{"product_id":"beautiful-people-my-thirteen-truths-about-disability-hardcover","title":"Beautiful People: My Thirteen Truths about Disability - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eMelissa Blake\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWell-known disability activist and social media influencer Melissa Blake offers a frank, illuminating memoir and a call to action for disabled people and allies.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In the summer of 2019, journalist Melissa Blake penned an op-ed for CNN Opinion. A conservative pundit caught wind of it, mentioning Blake's work in a YouTube video. What happened next is equal parts a searing view into society, how we collectively view and treat disabled people, and the making of an advocate. After a troll said that Blake should be banned from posting pictures of herself, she took to Twitter and defiantly posted three smiling selfies, all taken during a lovely vacation in the Big Apple: \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eI wanted desperately to clap back at these vile trolls in a way that would make a statement, not only about how our society views disabilities, but also about the toxicity of our strict and unrealistic beauty standards. Of course I knew that posting those selfies wasn't going to erase the nasty names I'd been called and, the chances were, they would never even see my tweet, but that didn't matter. I wasn't doing it for them; I was doing it for me and every single disabled person who has been bullied before, online and in real life. When people mock how I look, they're not just insulting me. They're insulting all disabled people. We're constantly told that we're repulsive and ugly and\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003enot good enough to be seen. This was me pushing back against that toxic, ableist narrative.\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eFor the first time, I felt like I was doing something empowering, taking back my power and changing the story.\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Her tweet went viral, attracting worldwide media attention and interviews with the BBC, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, PEOPLE magazine, Good Morning America and E! News. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Now, in her manifesto, \u003ci\u003eBeautiful People, \u003c\/i\u003e Blake shares her truths about disability, writing about (among other things): \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e the language we use to describe disabled people \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e ableism, microaggressions, and their pernicious effects \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e what it's like to live in a society that not only isn't designed for you, but actively operates to render you invisible \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e her struggles with self-image and self-acceptance \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e the absence of disabled people in popular culture \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e why disabled people \u003ci\u003earen't\u003c\/i\u003e tragic heroes \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e Blake also tells the stories of some of the heroes of the disability rights movement in America, in doing so rescuing their incredible achievements from near total obscurity. Highlighting other disabled activists and influencers, Blake's work is the calling card of a powerful voice--one that has sparked new, different, \u003ci\u003ebetter\u003c\/i\u003e conversations about disability.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMELISSA BLAKE \u003c\/b\u003eis an American writer, journalist, disability activist and high-profile social media influencer. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e She was born in 1981 with Freeman-Sheldon syndrome, a genetic bone and muscular disorder, and has had more than 26 surgeries, including surgeries on her knees, hands, hips and spine. She credits much of her independence to her parents, who taught her to use her voice and to advocate for herself. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Growing up, writing was a way for Blake to express herself and explore the world beyond her disability. After graduating from Northern Illinois University with a journalism degree in 2005, she began a career as a freelance writer. She wrote a weekly newspaper column for nearly five years, covering everything from family and musings on life to pop culture. Her writing on disabilities, relationships and pop culture has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN Opinion, Health, Good Housekeeping, Glamour and Cosmopolitan, among others. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Blake lives in DeKalb, Illinois.\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 272\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.26 x 9.06 x 5.91 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e March 05, 2024\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42699852644448,"sku":"9780306830426","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/bijoucc.myshopify.com\/products\/beautiful-people-my-thirteen-truths-about-disability-hardcover","provider":"CARIBBEAN CONNECT","version":"1.0","type":"link"}