[Book Quote] Stories Hold Power - Read Diversely!

“Storytelling itself is an activity, not an object. Stories are the closest we can come to shared experience….Like all stories, they are most fundamentally a chance to ride around inside another head and be reminded that being who we are and where we are, and doing what we’re doing, is not the only possibility."

—Harriet McBryde Johnson, from "Too Late to Die Young: Nearly True Tales from a Life (2006)” in Alice Wong's Disability Visibility : First-Person Stories from the Twenty-first Century

The reason why we love reading books, watching tv shows/movies, talking about what's happening in our lives is because stories and storytelling is core to the human experience. Stories do more than entertain, they help us share who we are and what we care about, allow us to process experiences and emotions, and build our capacity for empathy, understanding, and acceptance.

So, when we push for more diverse reading and representation it's because while people THINK they know that their lives aren't the only possibility, we need exposure to TRULY know that our way of existing is not the only possibility. And that exposure must be AUTHENTIC or it causes even more confusion and harm. This is a friendly reminder that Book Rep Matters, so keep reading diversely! 💪🏾

😲 What's a story that's recently shocked you about how little you actually knew? 

I recently read Yolk by Mary H. K. Choi and it completely added to my perspectives on disordered eating/eating disorders. I thought I knew enough based on textbook diagnosis, but it's a powerful experience immersing myself into Jayne's struggles with food through her POV.

➡️ Want your own copy of Disability Visibility (original or YA adaptation)? Visit www.bookshop.org/shop/tumasbooks to order today.