Floppy

One of the first books to explore the emotional landscape of living with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome from a patient's perspective; a playful story of falling down, getting back up again, and realising you should have gone to the hospital sooner.

When ten-year-old Alyssa is diagnosed with the rare genetic connective tissue disorder Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, she vows not to let it stop her. Unfortunately, her efforts to avoid being "too sensitive" lead her to neglect not only her health but other aspects of her life as well. Twenty years later, she's finally forced to confront the reality of her condition head on. When she finds herself tangled in an unwieldy combination of chronic pain, a library job for which she is particularly ill-suited, and her wife's mystifying health problems, her body starts to unravel in ways she can no longer ignore. If pushing through is not the answer, what does homecoming to her floppy body even look like?

Winner of Red Hen Press Nonfiction Award 2020 (United States)

"This is not a tidy story, but in its messiness, Graybeal's book reflects the complexity of life with EDS. Those coming to terms with their own chronic illness or that of a loved one will find this unflinching memoir illuminating." —Rebecca Hopman, Booklist"In this compelling memoir, debut author and cartoonist Graybeal writes about her life living with chronic pain and her childhood diagnosis of the rare genetic connective tissue disorder called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome." —Bridgette Whitt, Library Journal

Alyssa Graybeal is a queer writer and cartoonist whose work focuses on the emotional landscape of living with chronic illness and disability, in particular the connective tissue disorder Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Floppy: Tales of a Genetic Freak of Nature at the End of the World. She lives in Astoria, Oregon.

SPOTLIGHT ON MEDICAL GASLIGHTING: While diagnosis rates for Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome have exploded, this population (and nearly every other marginalized group of patients) remains severely under-treated and over-dismissed. TIMELY: Social and emotional insights relevant to those affected by the mass disabling of long COVID. Winner of the 2020 Red Hen Press Nonfiction Book Award! ACADEMIC POTENTIAL: A perfect pick for disability or queer studies courses ENDORSED BY Michelle Tea and Ariel Gore FOR FANS OF In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado Set in the US and Canada!

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