Autism) incredibly well and I thought Limburg’s treatment of the more sensitive subjects was extremely compassionate. I wasn't expecting the book to be in that format, thought it would be like a sort of memoir type that reads like a story. Limburg explores autism, parenting, feminism, disability rights and society’s relationship with difference through four letters to her “weird sisters” from history. SGJ [my masked persona] is the personification of my internalized ableism, and as such she perpetuates harm not only to me, but also to my fellow autistic people who cannot or do not pass as neurotypical, and who do not or cannot let it go when autistic people as a class are harmed or erased or insulted. The way Limburg then turns these moments into a chance for connection with the woman her letter is addressed to, and into something poignant about the changes needed in society to support people going through similar issues around childbirth, is genuinely powerful on several occasions.

I was immediately drawn in by the description of how it feels to be a person that triggers the 'uncanny valley' phenomenon in others - I have thought about, read and watched videos on this many times, focusing on why and how it happens - but never once have I come across something that chooses to focus on what it actually feels like to be the person on the receiving end of being registered that way and what it does to you as a person.This book is a must read for all women who have or suspect they have autism, parents of girls with autism, partners, friends or relatives of girls and women with autism. Acceptance isn't about being celebrated: it's about being unremarked and unremarkable, the opposite of uncanny.

I have not read much on autism and I felt like this was a good starting point for me as it was easy to digest but was still powerful and sometimes harrowing. the juxtaposition of historical, anecdotal, and sociological perspectives significantly enriched limburg’s examination of the intersection of ableism and misogyny. CW // the holocaust, eugenics, state-sanctioned murder of disabled people, suicide, bullying, miscarriage, pregnancy (Please feel free to DM me for more specifics! My personal favourites were the letter to Virginia Woolf, Adelheid Bloch, and Katharina Kepler - although every letter is exceptional. As a whole the discussion on motherhood was wonderful, however some discomfort arose when Autism mums became centralised.Grove Press An imprint of Grove Atlantic, an American independent publisher, who publish in the UK through Atlantic Books.

Facebook sets this cookie to show relevant advertisements to users by tracking user behaviour across the web, on sites that have Facebook pixel or Facebook social plugin. Yes, we do have to say so every time, because every time we see another woman's body objectified, it is by implication an attack on our personhood, and when we are attacked in this way, we have every right to re-assert that personhood by refusing that objectification. Hotjar sets this cookie to know whether a user is included in the data sampling defined by the site's pageview limit.The book wouldn't have been something I'd pick up if I'd have known that it would have a text bookish feel to it, but I'm glad I did kind of pick it up. I had a duty to bear witness… to remember, to make sure that your memories and names would never be erased as your living bodies and minds had been. It was a relief to follow Limberg as she patiently and delicately unfolded and put on display so many elements of autistic personhood and experience. In her letters, the author reveals insights into her own experiences that at times made for difficult reading (often very relatable), but with an ultimately empowering message. The ways in which the perils of the medical systems impact autistic women also often align with those of other marginalized identities.

This book was so well-conceived and so well-written, and just overall super genuine and thoughtful—I was kind of surprised to find that I actually have no notes for this one. I love the premise of this book, I love the letters from Limburg that make these historical women current and therefore bringing their differences and ‘weird’-ness into the modern day where perhaps they would have been better understood. How as women we are held to certain expectations of how we act and behave and are constantly reminded and policed on that. The letter to Virginia Woolf explores internalized ableism and the depiction of outcast femme characters in literature with examples pulled from Woolf’s biographical writings and Mrs.For the longest time, I have felt disappointed at the lack of writing that directly addresses autism and feminism in an in depth way, despite it so desperately being needed but this book filled that void for me and did an incredible job at it. I am not autistic and harbour no suspicions that I may be, but I do not sit entirely comfortably within society’s notions of womanhood.