I Am Not a Label: 34 disabled artists, thinkers, athletes and activists from past and present

Beautifully well done, this book should grace the book shelf of every home. Inspiring stories from all walks of life showing people who did not allow themselves to be defined by a label. While this book is an important tool to help people understand and celebrate all people, it is one that should first be previewed by parents and teachers before presenting to youngsters. I will not put an age suggestion on the book because all children understand things differently and at different stages, but parents should read through this book so they can better decide if their child is socially, emotionally and mentally ready grasp some of the ideas and concepts presented in this text and parents should definitely be prepared to answer questions. This book presents some topics young children may not be familiar with yet, such as eating disorders or depression. There is a handy glossary in the back which is helpful in defining unfamiliar terms like cisgender and osteomalacia. All in all, a great book, use it to spark dialog with your children or students and to help expand their understanding of the wonderfully diverse people that make up our world.

As a mom-- this was the book I have been waiting for! My son is 21, but we have been reading this together, celebrating the abilities of disabled people who have done amazing things! Each page turn introduces us to someone-- with the facing page being filled with bold beautiful artwork of the person. This is going on my shelf-- and I'm recommending it to all the moms of people with disabilities.

What got my attention right away about this book was seeing Frida Khalo’s drawing on the cover of the book. I love her paintings so much and I wanted to see what this book had to say about her... The stories in this book are so short that they leave you wanting to know more about each one of the people it is describing. I feel like this book is an introduction and/or an invitation to learn and read more about these extraordinary people around the world. In my opinion this is a great book to read to your kids or school students. The book itself is very beautiful due to all its vibrant colors, and the hardcover gives it a very nice touch. If there is something that I could change about this book it would be adding at least one more page of information to each one of the people it is describing.

Wow, what a fantastic book! The illustrations are vibrant and stunning and introduce inspiring people who have accomplished a lot and happen to have a disability. Included are people in a huge variety of professions, from more famous athletes, musicians, great minds, to activists and even a breakdancer. 'I Am Not A Label' does a wonderful job introducing young readers to a huge scope of careers and innumerable ways people can be successful while also introducing many disabilities both visible and invisible.

Thank you NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Wide Eyed Editions for providing this ARC.

I am a HS teacher that services SPED students, this book is interesting, engaging, and encouraging.

This book is amazing! I keep it on my therapy shelf as I work with children and teens who have disabilities and I am so grateful to have such a wonderful resource available to my clients and families. It is incredibly inspiring and motivating. For some kids, they are very interested to learn about every story, others look for the ones that fit them or are similar.

I absolutely adore this book. I have a son with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and I want to normalize "disability" for him and all his siblings and this beautiful book has helped us in that endeavor.

The quality of the book is really incredible. The front cover is embossed and so colorful. The illustrations throughout the book are so beautiful and interesting, filling a full page as it highlights each person. The writing is really well done, and simplified for a younger reader (I'd say age 8+). The author, who is also disabled, does a nice job quickly describing these iconic figures (from past to present) limitations and then spends more time writing about all their achievements and talents, and how they didn't let their limitations hold them back, and how they paved the way for others by making their minds work for them.

As the parent, sharing this with my children, I learned a lot about people who had limitations that I wasn't even aware of, like Lady Gaga who has struggled with mental health. We can't always see how people struggle, right? This book is a great conversation starter to talk about hard topics.

It is inspiring and

This is a great book! It has a great selection of notable people--diverse in profession, diverse in disability, diverse in race, gender, and ethnicity. There are artists, athletes, dancers, lawyers, scientists, musicians, advocates, actors, etc. They are black, white, Asian, Latino. They are modern day and historical figures. Some were born with their disabilities, some became disabled later in life. Some are very famous--Beethoven, Helen Keller, Stevie Wonder. Some are not common names--Catalina Devandas, Terry Fox, Eliza Suggs. I got this for my son, but I learned a lot from it myself. I really like that they included a section on mental health, because we often don't think of that as a disability. Seeing Abraham Lincoln included for depression was very instructive, especially due to his historical significance.

Also, the illustrations are bright and colorful. There is a two page spread on each figure with one page of text (rather small font) and one page with a portrait of the figure. It's a great book.

My son used this for his 5th grade book report.

Its a great source of unexpected material to expand a young mind.

Recommended.

I Am Not a Label: 34 Disabled Artists, Thinkers, Athletes and Activists From Past and Present by Cerrie Burnell is a beautifully illustrated (Lauren Baldo, artist) anthology that introduces young readers to disabled role models.

Growing up, Cerrie felt the lack of books with disabled protagonists; she was born with one hand. "Representation matters," she writes in the Introduction. She decided to share the stories of her favorite role models.

Readers will learn about famous people, like Beethoven (deafness) or Helen Keller and Stevie Wonder (Blindness).

And those with mental disabilities, like John Nash (subject of the book and movie A Beautiful Mind) and President Abraham Lincoln (depression).

Illness also creates disability, like Henri Matisse's cancer that caused him to fins a new way of doing art, resulting in some of his most beloved works.

There are people representing those with Down's syndrome, spina bifida, polio victims, those who self-harm, chronic pain, autism, brittle bone disease, transgender, epilepsy, and more.

I was moved by these stories. Burnell's book is for everyone and every age. The wonder of what the human spirit can accomplish is marvelous.

Every library needs this book, for those who feel alienated by their disability, and for those who need to understand that disabled people are not so different, and in fact, may be remarkable.

I received a free book through Amazon Vine in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.