A CBC BOOKS BEST NONFICTION OF 2020
AN ENTROPY MAGAZINE BEST NONFICTION 2020/21
A NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BOOK OF THE DAY (07/23/2022)
**
Fairy tales shape how we see the world, so what happens when you
identify more with the Beast than Beauty?**
If every disabled character is mocked and mistreated, how does the Beast
ever imagine a happily-ever-after? Amanda Leduc looks at fairy tales
from the Brothers Grimm to Disney, showing us how they influence our
expectations and behaviour and linking the quest for disability rights
to new kinds of stories that celebrate difference.
"Historically we have associated the disabled body image and disabled
life with an unhappy ending" - Sue Carter, Toronto Star
"Leduc persuasively illustrates the power of stories to affect reality
in this painstakingly researched and provocative study that invites us
to consider our favorite folktales from another angle." - Sara
Shreve***, Library Journal***
"She [Leduc] argues that template is how society continues to treat
the disabled: rather than making the world accessible for everyone, the
disabled are often asked to adapt to inaccessible environments." -
Ryan Porter, Quill & Quire
"Read this smart, tenacious book." - The Washington Post
"A brilliant young critic named Amanda Leduc explores this pernicious
power of language in her new book, Disfigured ... Leduc follows the
bread crumbs back into her original experience with fairy tales - and
then explores their residual effects ... Read this smart, tenacious
book." - The Washington Post
"Leduc investigates the intersection between disability and her beloved
fairy tales, questioning the constructs of these stories and where her
place is, as a disabled woman, among those narratives." - The Globe
and Mail
"It gave me goosebumps as I read, to see so many of my unexpressed,
half-formed thoughts in print. My highlighter got a good workout." -
BookRiot
"Disfigured is not just an eye-opener when it comes to the Disney
princess crew and the Marvel universe - this thin volume provides the
tools to change how readers engage with other kinds of popular media,
from horror films to fashion magazines to outdated sitcom jokes." -
Quill & Quire
"It's an essential read for anyone who loves fairy tales." - Buzzfeed
Books
"Leduc makes one thing clear and beautifully so - fairy tales are
fundamentally fantastic, but that doesn't mean that they are beyond
reproach in their depiction of real issues and identities." -
Shrapnel Magazine
"As Leduc takes us through these fairy tales and the space they occupy
in the narratives that we construct, she slowly unfolds a
call-to-action: the claiming of space for disability in storytelling." -
The Globe and Mail
"A provocative beginning to a thoughtful and wide-ranging book, one
which explores some of the most primal stories readers have encountered
and prompts them to ponder the subtext situated there all along." -
LitHub
"a poignant and informative account of how the stories we tell shape our
collective understanding of one another." - BookMarks
"What happens when we allow disabled writers to tell stories of
disability within fairytales and in magical and supernatural settings?
It is a reimagining of the fairytale canon we need. Leduc dares to dream
of a world that most stories envision is unattainable." - Bitch
Media
