson back in April 2022 as part of that year’s Seattle Independent Bookstore Day challenge. When I sat down to read it this month, out fell a bookmark and sticker from the author that I never even knew were in there! Who knows what else is tucked into the various physical books I haven’t read yet.
Being Seen is subtitled “One Deafblind Woman’s Fight to End Ableism.” It’s one part memoir and one part analysis of how disabled people, especially D/deaf, blind, and Deafblind people (and more especially, women with any of those disabilities) are portrayed in media, and how that portrayal can impact a disabled person’s sense of self.
The thing about this book is that it’s really good. I know, I know, that’s not exactly well-thought-out literary criticism but in my defense: 1) it’s 9:45pm on a Monday, I’ve finished four books since Sunday morning, I had a lot of meetings today, I am tired and 2) it really is a good book.
Sjunneson manages to walk a fine line of sharing some really hard facts about how we treat and depict disabled people in this country, and peppering her text with humorous footnote asides and the sort of dry wit you’d expect from someone who’s social media handle is snarkbat. It’s also really well-paced. The chapters fly by quickly and you can easily decide you have time to read just one more before dinner, which is how I read this book in less than a week, when most non-fiction takes me closer to 2-3 weeks.
I particularly enjoyed this book because Sjunneson is here in the Seattle area, so she references places and local figures and events I’m familiar with. This makes up for the fact that I’m actually not familiar with a lot of the TV shows she mentions, because I’ve always been a very sporadic TV viewer and there’s now so many networks, it’s really easy for me to have literally never ever heard of a show that has like 10 seasons.
With the shows and movies I was familiar with, her critiques feel spot-on. Some issues that she pointed out, I was already aware of. Others made me think of the media in a different light.
Being Seen is a good read, but it’s not always an easy read. There are some pretty uncomfortable facts in here, from the history of eugenics and how it’s been wielded against disabled people, to statistics about and Sjunneson’s own experiences with sexual assault and abusive relationships. With every subject that she examines, the author brings a combination of her personal experience, statistics or scientific studies, and examples of fictional characters (or depictions of real people, most frequently Helen Keller). I feel like by showing us multiple angles, she both shows the real human impact of what a disabled person encounters out there in the world (real or fictionalized), and how widespread these issues are.
This is an especially poignant book because it was written in 2020, and includes discussion of the CHOP protests in Seattle, vaccine advocacy, and the various challenges Sjunneson faced during the pandemic. COVID-19 has been and continues to be a really stunning example of our ableism, and the author does not shy away from that. Nor does she shy away from discussing how dangerous police interactions can be for disabled people, whether it’s reporting a crime or participating in a protest.
I think this is a great book to read if you want to further your understanding of ableism and how to fight it. For writers, in whatever medium, it will help you think about how you portray disabled characters or write about real disabled people, or remind you to be on the lookout for ableist language. For readers, it can be a good prompt to look for books about disabled characters (or historic figures) written by disabled authors, to show publishers that we really do want accurate depictions of disability, and we want to see disabled characters go on adventures or fall in love or navigate complicated family dynamics or literally anything else that nondisabled characters do all the time. As a big reader of sci-fi, fantasy, and romance, I especially paid attention to what Sjunneson had to say about those genres.
Please do consider reading this as part of your own anti-ableism learning.
CWs and TWs: Discussions of ableism, eugenics, forced sterilization, disease, death of parent, various medical situations, sexual assault, intimate partner violence, and police violence.
Source and Format: I purchased a physical hardback copy at Elliott Bay Book Company.
Book Bingo Prompts
Nook & Cranny (Card 1): Chronic Illness, Disability, & Neurodiversity. I’ve known since I picked up this year’s Nook & Cranny cards that this was the book I wanted to read for this prompt, since it had already been on my shelf for over a year at the time and I really enjoy the author’s social media posts. I feel a little ashamed that it took me this long to read it.
Book Bingo Progress
Nook & Cranny (Card 1): 24 out of 25 prompts complete. 10 bingos.
Nook & Cranny (Card 2): 21 out of 25 prompts complete. 5 bingos.
Donation for Palestine: This book counts for my Physical TBR Challenge and has prompted a $50 donation to a family in Palestine. For this book, I chose to donate to Marwa’s family, who has unfortunately already lost one child to this senseless brutality. Visit this post for a full write-up on my challenge and links to all of the families I have donated to so far. I am now at 10 books out of my 12 book goal.