The Me in the Mirror [Paperback]

Connie Panzarino (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 11, 1994

Writer, activist and artist Connie Panzarino was born in 1947 with the rare disease Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type III, formerly called Amytonia Congenita. Throughout a childhood filled with both pain and joy, she strove to define herself: "I knew I was different. Now I had a name for the difference, like being Italian or Jewish. I was an Amytonia. I didn't understand if that meant that I would never walk, or if all it meant was lack of muscle tone. I didn't know that most children with this disease die before they're five years old." In this deeply moving and eloquent memoir, Connie Panzarino describes her decades of struggle and triumph, her relationships with family members and long-time lover Ron Kovic (author of Born on the Fourth of July), her eventual turn to lesbianism, and her years of pioneering work in the disability rights movement. Filled with spirit, passion and defiance, The Me In The Mirror tells the story of a remarkable life.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Panzarino is a severely disabled lesbian activist and art therapist, and her story is scary in its forthright honesty. Born with a rare progressive muscular disease, she has lived a life in which virtually no achievement is small and nothing is taken for granted. She speaks uncompromisingly about the pain of ill-advised childhood braces, the guilt at disappointing her parents, waiting for assistance with toileting, and being barred from elementary school and the day-to-day companionship of other children. Dependent on a mother with two additional children, one of them born with the same malady, Panzarino well communicates the great frustration, anguish, and turmoil she endured during her fight for education, employment, a usable wheelchair, reliable aides, transportation, accessibility, and, ultimately, a life of her own in which she could realize personal and political growth. A longtime friend and sometime lover of disability rights activist Ron Kovic, Panzarino eventually turned to lesbianism and political activism. She established Beechwood, a communal living environment for disabled women, where she continues her work as a therapist, writer, and activist. Whitney Scott

Product Details

• Paperback: 260 pages
• Publisher: Seal Press (April 11, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1878067451
• ISBN-13: 978-1878067456
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #884,085 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #54 in Books > Gay & Lesbian > Biographies & Memoirs > Lesbian

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Poignant telling of an interesting but very challenging life, June 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Me in the Mirror (Paperback)

Connie Panzarino tells the story of the horrors of disability and fight for the right to have a normal life. She is a true advocate and an inspiration for everyone, disabled and able-bodied alike.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a baldly honest inside look into a disabled womin's life, September 8, 1999

By 

krista moongarden - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Me in the Mirror (Paperback)

Ms. Panzarino presents an accurate and passionate account of an absolutely remarkable life. She survived the disability that should have killed her as a child, the terrible pressures of her home, where she and her mother were trapped in a dance with no help for either. She fought her family and the "abled" world for her independence and THRIVED as a whole womin in a society which assigns a half-life to the disabled adult. I am new to the disabled community, having suffered a major stroke at the age of 49 and two small ones since. They have left me nearly speechless but I cannot even imagine the world Ms. Panzrino has had to live in. I can only admire this brave womin's strength, fortitude, intelligence and candor. The reviewer who did not see the life story and daily life of a disabled person did NOT read the same book I read!! This is and excellent read by an enlightened individual! My only disappointment is that there has not been a follow-up book since this wonderful tome was written!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A must read..., January 16, 2002

By 

Lauren (Bay Area, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Me in the Mirror (Paperback)

As a disabled woman, I really loved this book, and could identify with many aspects of Connie's life. An educating book to those who are not disabled.