Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability, and Making Space

Written by Amanda Leduc

Narrated by Amanda Barker

Fairy tales shape how we see the world, so what happens when you identify more with the Beast than Beauty? If every disabled character is mocked and mistreated, how does the Beast ever imagine a happily-ever-after? Amanda Leduc looks at fairy tales from the Brothers Grimm to Disney, showing us how they influence our expectations and behaviour and linking the quest for disability rights to new kinds of stories that celebrate difference.

‘Leduc peels the flesh from the fairy tales we grew up loving and strips them down to their skeletons to skilfully reveal how they influence the way we think about disability. She contrasts the stories we have with the ones we wish we had, incorporating her own life. Her wisdom lands like a punch in the heart, leaving a sizable dent that reshapes how we see tales we’ve been telling for centuries. She also — and this is the best part — suggests how we might tell new fairy tales, how we can forge new stories.’ — Adam Pottle, author of Voice

‘A unique and dazzling study … a revolutionary approach to understanding why we are drawn to fairy tales and how they shape our lives.’ — Jack Zipes, author of Grimm Legacies

‘Each chapter is a gem, but the kind of gem that turns into a knife, into a mirror, into a portal. Leduc’s real magic? That she transforms her readers as surely as any world.’ — Mira Jacob, author of Good Talk

• Language: English
• Publisher: ECW Press
• Release date: Feb 11, 2020
• ISBN: 9781770566439

Amanda Leduc

Amanda Leduc's essays and stories have appeared in publications across Canada, the US, and the UK. She is the author of the novels The Miracles of Ordinary Men and the forthcoming The Centaur's Wife . She has cerebral palsy and lives in Hamilton, Ontario, where she works as the Communications Coordinator for the Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD), Canada's first festival for diverse authors and stories. 

Reviews for Disfigured

[sashastorylover · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent nonfiction! Perfect as an introduction book to disability issues in their complex systematic manner in the society through the lens of fairy tales and more.

[Emma Kester · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was incredibly enlightening. I learned so much new terminology that I can now incorporate

[Jessica Salmon · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very eye opening and definitely interesting to listen to. Seeing the world through Amanda's eyes and the fairytales I think we all take for granted.

[Yessica Leal · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Me dió una nueva visión sobre los clásicos libros e historias de cuentos de hadas desde una perspectiva diferente. Lo recomiendo bastante, aunque puede llegar a ser un poco pesado por el hecho de que es mucha información en forma de ensayo

[sharon herriot · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this enchanting and thought provoking book.
Cantering her discussions and thoughts on disability around her own experiences made it a very powerful narrative.
As a staunch anti-royal I found her piece on royal princesses a bit nauseating (these people aren’t role-models they are parasites), but that’s my only criticism.
The book wanders through (largely Euro-centric) traditional tales and weaves in thinking about representation, stereotyping and cultural preferences to all things disability.
Well worth a read.

[Andra Sovar · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was an eye opening book. I found unknown ways in which I was ableist through all the examples the author gave...the biggest of all..being speech. I'm grateful that this books exist and hope many people read it