The two volumes examine a fascinating set of memoirs and autobiographies written by a variety of authors. It includes famous persons such as Hellen Keller and Temple Grandin, as well as others likely unknown beyond the world of disability studies, such as John M. Hull (who relates his experience of going blind) and Kay Redfield (who relates her experience with bipolar disorder).

Each of 200 entries examines a particular author and literary work (e.g., Christy Brown, My Left Foot). The entry provides biographical, historical, and literary context around the author/work and elucidates the role the text has played within disability memoir. The works selected bear most directly on disability studies proper but also provide rich topics of study for sociology and anthropology courses, minority and gender studies, and English literature studies. Additionally, this publication offers physicians, nurses, and teachers a unique tool in their professional developments to gain insights into the lives of those whom they serve.

G. Thomas Couser (Founding Director of the Disability Studies Program, Hofstra University and a leading expert in disability memoir) has joined Susannah Mintz (Professor of English and Disability Studies, Chair of English Department, Skidmore College) to determine the contents and provide peer review on this work. A comprehensive, annotated list of disability memoir is included in an appendix.