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My Life in My Hands
 
 
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My Life in My Hands (Paperback)

by Alison Lapper (Author), Guy Feldman (Contributor)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd (5 Sep 2005)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0743275586
  • ISBN-13: 978-0743275583
  • Product Dimensions: 23 x 15 x 2.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 236,224 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Product Description

'I think it's wrong for me to complain that people don't understand disability and then refuse to talk about my personal life. Telling my story is the best way I know to make issues I care about understood' In autumn 2005, Alison Lapper's body will become familiar to thousands of people when Marc Quinn's 16-foot marble statue of her - Alison Lapper: Pregnant - is placed on Trafalgar Square's fourth plinth. MY LIFE IN MY HANDS is Alison's story: from her mother's rejection at birth, through a childhood deprived of affection in children's homes, to independence, a first class art degree, motherhood and critical success. Her resilience, fortitude and humour are humbling, yet she rejects any notion of 'bravery'. From the beginning, Alison was different to most children, yet through the strength of her personality and the nurturing of her artistic talents, she was determined to live as full a life as possible. MY LIFE IN MY HANDS challenges our perceptions of disability by showing how Alison overcame pain, prejudice, violence and loneliness to reach a state of happy independence. MY LIFE IN MY HANDS is an extraordinary and compelling story like no other.
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Customer Reviews

5 Reviews
5 star:
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4 star:
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3 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Stepping stone, 16 Oct 2005
By A Customer
I was really inspired reading Alison's story and although I in no way have been through half of what Alison has, her story has turned out to be a catalist for my own life's path and what I hope to achieve. I became completely engrossed in her story and it feels like a very opportune time for me to be reading about her extraodinary confidence and enthusiasm. It was a real page turner, unputdownable, I read it over the weekend and tomorrow I am off to London for the day to see the statue in Trafalgar Square.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Good but I can't help feeling a bit sorry for her son, 7 May 2008
By Ms. Monica Sheaf "mmsheaf" (Oxon) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: My Life in My Hands (Paperback)
As a former carer for physically disabled people I was very interested in Alison's story & shocked @ how instutional her upbringing was & the overtly sexual manner in which male carers seemed to relate to her when she was in care. She seems to be a very resilient lady & has no self-pity while living life to the full. However, & I know it's not politically correct to say so, I can't help feeling sorry for her son who will never apparently see his Dad or have any siblings - children do deserve to be wanted by both parents & to know who their Dad is - women, whether able-bodied or disabled, should really be careful about contraception & respect their partner's/ fling's wishes not to have the child (as a single person myself, I would have an abortion if a boyfriend did not want the baby). However, the child does seem to have made her very happy & Alison does raise valuable worthwhile issues about political correctness, the sexuality of disabled people & women in general, & the ongoing discrimination against disabled people.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Everybody should read this inspiring book, 21 Mar 2009
By Howard Wilkins "unitarian and bookworm" (Burbage, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: My Life in My Hands (Paperback)
Despite being born with no arms, truncated legs, and vestigial feet Alison Lapper proves that if you are determined enough you can do anything. Abandoned at birth by a mother who could not cope physically or mentally with Alison's disabilities, she spent the first seventeen years of her life in a home in southern England. Life was tough in the home, but Alison's indomitable spirit rises above it all. When the home pushes her out reluctantly into the big wild she learns to drive a specially adapted car and passes her test at the first attempt. A failed marriage later she takes up again her lifelong passion for art, gains a First Class Honours degree in fine art, earns her living from art, gets an MBE, has a son, and has a ten foot high statue of herself on display in Trafalgar Square. There is a lovely moment when Alison and a friend meet the late Princess Diana one night in London and spend 20 minutes chatting.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars A very interesting read
This is a good book which gives an insight into the life of Alison Lapper and the challenges which she has faced. Read more
Published on 15 Sep 2006 by Nicky H

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational
For anyone out there that has brought up children or run into adversity in their life, and that's probably most of us - read this book. Let it be an inspiration to us all. Read more
Published on 2 Oct 2005 by carolross8

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