Hi Readers,
I love a good book. It’s even better when that book deals with marginalized groups, as well as topics that are important to me. I recently came across an independently published book, by author and advocate Lauren Mcgowan, a woman living with cerebral palsy, who is passionate about creating equity for those living with disabilities.
The book is called Diana the Believer. It chronicles the fictional life of Diana, a young woman living with cerebral palsy. The story details her struggles with ableism, highlights the richness of the disability community, and emphasizes the power of friendship. The book also addresses the self-confidence that disabled people often gain once they have accepted their disability as a fundamental part of their identity. Overall, I found the book to be a light read, authentically capturing how society often underestimates people with disabilities. The book could be read by young adults and older adults alike. It does, however, deal with death and dying in some of the later chapters. Thus, I would be cautious when reading this book to very young children.
I enjoyed Lauren Mcgowan’s explanation of what ableism is, and thought it was explained in easy to understand language. Additionally, Lauren Mcgowan draws readers into her fictional world, by openly discussing the challenges Diana faces, both within her own body, and the world at large. Lastly, Lauren Mcgowan frames Diana’s experience of disability, as an ongoing journey of acceptance and self-actuation. I found this framework to be incredibly relatable. Throughout the story, Diana’s disability is part of her, but it does not define who she is. This is a lesson I think many disabled people could benefit from learning.
I was able to have the unique experience of sitting down with Lauren Mcgowan to discuss her work. I’d like to share some of her insights about her work, as well as key takeaways, she hopes that readers will gain from reading her novel.
When asked what she hoped people could learn from the book, Lauren Mcgowan told me, she hopes the novel will encourage people not to take their lives, or what they are able to do, for granted.
Additionally, Lauren Mcgowan noted that she hopes Diana the Believer will teach people that disabled people can live meaningful, and fulfilling lives, as long as they are not underestimated. Lauren Mcgowan emphasized that just because somebody does something differently, does not mean that they should be presumed incapable.
When asked about her favorite character in the book, she stated that, Faith Vassar is vital to the book because of her spunky personality. Lauren Mcgowan also mentioned the importance of Faith not always being happy 100% of the time, as a vital part of her personality. Lauren Mcgowan also touched on the importance of Faith using her own experience with disability as a catalyst, to help the other characters within the novel, navigate their disability journeys.
As Lauren Mcgowan herself, thoroughly believes in advocacy, by disabled people, for disabled people, Faith’s role in the story is a vital one. Faith, through her mentorship, helps a variety of characters, throughout the novel, accept their disabilities, and the realities of an ablest society. Lauren Mcgowan also enjoyed creating supportive family and friends for Diana. As a reader, Diana’s support system was one of the things that made Lauren Mcgowan’s book relatable to me. I thoroughly enjoyed the development of friendships throughout the novel.
As Diana the Believer has a central theme of overcoming, and learning how to deal with ableism, I was curious to know about Lauren Mcgowan’s own experiences with this issue. When asked about this topic, Lauren Mcgowan replied that one of the most common experiences of ableism, she has dealt with throughout her life, is others underestimating her intelligence, due to her physical difficulties, and learning differences. As a fellow member of the disabled community, I found this highly relatable, as I, myself, along with other disabled friends, even those with their doctorates, are often belittled because of the amount of physical care they may require.
Another major theme of Lauren Mcgowan’s work is the main character’s eventual acceptance of her disability, and the fact that she does not have to be a, "normal girl" to be a valued member of society. The character struggles with this acceptance throughout the book, but is eventually able to see her disability as a vital part of who she is, but not the defining feature.
I asked Lauren Mcgowan about her own journey with disability acceptance. She told me honestly, that some days she has more trouble accepting her disability than others, but for her, similarly to her character Diana, it is about her journey to acquire this acceptance, and make the most out of life, that has kept her going. As she says, “it’s all about taking life one day at a time.”
Overall, I would recommend Diana the Believer to anyone craving accurate fictional representation of what it’s like for some people living with physical disabilities. The book does have some references to faith and spirituality, but on the whole, I think these add to the environment created for the characters.
On the technical front, there are some grammatical errors, but these do not take away from the intent of the story. It was thrilling for me to be able to sit down with an author who wrote genuinely about disability, in an attempt to educate others about the ablest barriers many people with disabilities still face today.
The one major criticism I have of the book, is the fact that some disabled people do not wish to educate others on disability issues, and Diana is continually encouraged to do so, throughout the book. The fact that Diana wanted to educate people is not a bad thing, but I know for some readers, who do not view themselves as educators, or activists, this plot point has the potential to come off as heavy-handed. At times, the language Diana’s teachers and parents use for her such as, "sweetheart," also might be considered patronizing by some readers. Despite these minor criticisms, I encourage more people to read Diana the Believer, on Amazon, as a way to learn more about the disability community, and support a disabled person who has gone through the work to shed light on a topic, often overlooked in fiction.
Sincerely yours,
Sorloquator
additional resources:
https://www.amazon.com/Diana-Believer-Lauren-Lauren Mcgowan-ebook/dp/B0CFDCGH38/ref=sr_1_1?crid=13Z3PGC7JQFVF&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.dWNxFx0qFua8KftaCz3DzR98KQXJzkiw1LBdVSH8en8WrbkpLk-A-giyF_iP8zZwg3l2gufyL_i0cry6z4RfGsnC6WFGzn0RAzNSreTi8hQd9fXmmKTKhEsB2beEtMBfiUAepHVJgKYq9VgcdGI7Uxw52qf9G8_HmqIMQezEH4zlw2JPOE8YbXlfE7iClUJy6fOQozSXHSE6MK02nMFY8-MofUQjWNiP9yOTipZOVYM.dXZMahiW6e2v7OpiKFFV8gPSVK13cEr-7C35GFwUvmY&dib_tag=se&keywords=diana+the+believer&qid=1714689584&s=books&sprefix=dianna+the+beleaver%2Cstripbooks%2C155&sr=1-1 this link will allow you to access the Kindle version of the book, via Amazon. It is also available in a paperback edition, for those who prefer a physical copy.
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