This Brain Had a Mouth
184 pages, 6 x 9
12 b&w illus.
Paperback
Release Date:29 Oct 2021
ISBN:9781625346193
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This Brain Had a Mouth

Lucy Gwin and the Voice of Disability Nation

University of Massachusetts Press
Author, advocacy journalist, disability rights activist, feminist, and founder of Mouth magazine, Lucy Gwin (1943—2014) made her mark by helping those in "handicaptivity" find their voice. Gwin produced over one hundred issues of the magazine—one of the most radical and significant disability rights publications—and masterminded its acerbic, sometimes funny, and often moving articles about people from throughout the disability community.

In this engrossing biography, James M. Odato provides an intimate portrait of Gwin, detailing how she forged her own path into activism. After an automobile accident left her with a brain injury, Gwin became a tireless advocate for the equal rights of people she termed "dislabled." More than just a publisher, she fought against corruption in the rehabilitation industry, organized for the group Not Dead Yet, and much more. With Gwin's story at the center, Odato introduces readers to other key disability rights activists and organizations, and supplies context on current contentious topics such as physician-assisted suicide. Gwin's impact on disability rights was monumental, and it is time her story is widely known.
The story of Lucy Gwin and Mouth magazine is almost entirely unexamined. This biography provides valuable insight into the personality behind one of the most influential disability rights publications. A genuine page-turner, it will be an important addition to the history of the disability rights movement.'—Fred Pelka, author of What We Have Done: An Oral History of the Disability Rights Movement
JAMES M. ODATO is an independent scholar and former reporter for the Albany Times Union.
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