THE WORLDWIDE CHURCH OF THE HANDICAPPED -- BOOK REVIEW

THE WORLDWIDE CHURCH OF THE HANDICAPPED

By Heidi Johnson-Wright

In these days of unchecked political correctness, writing about people with disabilities can be a risky proposition. The inclination is to tread lightly, and not be too honest or too direct for fear of upsetting someone. Even worse, the author may lapse into sentimentality or depictions of inspirational “supercrip” characters.

In The Worldwide Church of the Handicapped, Marie Sheppard Williams deftly avoids these traps and stares reality square in the eye. She knows that people with disabilities are just like everyone else. They have jobs and marriages, they have hopes and dreams. Like everybody else, they also can be quirky, ill-mannered, or just not very nice. It’s these quirks and peculiarities that make them interesting people and intriguing characters.

The Worldwide Church is a collection of fictional short stories, most of which revolve around a rehabilitation center for the blind. Williams’ stories are based in fact, drawn from her two-plus decades as a social worker. Through Joan -- the narrator and likewise a social worker -- we get a first-person perspective of daily life in a place where laughter and an appreciation for the absurd are vital to maintaining one’s sanity.

The author expertly uses humor to make weighty subjects, such as euthanasia, palatable. In Poor Raymond, Joan deals with a cantankerous client who frequently, and matter-of-factly, asks her to kill him.

Williams blends just the right amount of pathos with the humor to avoid coming off as flippant or cavalier. Consequently, we’re not laughing at Raymond’s suffering but rather at Joan’s strange predicament.

Williams makes the eccentricities of the characters the focus of the story in “A Blight on Society.” Vickie and Grange, a couple with visual impairments, are strange birds indeed. Their case is referred to Joan, who learns they have multiple problems, not the least of which is bad taste. The high point of the story comes when Joan compassionately counsels Vickie surrounded by Grange’s terrifyingly tacky artwork. We identify with Joan’s attempts to stifle a belly laugh in the midst of a ridiculous and stressful situation.

Some of the stories have plots, others are more pastiches of comical events and witty observations. “Miracle” deals with Joan’s admitted uncomfortableness around dwarfs. She ponders her reaction, sharing her feelings with friends. In the sequel story, “The Dwarf Collector,” her friends respond with tales of dwarf sightings, which Joan relates to us with detached amusement.

Williams cleverly addresses how someone with heightened sensitivity can still be freaked out, as it were, by certain disabilities. Even laid back Joan has her limits.

At its best, Williams’ style is akin to that of author/monologuist Spalding Gray. Both are superb storytellers who bring us into their worlds while they regale us with hilarious tales of bizarre situations and loopy acquaintances.


Heidi Johnson-Wright is an author and nationally-recognized advocate for people with disabilities.

The Worldwide Church of the Handicapped is a collection of short stories by Marie Sheppard Williams (Coffee House Press, $12.95).