Pure America by Elizabeth Catte

It’s #DisabilityPrideMonth and time for the Appalachian Summer Reading Challenge, so I decided to combine the two.

PURE AMERICA takes a look at the history of eugenics in Virginia. Privileged (mostly white) men and women decided they had the right to determine who should be “allowed” to have children.

Reading this book, I couldn’t help but think of the #FreeBritney movement and how so many people are saying that Britney isn’t “disabled enough” to be under conservatorship. But that’s the problem. Folks still think it’s okay for “actually” disabled (whatever that means) people to be treated like this, to have their rights taken away.

As a disabled person, I worry about this very thing. So many people tell me how lucky I am to have someone who wanted to marry me. How he must be a saint. People look looked shocked that I work a gazillion jobs, and do them well. It’s like I’m a pet who’s learned a cute trick. All of these things not-so-subtly communicate that I am some how of less value because I am disabled. This is ableism.

A large part of the book also looks at how eugenicists used perceived disability as a way to control BIPOC, LGBTQ, and poor folks. Ableism is so often a tool to harm other marginalized groups, and Virginia is no exception.

Obviously, this book contains a lot of difficult content across the board, so just heads up. But it’s important that we don’t forget the past and hold eugenicists accountable, even if it’s just in how we discuss their legacies.

Thanks Belt Publishing for sending me a copy of this book. And many thanks to Catte for her work on PURE AMERICA.