Synopsis
An evocative and heartfelt graphic memoir about the challenges of living with a progressive disability.
When Maria Sweeney was young, she kept count of her broken bones. As she grew older, she stopped. Living with Bruck syndrome, a rare progressive condition that gives her very brittle bones and joint abnormalities, meant that those numbers climbed and climbed. Today she struggles every day, living in an often-inaccessible world. As an ambulatory wheelchair user, ordinary actions like entering a building, sitting at a café, or holding a cup of tea can be drastically different for her than for others.
With lush illustrations, Maria tells the story of her lifelong struggle to obtain care in an increasingly complicated and disinterested US healthcare system. But for every step that presents a struggle, there’s also beauty, friendship, art, and growth. She documents the relief she’s found in alternative therapies, particularly medical marijuana; in loving community and chosen family; and in nature and her creative practice. A powerfully understated critique of our modern world, Brittle Joints offers a generous, expansive look at how to live and love amidst the challenges of survival.
From: Street Noise Books
Notes on This Title
This is a memoir by a queer, disabled woman. The author’s queerness is not a primary focus of the text, but she has discussed it in venues such as interviews.
Awards
None.
Reviews
Starred Review: “Cartoonist Sweeney debuts with a candid portrait of life with a disability, drawn in delicate brushstrokes and natural colors.” (Source: Publishers Weekly)
“Brittle Joints is an intimate graphic memoir about living through everyday pain and inconveniences with verve.” (Source: Foreword Reviews)
Interviews
Fanbase Press: “Fanbase Press Interviews Maria Sweeney on the Release of the Graphic Memoir, ‘Brittle Joints,’ Through Street Noise Books“