I have long been fascinated with the Dictionary as form, both in poetry and creative non-fiction, so when I read Carroll’s book about disability and the ways language is used to invalidate or dismiss the experience of chronically ill and disabled people, I find myself nodding again and again. In a world of literature that too often is self-centered and isolated, Carroll demands we pay attention to the language we use and how it has been weaponized to hurt the disabled. This book investigates the language of stigma itself and aims to dismantle this oppression. This book belongs on the shelf of any reader concerned with social justice and the ways disabilities are treated in the U.S.
-Joshua Gage This collection from Audrey T. Carroll blossoms with brilliance and honesty. It not only educates the reader with its fun, quirky style, it allows us all to grow with humility and grace. Truly a work of art.
Christine Brooks, author of Tambo Man Audrey T. Carroll’s Parts of Speech reminds me of how powerful creative non-fiction can be. Carroll offsets the formality of dictionary definitions with the personal in a way that effectively puts you in the shoes of a disabled person. In Parts of Speech, there is fury, there is humor, there is pain, and there is an invitation to an empathy we all need.
-Harry McNabb, author of Poetry Podcast Murder |