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Accidents of Nature

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"Accidents of Nature"
Harriet McBryde Johnson
Henry Hole & Co.
New York

Review by Taylor and Michael Bailey

It is not easy to place "Accidents of Nature" into a neat category.
Is it a novel for young adults? A treatise on disability culture? Or, simply, a well-crafted story of how one woman learns that, by accepting others, she comes to accept herself?

The basic tale is simple. Jean, a 17-year-old woman with Cerebral Palsy, has always attended school with "normal" classmates. Her protective family has done everything possible to ignore Jean's differences and provide her with all the trappings of life without a disability. Jean confronts some very real truths about herself, her disability, and her connection to other people with disabilities when she faces a week of summer camp. The typically named "Camp Courage" caters entirely to people with disabilities and it is they she must deal with during her week away from family, home and her regular circle of "friends."

We read this book with care. Partly because it is a good read and partly because our daughter/sister is 18-years-old and is a person with Down syndrome. Like the character, Jean, from the book, she has always been in
"regular" classrooms and had school friends with no disabilities. What we have learned is that her friendships only go so far. Her "friends," like Jean's,
only pursue her, or tolerate her, within the bounds of school. Although no one is actually mean to her, it is clear to everyone that she is different and that there are limits on how much time and energy her classmates are willing to devote. And, like Jean, she has learned a lot about herself by going to a place called Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp, which, like the fictional "Camp Courage" is for people with disabilities only.

Jean has been exposed to politically correct people and circumstance. So she is quite shocked when she meets Sara. Sara calls the camp "Crip Camp"
and promptly labels Jean as "Spazzo." Jean is quite distressed by these characterizations and her fellow campers whose facial deformities, speech, lack of coordination and odd behavior shock and, at the same time, intrigue her.

Throughout her week at Crip Camp Jean is exposed to "the world according to Sara." Sara ridicules the notion of charity, the pomposity of the camps sponsors and the whole culture of "do-gooders." Sara revels in her disability.
She also manages to get poor Jean into a lot of hot water with her comments and misbehavior.
As the week moves along Jean comes to see more and more that Sara's seemingly mocking and tasteless behavior carries with it a seed of truth that
no one has every expressed before in her presence. It becomes clear to Jean that, like it or not, Sara is telling the truth and that she, Jean, has a mysterious connection with all the other campers that regular school, determined parents and a blind eye cannot erase. Jean finds, at camp, a window on a whole new view of life that makes her happier and sadder, wiser and more curious and, mostly, more at peace with herself and the truth of her place in the universe.

As our family member moves into the world of young adulthood we see her experiencing some of the same things as Jean. To she and her pals with Down syndrome they are the "Downers." They like the "Down syndrome girls supper club" and other disabled-only shenanigans they cook up. She moves about quite skillfully in the world of the temporarily able-bodied but finds her real friends, the people who understand, the people she can be goofy with, among her peers with disabilities.

This book is not anti-inclusion. Quite the opposite. Jean learns that her life in the "real world" will never be real if it is based on a paradigm of rigid segregation from people like herself, or if she is only and always treated as some kind of exhibit that needs to be treated courteously but is never afforded a real place in the human family.

We were struck by what a well-established character Jean is. Her interaction with Sara is the catalyst for self-discovery. Jean, through the roguish character of Sara, is altered profoundly. The new discoveries she makes mature and change her is ways she had never considered.

This story is funny and sad and clear and obscure and, above all, wise. If you have a family member with a disability this book will awaken you to the fact that they are fully endowed human beings. People with their own inside jokes, bitterness and point of view. The book is a joy to read for anyone.
And, who knows, perhaps it will cause you, like Sara, to open your imagination to a complex and complete world, a world based on truth and not perched precariously on the edge of an artificially created world of telethons, charity and good intentions which, inevitably lead to isolation and artificial trappings.

It is a conclusion important to every young person and especially young adults with disabilities longing to find a path in life that is right for them.

