nonfiction - Disability Visibility activist (by necessity rather than choice, as she relies on a wheelchair, ventilator, and govt-funded home care aides, etc.), who happens to be Chinese-American, shares personal essays, podcast transcripts, photos, some very dark/emo teenaged poetry, and other collected tidbits.

I love how fierce she is (especially with that red lipstick!) in standing up for her needs (if you are uncomfortable, that is your ableist problem) and simply taking up space and attention (like the cats she admires so much), something that I struggle with as a person with anxiety not wanting to attract attention to all the things about my appearance that might be judged or misunderstood, or the things I constantly have to negotiate in order to minimize chronic pain. Obviously my life won't compare to hers (though we all have the same basic human wants and needs), and I don't mean to imply either that this is one of those horrible 'inspirational' book (it's not), but I still have to admire how skilled she has become in navigating this world that was not built with disabilities or differences in mind -- partly because she's had a ton of experience, partly because she's really intelligent, and partly because she's undoubtably had to be savvy about how she spends her energy and limited resources.
Also, I know it's not her responsibility to educate us, but I did learn a lot from the entry about not totally banning plastic straws (some people need those and shouldn't even have to ask for them or defend their use of one), and she has great advice on interviewing other people with respect to their time/needs as well as yours; the conversation with W. Kamau Bell was fun, too. As with anthologies and other collections, some pieces will speak to you more than others, depending on your personal perspectives and preferences. Please read this book and share it! ( )

In Year of the Tiger Alice Wong presents a scrapbook of her life and career as a disability rights activist. The book is filled with an eclectic array of documentation, including interviews, essays, poetry, drawings, and more.

On one level, this book's content and format are admirable. People with disabilities are often silenced, and it is refreshing to read Alice Wong's strong and undiluted opinions on ableism, being Asian in the United States, and other concerns. As she writes, "every issue is a disabled issue". On the other hand, after a while the complete portfolio gets to be a bit much. Wong is at her best in essays and blog posts, but the lengthy, often redundant, interviews and podcast transcriptions made my eyes glaze over.

In other words, this collection's ability to hold one's interest will depend on one's level of tolerance for all things Alice Wong.

I received an electronic pre-publication copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way. ( )