Harriet McBryde Johnson (1957–2008)

Harriet McBryde Johnson may have looked at her life as being "too late to die young;" however, she died younger than she should have and her unique, powerful voice was lost to us. I tend to be skeptical about freshman novels, skeptical about the first person, skeptical about authorial self-inserts and skeptical about manifestos parading as novels. Accidents of Nature falls into all of the above categories; however, it is transcendent.

First and foremost, for a lawyer with no formal training show more on creative writing, Johnson has an unbelievable knack with characterization. Her characters are understated, but unique; flawed but sympathetic. Even characters that disagree with her point of view are granted strengths. The message in Accidents of Nature is very similar to that of "Too Late to Die Young;" however, in novel format, it is somehow easier to understand -- that Johnson is suggesting an approach that is taken to all people with disabilities, not just razor sharp Southern ADA lawyers who happen to be disabled. And while groups such as Disability is Natural are beginning to champion similar movements, Johnson is one of the first and one of the loudest to take her approach to the disability movement. Accidents of Nature is guaranteed to challenge how all of us think disability and Johnson makes it clear, by inserting a caricature of herself, that even she is not above reproach.

I read this in a sitting, but it will stay with me for a long, long time. show less

This sat on my shelf for over three years! I am sorry that I did not pick it up to read sooner, so it could have found more readers.

The title is great. I wish I'd thought of it. It is also perfect for this particular group of stories.

Johnson subtitles the book "nearly true tales from a life". The tales are about her life, from early childhood into middle age, as a person with a neuro-muscular disease. She did not want to know specifically which disease, and it didn't matter anyway. The show more stories begin with her realization that she would some day die. And that whatever disability she had would likely figure into that death. She came to grips with the realization early and got on with it. Saying to herself such things as "As long as I'm going to die I might as well be in Kindergarten"...on up to "...I might as well have a law degree" and "I might as well be a lawyer". She spent no time on self-pity.

The stories are arranged chronologically so the book really reads as a memoir. The underlying theme is that people with disabilities are no less likely to be happy or to live full lives than are able-bodied persons. It seems like a no-brainer but to much of the world it is not. Taking the message further, Johnson fought for accommodation for persons with disabilities so that it would not be so unnecessarily difficult for them to get all they can from life.

The tales are told with a brand of humor that is easy to like, that seems to come naturally to her. The book is thus easy and fun to read, yet it packs a powerful punch. show less

In the audio version reader Jenna Lamia brings the story to full, well-rounded life. At this disability summer camp, the kids are not to be pitied or praised for their courage, but accepted as who they are, foibles and all. Very sharp story; characters are funny and human.

Jean has cerebral palsy and attends a regular high school in North Carolina. In the summer of 1970 she attends a camp for kids with various disabilities. It's her first experience being around so many others who are also show more handicapped. She meets Sara who has muscular dystrophy and is in her eighth summer at Camp Courage. Sara is an intelligent, opinionated activist when it comes to demanding respect for people with disabilities. She agitates in the camp against the patronizing, everyone-is-a-winner attitude of the camp staff. Jean, who has more experience in the "norm" world than Sara, doesn't always agree with her ideas but they do change her perspective on the world as a "crip." Author is also disabled. show less

Reviewed by Mechele R. Dillard for TeensReadToo.com

Jean feels fantastic about her place in the world. Why shouldn’t she? She’s seventeen, an honor student at Crosstown High School, her friends are great, and her family supports all of her dreams. But this summer, Jean spreads her wings, away from the cocoon of her parents, friends, and her small town, and spends time at Camp Courage--“Crip Camp,” as the campers sarcastically refer to it--a camp for children with physical and mental show more disabilities, and she finds her confidence is shaken. For the first time, Jean must admit that, because of her cerebral palsy, she is different from the other kids at her high school.

Set in 1970 with an epilogue to bring the reader into the year 2000, ACCIDENTS OF NATURE is an excellent overview of how kids with a range of challenges--cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, amputations, autism, asthma, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy--feel condescended to by the world. For example, to make sure no one feels bad at the camp carnival, everyone
wins a prize at the games. Jean and her friend Sara refuse to play, on the basis that there is no challenge in playing a game if one is certain to win. The games then become a metaphor for Crip life, as Jean muses:

"When the games are rigged, does it make everyone a winner--or no one? … I believe in competition. The program seems to be that handicapped people aren’t up to it; we can only pretend to be winners. I don’t want to pretend. I want to achieve, really achieve. Or I will take my disappointments just like anyone else."

Johnson captures the pain, anger, and fear of being shunned by the “normal” world in the character of Sara, and explores the naiveté of thinking that no one notices one’s differences in the character of Jean. Weaving the two together through the bond of friendship, Johnson creates a captivating, educational storyline.

The overwhelming negative of this book--and the reason I am awarding four stars instead of five--is the epilogue. Without giving away the ending, I’ll say that I’m not sure what the author was thinking when she wrote this epilogue; I can think of no other way to describe it but as frustrating, aggravating, and absolutely annoying. Ms. Johnson, what were you thinking?

Still, ACCIDENTS OF NATURE is an excellent book, overall, and well worth a reader’s time; I recommend it with a strong four stars. show less