Not a Poster Child

Living Well with a Disability—A Memoir

by Francine Falk-Allen

This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.

Buy on Amazon Buy on BN.com Buy on Bookshop.org

*This page contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.

Pub Date Aug 07 2018 | Archive Date Jul 31 2018

She Writes Press

Biographies & Memoirs | Health, Mind & Body

Talking about this book? Use #NotAposterChild #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!

Description

2019 Living Now Book Awards Gold Medal Winner in Inspirational/Memoir (Female)
2018 Sarton Women's Book Awards finalist in Memoir
Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of 2018
2018 Sarton Women's Book Awards Silver Medal in Memoir

Francine Falk-Allen was only three years old when she contracted polio and temporarily lost the ability to stand and walk. Here, she tells the story of how a toddler learned grown-up lessons too soon; a schoolgirl tried her best to be a “normie,” on into young adulthood; and a woman finally found her balance, physically and spiritually. In lucid, dryly humorous prose, she also explores how her disability has affected her choices in living a fulfilling (and amusing) life in every area—relationships, career, religion (or not), athleticism, artistic expression, and aging, to name a few. A clear-eyed examination of living with a handicap, Not a Poster Child is one woman’s story of finding her way to a balanced life—one with a little cheekiness and a lot of joy.

Advance Praise

“Overall, this is a frank, no-nonsense account of living with a disability, edged with a razor-sharp wit . . . Bold, charming, and inspirational.”
―Kirkus Reviews

"Not a Poster Child places the reader inside the body of Polio - and into a world of surprising expectations. The view from Francine Falk-Allen’s captivating memoir envelopes unexpected family dynamics and intimate insights only a writer who has “lived the life” can bring to the page. As the daughter of a Polio victim, this book brought me closer to my mother’s experience and into a reality few have walked…”
―Pamela Livingston, MA, MFA, Book Passage

“With plainspoken eloquence, Francine Falk-Allen brings to life the rich palette of emotions of her lifelong battles with polio―the sorrows and joys, the heartbreaks and triumphs. Her book is funny, inspiring, and bitingly honest. It’s a revealing, constantly surprising story that shines a new light on that eternal human question: how can we make the most of our lives?”
―Edward Gray, Emmy Award-winning documentary producer and director

“After thirty-five-plus years in publishing, this is the best personal manuscript I have ever encountered. [Falk-Allen has] a muscular style like Dave Eggers. [She has] made early childhood as compelling as Robert Louis Stevenson did. A strong, distinctive voice, coupled with an important story to tell.”
―Gillian Glover, former features editor for The Scotsman, Scotland, UK

“Reading Not a Poster Child was one of those experiences where you suddenly realize you didn’t know how much you didn’t know. Not only did it pull back the curtain for me on what it’s like to grow up handicapped, it also gave me deeper understanding of an old friend.”
―Steven Bratman, MD, author of Health Food Junkies

"Not a Poster Child is a candid memoir that reminds us just how essential it is to find wholehearted engagement in life, no matter how difficult our path. It is eye-opening about the misinformation, types, and treatments of polio. While it chronicles the author’s challenges of growing up with a physical disability, her gifts of approaching life with humor, openness, and a feisty spirit can embolden us all."
―Leslie Davenport, author of Emotional Resilience in the Era of Climate Change