Not a Poster Child, by Francine Falk-Allen

Francine Falk-Allen is, thankfully, one of a small and shrinking group--survivors of polio.  Polio has all but been eradicated, but Falk-Allen and others do continue to live with the effects of the once-common disease.  As a child in the 1950s, Falk-Allen contracted polio and ended up with a partially paralyzed leg.  Throughout her life she has used crutches, limped, used a cane, worn a variety of orthotics or braces, or some combination of all of the above.  She writes about her life in Not a Poster Child: Living Well with a Disability--A Memoir.

The subtitle tells the story in a nutshell.  Despite her disability and the other setbacks she had--of which there are many--Falk-Allen persisted in life, finding varying measures of happiness, satisfaction, and success.  She writes that in college, and really in many stages of her life, she "was trying so hard to be like everyone else that my self-image did not involve identifying with the group called 'disabled.'"  I suppose this is common among people with disabilities like hers.  One friend told her, "You're not disabled, you just have a limp."

But while her disability might seem of little consequence to the casual observers, she details the many ways in which it affects her.  Fatigue.  The inconvenience of not being able to walk long distances.  Having to buy two pairs of shoes every time. (Her feet are 4 sizes apart in size.)  The back and hip problems that result from her leg paralysis.  The self-image issues.  Wondering if anyone would love her romantically.

I enjoyed her honesty and transparency about her struggles.  I did, at times, wish she'd had an editor with a big red pen.  She included way too much information about her "becoming a woman," her troubled family, her free love and drug use stages, her Sufism, and more.  Granted, this all tells the story of who she is, but really it wore me out.  Snow skiing with a disability: good stuff.  Advocacy for disabled people whose disabilities may not be immediately evident: important.  Some of the other stuff, I could do without.

Falk-Allen's memoir is a word of encouragement especially for women with physical disabilities who wonder if they can have a fulfilling life.  Her story answers a resounding yes, while not sugar coating the difficulties she has faced.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!