Jean always believed that she was just like everyone else: a pretty, popular, high school senior. The fact that she used a wheelchair did not matter to her, or to anyone. That was before she arrived at Camp Courage. It is there that she meets Sara, an assertive, outspoken, disability rights advocate who makes Jean question everything she thought she knew about herself and the world. Jean begins to learn about disability pride and that being different can be an empowering experience.

I went to a camp for people with disabilities for many years. I always had a good time there and look back on that time in my life with fond memories. I always felt respected as a person with only a couple exceptions. Reading about Jean's experience made me glad that I went to the camp I attended. I do not think anyone there was evil. It was just interesting to read the seemingly divergent viewpoints of the campers and staff. I also found it fascinating reading about living with a disability in a time before any civil rights protections had been enacted for people with disabilities.

The epilogue was frustrating for me, until I realized this was probably a true story. Books like this make me realize how important it is for me to be involved in disability advocacy. I am very glad I read this book and even if you do not have a disability, I think the themes of discovering who you are and who you want to be are very relatable.

Jean feels fantastic about her place in the world. Why shouldn't she? She's seventeen, an honor student at Crosstown High School, her friends are great, and her family supports all of her dreams. But this summer, Jean spreads her wings, away from the cocoon of her parents, friends, and her small town, and spends time at Camp Courage--"Crip Camp," as the campers sarcastically refer to it--a camp for children with physical and mental disabilities, and she finds her confidence is shaken. For the first time, Jean must admit that, because of her cerebral palsy, she is different from the other kids at her high school.

Set in 1970 with an epilogue to bring the reader into the year 2000, ACCIDENTS OF NATURE is an excellent overview of how kids with a range of challenges--cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, amputations, autism, asthma, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy--feel condescended to by the world. For example, to make sure no one feels bad at the camp carnival, everyone
wins a prize at the games. Jean and her friend Sara refuse to play, on the basis that there is no challenge in playing a game if one is certain to win. The games then become a metaphor for Crip life, as Jean muses:

"When the games are rigged, does it make everyone a winner--or no one? ... I believe in competition. The program seems to be that handicapped people aren't up to it; we can only pretend to be winners. I don't want to pretend. I want to achieve, really achieve. Or I will take my disappointments just like anyone else" (p. 136).

Johnson captures the pain, anger, and fear of being shunned by the "normal" world in the character of Sara, and explores the naiveté of thinking that no one notices one's differences in the character of Jean. Weaving the two together through the bond of friendship, Johnson creates a captivating, educational storyline.

The overwhelming negative of this book--and the reason I am awarding four stars instead of five--is the epilogue. Without giving away the ending, I'll say that I'm not sure what the author was thinking when she wrote this epilogue; I can think of no other way to describe it but as frustrating, aggravating, and absolutely annoying. Ms. Johnson, what were you thinking?

Still, ACCIDENTS OF NATURE is an excellent book, overall, and well worth a reader's time; I recommend it with a strong four stars.

Reviewed by: Mechele R. Dillard

Seventeen-year-old Jean has always believed she is the same as everyone else, even though she has cerebral palsy and has to get around in a wheelchair. Jean goes to a normal high school, is in academic clubs, and likes to go to the movies with her friends. She has never known another person living with a disability until she goes to Camp Courage during the summer of 1970 and begins to see herself, and the world around her, in a whole new light. There she meets a whole community of other children and young adults living with various disabilities.

When Jean arrives at the camp, she first encounters Dolly, a girl with severe CP who provides some comical moments throughout the book, as she likes to talk about her love of late-night talk show host Johnny Carson and her highly anticipated risque novella she's been writing. Then Jean meets Sara, a Camp Courage veteran who introduces her to the "Crip Camp" and some other campers. She nicknames Jean "Spazzo" and tells her about some of the social circles that make up the camp. Jean soon discovers that her wisecracking cabin mate has radical ideas, especially when it comes to how people with disabilities are viewed by society, and is often angry by the lack of respect that she and many other campers receive. Through the social commentary on this topic and many others in the book, it is not too difficult to see what issues have been dramatically improved since 1970 and which are still being debated today in 2006.

