LOW FLAT RATE AUST-WIDE $9.90 DELIVERY INFO

Close Notification

Your cart does not contain any items

I Don't Do Disability and Other Lies I've Told Myself

Adelle Purdham

$39.99

Paperback

Forthcoming
Pre-Order now

QTY:

English
Dundurn Press
01 April 2025
'A tender, beautifully written essay collection that is about so much more than parenting a child with a disability.'

Erin Pepler, author of Send Me Into The Woods Alone

A raw and intimate portrait of family, love, life, relationships, and disability parenting through the eyes of a mother to a daughter with Down syndrome.

With the arrival of her daughter with Down syndrome, Adelle Purdham began unpacking a lifetime of her own ableism.

In a society where people with disabilities remain largely invisible, what does it mean to parent such a child? And simultaneously, what does it mean as a mother, a writer, and a woman to truly be seen?

The candid essays in I Don't Do Disability and Other Lies I've Told Myself glimmer with humanity and passion, and explore ideas of motherhood, disability, and worth. Purdham delves into grief, rage, injustice, privilege, female friendship, marriage, and desire in a voice that is loudly empathetic, unapologetic, and true. While examining the dichotomies inside of herself, she leads us to consider the flaws in society, showing us the beauty, resilience, chaos, and wild within us all.
By:  
Imprint:   Dundurn Press
Country of Publication:   Canada
Dimensions:   Height: 216mm,  Width: 140mm,  Spine: 25mm
Weight:   297g
ISBN:   9781459754539
ISBN 10:   1459754530
Pages:   240
Publication Date:  
Audience:   General/trade ,  ELT Advanced
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming

Adelle Purdham is a writer, educator, and parent disability advocate. She holds an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from the University of King's College and teaches creative writing at Trent University. Adelle lives with her family in her hometown of Nogojiwanong (Peterborough), Ontario.

Reviews for I Don't Do Disability and Other Lies I've Told Myself

A beautifully intimate blend of personal narrative, cultural critique, and sharp-eyed social commentary on disability and motherhood, this stirring debut is lyrical, heartfelt, and uncomfortably honest. Adelle Purdham, with uncanny precision, cuts our heart strings and dissects our minds with her archeological approach to excavating life's difficult truths. I Don't Do Disability and Other Lies I've Told Myself is a riveting collection of essays that will deeply resonate with readers. * Lindsay Wong, author of The Woo-Woo * At its heart, I Don't Do Disability And Other Lies I've Told Myself is a story about creativity and love, the essential ingredients necessary to harness the wildness and the wonder of our world, and, in Purdham's case, to face down inherent ableism, both in herself and others. Purdham shows us that disability is life, and she illustrates this with fierce veracity and through intensely readable prose, writing with a wisdom and clarity that comes from great self-reflection and research, but also via the simple act of living. * Emily Urquhart, author of Ordinary Wonder Tales * Beautiful and moving. * Ayelet Tsabari, author of The Art of Leaving * The essays cover topics from raising a child with Down syndrome, to homelessness and our responsibility to each other, to the role of fantasy in relationships, and more. * Cooper Lee Bombardier, author of Pass with Care * Purdham's fearless honesty and vulnerability fills these pages with magic. This is a stunning debut. * Christina Myers, author of The List of Last Chances *


See Also