Volume 2. Issue 2 (November 2022)

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A short book, written for a popular audience, and that would be suitable for undergraduate modules in both Disability Studies and across the social sciences more generally. The book is structured around six questions: ‘What brings us to disability and other human questions?’ (Marxism, a distaste for mainstream psychology, and familial connections is the answer for Goodley); ‘Who is allowed to be human?’; ‘What is human desire?’; ‘Are human beings dependent?’; ‘Are we able to be human?’; and ‘What does it mean to be human in a digital age?’

Goodley proposes that disability is ‘the phenomenon to think again about these very human qualities’. Whilst he does introduce academic literature when thinking about these human qualities, it is years of work with disabled activists – activists who are discussed alongside deeply personal stories from his own life – that primarily guide Goodley’s thinking. The result is an enlightening and enjoyable read, although regrettably the price of the book is likely to be a barrier for some readers.

| Greg Hollin