While Jean socializes with the other campers, she begins to question some of her old beliefs and what the definition of "normal" is in her world. By the end of those enlightening 10 days, her life is changed forever.

While there are some social issues in ACCIDENTS OF NATURE that may make some readers uncomfortable, such as the dance party scene (I thought some of those counselors would have been sued today for misconduct and sexual harassment), this is a great story and an eye-opener. It helps to show that even if a person has a physical or mental challenge, it does not mean that they can't lead a normal life nor does it mean that they shouldn't be given the same level of respect as everyone else. I understand this unfortunate social disgrace because I've been there.

Harriet McBryde Johnson has been an activist for disability rights for many years, and her adult memoir, TOO LATE TO DIE YOUNG, was published in 2005. ACCIDENTS OF NATURE is highly recommended as an addition to your "must read" list.

--- Reviewed by Sarah Sawtelle (SdarksideG@aol.com)

Harriet McBryde Johnson's passing should be mourned for many reasons, but her chronicled life and spirit live on in her writings. Everyone should read this book just simply to learn the love that Harriet had just for being alive and the adventures that each circumstance presented her with everyday. Such a wonderful person that will be missed each day.

For some unfathomable reason the publisher issued this via their "childrens book" imprint. The implication that this is not for a mature audience may have kept it from getting the notice it deserves.

Harriet McBryde Johnson is a great story-teller and that most of her stories reflect her own experience is natural. That they also have broader social/political ramifications (without being "preachy") is equally important.

This is a milestone in disability rights literature largely because it gets so much of significance about the "movement" across in a format that should be accessible to mainstream folks.

Love.

This novel is fresh and unique, and will open your mind and your eyes to a differenty way of viewing the world. Like much of her work in the disability rights arena, and her essays, Harriet McBryde Johnson challenges traditional notions of normality. She may also be giving us a peek into what she, herself, was like as a teenager--fiercely intelligent, independent, and a bit of a troublemaker. That alone is worth the price of admission.

When a friend recommended this book, giving it rave reviews, I was eager to read it and anticipated a good thought-provoking read. However, I was disappointed.

Part of it, I think, is that the setting took place in a bygone era. As a teacher, I see full inclusion and modifications and sensitivity training every day. Yes, I know that things were different fifty years ago but I wonder why a modern author chose to write about issues and situations that are certainly less relevant today than they were in her time. Who's her target audience? The kids that I teach who are blind or have muscular dystrophy or asthma wouldn't be able to identify with the situations in the book at all because it's not what they experience.

Also, the book seemed more shallow than I expected. Yes, it was interesting and sad to read about the details of daily living but sometimes this got overbearing. How many times does someone need to describe being fed or going to the bathroom or taking a shower?

There are moments where the book becomes more analytical. For example, at one point Jean compares the perfect body of the camp counselor to the girl with cerebral palsy that the counselor is helping. And Sara constantly challenges the Pollyannish take on life that the campers are spoon-fed. But these moments are few and far away.

The ending bothered me, though perhaps it shouldn't have. When Jean is crying in the car because her illusions of normalcy have been destroyed, that's painful. Even though her body is crippled, her mind isn't and her social skills aren't. She was succeeding in a normal world before and could do it again. What's more important in her life? To use the gifts she has to function or to focus on herself as a cripple?

Accidents of Nature is an ambitious book but in my opinion it falls short of its goals. Save your money and your time. There are other books out there that address the disability issue in a more palatable way.

ok. i liked this book. it was cute. girl with disablities, makes friends at camp and finds out about herself. and there were some good parts but i kinda sorta expected more. you know? i expected it to be deeper, MORE deeper. and the letter to Willie at the end was a little like the epilouge in harry potter: cute, but if you're going to write one, tell us about everyone.

other then that i liked it. =]. the walkie talkie thing was cute too.