Calling on a decade of participant observation at a residence for mentally retarded adults, anthropologist Michael V. Angrosino's riveting and de-mystifying account offers an insider's picture of the lives of the inhabitants of Opportunity House. Using the narrative device of a dozen fictional short stories told in the voices of various community members as well as that of the researcher, Angrosino weaves a life-histories approach to ethnography together with an innovative culture concept to tackle the complexities of representing marginalized subgroups. As opposed to traditional clinical or statistical studies, which have insufficiently conveyed the subjective and experiential perspectives of retarded people themselves, Angrosino presents an intimate and complex picture of a highly functioning community with its cast of entrepreneurs, bullies, victims, and do-gooders. This wonderfully readable and captivating account is therefore an important resource for those interested in mental illness and disability, as well as a model for those experimenting with forms of ethnographic writing.
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This is one of the few books in which people with mental retardation are presented as what they are: human beings....[Angrosino] not only presents the objective, but also the shared subjectivity of his experience and the recollection of the voices of individuals with mental retardation, recreating the stories in a "creative fiction" mode in order to protect the identity of his participants. The book is worth reading for those who want to understand the world of mental retardation and in doing so confront their own humanity face to face. (Claudia L. Moreno Forum: Qualitative Social Research, Vol 3.4, November 2002 )
Opportunity House is a collection of fictionalized stories about individuals who are classified as mentally retarded, written by an anthropologist who has conducted research and community service in a home for retarded adults in Florida. Angrosino is especially interested in the deinstitutionalization of the chronically mentally ill and their interactions in the wider society. His book is one of a series stressing experimental forms of qualitative writing that blur the boundaries between social science and the humanities. Because of the fictional quality of the stories, the volume is accessible to a wider readership than is usual for anthropological and ethnographic writing. Interspersed with the stories are helpful interviews with the author in which he explains his methods, insights, and perspectives. (L. Beck Choice )
Opportunity House is a collection of fictionalized stories about individuals who are classified as mentally retarded, written by an anthropologist who has conducted research and community service in a home for retarded adults in Florida. Angrosino is especially interested in the deinstitutionalization of the chronically mentally ill and their interactions in the wider society. His book is one of a series stressing experimental forms of qualitative writing that blur the boundaries between social science and the humanities. Because of the fictional quality of the stories, the volume is accessible to a wider readership than is usual for anthropological and ethnographic writing. Interspersed with the stories are helpful interviews with the author in which he explains his methods, insights, and perspectives. (L. Beck Choice )
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University of South Florida
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding, absorbing, and insightful,
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This review is from: Opportunity House: Ethnographic Stories of Mental Retardation (Ethnographic Alternatives) (Paperback)
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a better understanding of people who have developmental disabilities, anyone working with this population, and anyone who has a loved one with a developmental disability. The writer has done an excellent job of giving a voice to the people he is writing about, and showing the human dignity of people who have developmental disabilities.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful exploration of the lives of the mentally [handicapped],
By A Customer
This review is from: Opportunity House: Ethnographic Stories of Mental Retardation (Ethnographic Alternatives) (Hardcover)
This book is a wonderfully written, fictionalized account of the lives of a group of mentally [handicapped] occupants of Opportunity House. Based upon the author's research, Angrosino really illuminates everyday details and thought processes of the mentally [handicapped] and gives voice and agency to those he observes in ways often absent from works about the disabled.
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