The Me in the Mirror (Paperback)

by Connie Panzarino (Author) "In the art room of the Human Resources Center, I watched Eddie make a clay pie similar to those he made week after week..." (more)
Key Phrases: attendant care, disability oppression, young adult group, New York, Connie Panzarino, Long Island (more...)

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 Description
Born with a rare muscle disease, the author recounts the challenges of growing up handicapped, her early adulthood and dawning political activism, her relationship with Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic, her lesbianism, and her work as a disability rights activist. Original.

Product Details

• Paperback: 260 pages
• Publisher: Seal Press (March 21, 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: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #889,244 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 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

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.

4 of 5 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 (Peoria Heights, Illinois) - See all my reviews

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!

1 of 1 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

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.