Who Wants Normal?
Life Lessons from Disabled Women
Published on 16. April 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
368 pages
978-0-241-62945-1 (ISBN)
Description
'We all need this book' Jameela Jamil
'Beautiful, vital and important. I loved it' Jack Thorne, writer of Adolescence
'A razor sharp manifesto by one of Britain's most vital voices' Yomi Adegoke
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2026 UNWIN AWARD FOR MAKING A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION TO THE WORLD
NOW WITH A NEW FOREWORD
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 navigate all the standard parts of life - exams, careers, dating - but with a body that is different from everyone else's.'
Almost one in four women in the UK have some sort of disability, yet this subject is too often shrouded in silence and stereotypes. Who Wants Normal? by the award-winning journalist and author Frances Ryan is a game-changing take on disability and feminism.
Part memoir, part manifesto, it explores six facets of life: education, careers, health, body image, 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 her interviews with over fifty of Britain's best-known women and non-binary people with mental and physical health conditions, including Jameela Jamil, Sophie Morgan, Ruth Madeley, Nikki Fox, Rosie Jones, Fearne Cotton, Emma Barnett, Ellie Goldstein and Katie Piper.
Who Wants Normal? lifts the lid on and redefines what it means to be a disabled woman in Britain today. It offers support, inspiration and a sense of solidarity to the many women with disabilities and long-term health conditions - as well as opening the eyes of anyone wanting to better understand life with a disability.
'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
'Beautiful, vital and important. I loved it' Jack Thorne, writer of Adolescence
'A razor sharp manifesto by one of Britain's most vital voices' Yomi Adegoke
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2026 UNWIN AWARD FOR MAKING A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION TO THE WORLD
NOW WITH A NEW FOREWORD
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 navigate all the standard parts of life - exams, careers, dating - but with a body that is different from everyone else's.'
Almost one in four women in the UK have some sort of disability, yet this subject is too often shrouded in silence and stereotypes. Who Wants Normal? by the award-winning journalist and author Frances Ryan is a game-changing take on disability and feminism.
Part memoir, part manifesto, it explores six facets of life: education, careers, health, body image, 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 her interviews with over fifty of Britain's best-known women and non-binary people with mental and physical health conditions, including Jameela Jamil, Sophie Morgan, Ruth Madeley, Nikki Fox, Rosie Jones, Fearne Cotton, Emma Barnett, Ellie Goldstein and Katie Piper.
Who Wants Normal? lifts the lid on and redefines what it means to be a disabled woman in Britain today. It offers support, inspiration and a sense of solidarity to the many women with disabilities and long-term health conditions - as well as opening the eyes of anyone wanting to better understand life with a disability.
'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
Target group
Professional and scholarly
College/higher education
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 192 mm
Width: 131 mm
Thickness: 32 mm
Weight
258 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-241-62945-1 (9780241629451)
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
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
04/2025
Penguin Books Ltd
€9.99
Available for download
Person
Frances Ryan is an award-winning journalist and author. For the last decade, she has been a columnist and reporter at the Guardian. Named Commentator of the Year 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.
Her debut book, Crippled, (2019, Verso), was shortlisted for the Bread and Roses Award 2020, and made into the short drama Hen Night for the BBC in 2021. Twice highly commended at the National Press Awards, Ryan was named as one of Britain's '30 exceptional women journalists' by Women In Journalism in 2022. The same year, she became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Ryan lives in Nottingham and has a PhD in politics from the University of Nottingham.
Her debut book, Crippled, (2019, Verso), was shortlisted for the Bread and Roses Award 2020, and made into the short drama Hen Night for the BBC in 2021. Twice highly commended at the National Press Awards, Ryan was named as one of Britain's '30 exceptional women journalists' by Women In Journalism in 2022. The same year, she became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Ryan lives in Nottingham and has a PhD in politics from the University of Nottingham.