Who Wants Normal?
The Disabled Girls' Guide to Life
Published on 17. April 2025
Book
Hardback
368 pages
978-0-241-62943-7 (ISBN)
Description
'We all need this book' Jameela Jamil
'A razor sharp manifesto by one of Britain's most vital voices' Yomi Adegoke
'Exceptional' British Vogue
A groundbreaking memoir about what it means to be a disabled woman in Britain today from the acclaimed journalist and author, including insights and personal stories from over 50 contributors
'No one really talks about it. No one really talks about what it is to be a disabled woman, especially a young one. To go a bit mad. To experience pain or exhaustion or feel 92. To navigate all the standard parts of life - exams, careers, dating - but with a body that is different than everyone else's.'
Part memoir, part manifesto, and full of Frances Ryan's trademark warmth, humour and honesty (as well as hard-hitting statistics), Who Wants Normal? explores six facets of life: education, careers, body image, health, relationships and representation, as well as how to survive life's bumps in the road.
It draws on Frances's own experience, as well as from highly personal interviews with over 50 of Britain's best known women and non-binary people with mental and physical health conditions, including Jameela Jamil, Ruth Madeley, Sophie Morgan, Rosie Jones, Fearne Cotton, Emma Barnett, Tanni Grey-Thompson, Marsha de Cordova MP, Ellie Goldstein and Katie Piper.
Who Wants Normal? lifts the lid off a subject that is too often shrouded in stereotypes and silence. It offers support, inspiration and a sense of solidarity to the 1 in 4 women with long-term health conditions - and will open the eyes of anyone wanting to better understand what life is really like with a disability.
'Beautiful, vital and important. I loved it' Jack Thorne
'I've never related to a book more. Disabled or not, you MUST read this' Rosie Jones
'Supercharged relevance [full of] robust analysis and wry humour... readers will find here stories to inspire, enrage and encourage' Observer
'A razor sharp manifesto by one of Britain's most vital voices' Yomi Adegoke
'Exceptional' British Vogue
A groundbreaking memoir about what it means to be a disabled woman in Britain today from the acclaimed journalist and author, including insights and personal stories from over 50 contributors
'No one really talks about it. No one really talks about what it is to be a disabled woman, especially a young one. To go a bit mad. To experience pain or exhaustion or feel 92. To navigate all the standard parts of life - exams, careers, dating - but with a body that is different than everyone else's.'
Part memoir, part manifesto, and full of Frances Ryan's trademark warmth, humour and honesty (as well as hard-hitting statistics), Who Wants Normal? explores six facets of life: education, careers, body image, health, relationships and representation, as well as how to survive life's bumps in the road.
It draws on Frances's own experience, as well as from highly personal interviews with over 50 of Britain's best known women and non-binary people with mental and physical health conditions, including Jameela Jamil, Ruth Madeley, Sophie Morgan, Rosie Jones, Fearne Cotton, Emma Barnett, Tanni Grey-Thompson, Marsha de Cordova MP, Ellie Goldstein and Katie Piper.
Who Wants Normal? lifts the lid off a subject that is too often shrouded in stereotypes and silence. It offers support, inspiration and a sense of solidarity to the 1 in 4 women with long-term health conditions - and will open the eyes of anyone wanting to better understand what life is really like with a disability.
'Beautiful, vital and important. I loved it' Jack Thorne
'I've never related to a book more. Disabled or not, you MUST read this' Rosie Jones
'Supercharged relevance [full of] robust analysis and wry humour... readers will find here stories to inspire, enrage and encourage' Observer
Reviews / Votes
A razor sharp, super-smart manifesto by one of the most vital voices in British journalism today. This guide is a crucial call to action not just for disabled women, but for everyone who wants to have a better understanding of what it means to live with a disability * Yomi Adegoke * This book is beautiful, vital and important. I loved it * Jack Thorne, writer of Adolescence * Exceptional ... A must read * British Vogue * Wow, just wow. A call to action if I've ever read one. So expertly written, educational, thought-provoking and genuinely funny. Society as a whole is privileged to have this book * David Holmes, author of The Boy Who Lived * Frances has long been one of my writing heroes - this book is typically smart, funny, clarifying and enraging * Eva Wiseman * This superb book is a rallying cry for true equality for disabled people. Full of shocking stats, real life experiences and humour, it made me angry, laugh and gasp * Victoria Derbyshire * Supercharged relevance [full of] robust analysis and wry humour... readers will find here stories to inspire, enrage and encourage * Observer * The must-read manifesto...this new book blends memoir and practical insight in an unmissable call to action...it covers education, careers, health, body image, relationships, representation and more * Stylist * Illuminating and spirited - such a necessary book * Marina Hyde * One of the most interesting and important writers working in the UK today * Nish Kumar *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Penguin Books Ltd
Target group
Professional and scholarly
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 220 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 35 mm
Weight
470 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-241-62943-7 (9780241629437)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Frances Ryan is a multi-award-winning journalist and author. Named Commentator of the Year broadsheet 2024 by the Society of Editors, Ryan's work has made the front pages of the New York Times, the Guardian and British Vogue. It has helped change government policy, been discussed in the House of Commons, and featured anywhere from Channel 4 News, to BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour to The World Tonight.
For the last decade, Ryan has been a columnist and reporter at the Guardian. Her debut book, Crippled, (2019, Verso), was shortlisted for the Bread and Roses Award, and made into the short drama Hen Night for the BBC. In 2025, Ryan was named as one of the 25 most influential women defining Britain by British Vogue. The same year, Elle U.K. selected her as one of their 40 women of hope defining the next 40 years of culture. Ryan is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and has a PhD in politics from the University of Nottingham.
For the last decade, Ryan has been a columnist and reporter at the Guardian. Her debut book, Crippled, (2019, Verso), was shortlisted for the Bread and Roses Award, and made into the short drama Hen Night for the BBC. In 2025, Ryan was named as one of the 25 most influential women defining Britain by British Vogue. The same year, Elle U.K. selected her as one of their 40 women of hope defining the next 40 years of culture. Ryan is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and has a PhD in politics from the University of Nottingham.