Waist-high in the World by Nancy Mairs
In Waist-High in the World, Mairs explores in her inimitable voice the subject that has always been in the background of her writing, but which she takes on here for the first time at book-length - disability and the way it shapes a life. The result is a brave and beautiful book that will open new worlds for readers. It begins with a disavowal (I cannot begin to write this book.I don't want to think about my crippled life) and ends with a declaration of hope (I choose joy). In between, Mairs gives us a brilliant portrait of an issue and experience too rarely portrayed and talked about. She begins with subjects close to home: the personal history of her disease, the intimate realities of the body, the moral economy of care and caregiving, life with her husband and children. The second half of the book covers topics that look outward: women with disabilities, obstacles physical and social, the ethics of selective abortion and euthanasia, the joys and troubles of travel, and more.
Nancy Mairs was born in Long Beach, California, and grew up in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. She received an AB in English literature from Wheaton College (Massachusetts). From 1966 to 1972 she worked as a technical editor at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, the MIT Press, and the Harvard Law School. In 1972 she moved to Tucson, Arizona, and taught high school and college composition courses while studying for an MFA in creative writing (poetry) and a PhD in English literature, which she was awarded in 1984. In the same year, her book of poems In All the Rooms of the Yellow House received first prize for poetry in the Western States Book Awards competition.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780807070864 |
| ISBN 10 | 0807070866 |
| Title | Waist-high in the World |
| Author | Nancy Mairs |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Beacon Press |
| Year published | 1997-01-20 |
| Number of pages | 224 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |