The complex, realistic portrayals of physicaldisabilities in both of t - PDF document

ALAN REVIEW The complex, realistic portrayals of physicaldisabilities in both of these novels can help youngeaders to think critically about their personal viewsand can play an important role in the evolution of aoung personÕs sense of self. Young people, especially,need to develop critical faculties in order to lookbeyond the surface of stories in order to understandwhich values and beliefs are being conveyed. If youngadult fiction is to provide a forum for discussion ofdifferences, it is important that literature does notserve merely to perpetuate myths and stereotypesabout disabilities but rather to provide a foundationwith which to face crises and forge new identities(Brown and Stephens).Donna Sayers Adomat is an assistant professor in theDepartment of Literacy, Culture & Language Education inthe School of Education at Indiana University,Bloomington. She teaches undergraduate and graduatecourses in childrenÕs and adolescent literature and inliteracy theory and methods. Her research centers onchildrenÕs and adolescent literature, drama and literaryunderstanding, and disabilities studies. She can beeached at dadomat@indiana.edu or 3010 W.W. WrightBuilding, 210 N. Rose Ave., Bloomington, IN 47401.orks CitedAndrews, Sharon. ÒInclusion Literature: A Resource Listing.Ó ALAN5.3 (1998). Digital Library. 4 Jan. 2009 scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/AL&#xhttp;&#x://0;AN/spring98/andrews.htmloung Adult Literature.Ó ALAN Review 6.3 (1999). DigitalLibrary. 4 Jan. 2009 .lib.vt.edu/ejournals/AL&#xhttp;&#x://s;hol; r41;&#x.400;AN/spring99/brown.htmlCarroll, Pamela S. and L. Penny Rosenblum. ÒThrough TheirEyes: Are Characters with Visual Impairments PortrayedRealistically in Young Adult Literature?Ó 43.7 (2000): 620-630.Crutcher, Chris. New York:Greenwillow Books, 1987.Davis, Lennard J. ÒConstructing Normalcy.Ó Studies Reader. Ed. Lennard J. Davis. New York: Routledge,1997. 1-28.Social Interaction, Discrimination, and Activism.Ó 44.1 (1988): 3-21.Gartner, Alan and Tom Joe. Eds. . New York: Praeger, 1987.Hahn, Harlan. ÒThe Politics of Physical Differences: Disability andDiscrimination.Ó 44.1 (1988): 39-47.ent, Deborah. ÒDisabled Women: Portraits in Fiction andDrama.Ó Gartner and Tom Joe. New York: Praeger, 1987. 46-63.Kriegel, Leonard. ÒThe Cripple in Literature.Ó . Eds. Alan Gartner and Tom Joe.New York: Praeger, 1987. 31-46.Landrum, Judith E. ÒAdolescent Novels that Feature Characterswith Disabilities: An Annotated Bibliography.Ó 42.4 (1999): 284-290.McDermott, Ray and Herve Varenne. ÒCulture as Disability.Ó6.3 (1995): 324-348.Myracle, Lauren. ÒMolding the Minds of the Young: The Historyof Bibliotherapy as Applied to Children and Adolescents.ÓALAN Review 22.2 (1995). Digital Library. 4 Jan. 2009.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/winter95/Smith-DÕArezzo, Wendy M. and Susan Thompson. ÒTopics ofStress and Abuse in Picture Books for Children.Ó .4 (2006): 335-347.Steiner, Stanley F. ÒWho Belongs Here? Portraying AmericanIdentity in ChildrenÕs Picture Books.Ó (June 1998): 20-27.oigt, Cynthia. Izzy, Willy-Nilly. New York: Atheneum Books foroung Readers, 1986. h40_47_TAR_Win093/6/09, 2:08 PM47 ALAN REVIEW not beyond, the pain of oneÕs existenceÓ (38). Outsideof the town where he has grown up, Willie is able toaccept his disability and change. His return home atthe end of the novel shows an environment that is notonly intolerant of WillieÕs disability but of othersÕpersonal shortcomings, as well.Willie leaves the environment where he is seenonly as a sports icon and joins a group of teenagersou were crippled for goodÓ (213).art of WillieÕs transformation, however, has beenachieved through the support of his new friends in anenvironment where difference is accepted andstrengths are developed. In his home environment,Willie quickly reverts back to feeling only limitations:Ò[H]e feels crippled here, like he did before he leftÓable to create a new self out of his accident, rage,courage, and resourcefulness, but he needs an envi-onment that will mirror his new self rather thanIzzy, Willy-Nilly The Crazy Horse Electric Gameaccurately portray the emotions that young peopleould face in dealing with a sudden physical disabil-ity, which attests to the popularity of these novels overthe years. A close analysis reveals that many positive,but also some negative messages, about disabilitiesare embedded within the texts. Izzy questions theorld of appearances after her accident. She realizesthat her friendships are based on the superficialconcerns of physical appearance and are not able tostand up to a crisis. The book provides many insightswith a sudden disability. However, there are manystereotypes about disabilities that are not sufficientlychallenged in the novel. Izzy is portrayed, for the mostpart, as a passive victim of her circumstances. Deroga-disability, such as Òcrippled.Ó She is viewed as theobject of peopleÕs pity, someone who needs to beprotected, and dependent on others, and incapable ofindependently participating in everyday life.Willie, at the beginning of the book, is alsopresented as a victim, his own worst enemy, pitiable,pathetic, and the object of violence. Crazy Horse,however, evolves beyond this state. Throughout thebook, information about his disability and ways inwhich to cope with it are provided through a series ofconversations with therapists. WillieÕs story becomesinterwoven with the stories of the other characterswho are attending the alternative high school. Thefocus shifts away from the disability and shiftstowards WillieÕs maturity and transformation with thehelp of others in the story. he story of WillieÕsdisability is interwoventity, friendship, physical who are struggling with theiridentities as outsiders. TheWillieÕs adjustment to hisdisability, but on the lives ofthe other characters whoalso undergo transforma-tions. Willie has helpedLacey, the man who tookThe story of WillieÕs disabil-ity is interwoven withthemes that every adolescentdence, identity, friendship, physical appearancesÑasell as other subplots, such as street gang violence.Willie makes a speech at his high school gradua-tion and credits the people he met at the alternativehigh school for helping him to achieve autonomy onceagain: ÒThis school . . . saved my life. . . . Nobodyhere preached at me. . . . They let me figure it out forself, demanded that I figure it out for myselfÓ(Crutcher 200). Willie gained insights that his Òmindand body are just different parts of the same thing,and there are not limits for either, that most of theeally important answers are already inside meÓ (200).With this statement, the focus is shifted from WillieÕsstruggles with his disability to larger issues that everyOne criticism of CrutcherÕs complex and realisticportrayal of Willie is perhaps an overemphasis on howmuch Willie was able to return to Ònormal.Ó Hemeasures his recovery by how well he is able to playbasketball with nondisabled peers, and his physicaltherapy regime is so successful that it is Ònearlyimpossible to tell there was anything wrong with himÓ(195). Even his best friend Johnny does not immedi-ately recognize him when he returns home to Mon-tana: ÒGod, I canÕt believe how you look. I thought h40_47_TAR_Win093/6/09, 2:08 PM46 ALAN REVIEW In his new environment, many of the studentsattending One More Last Chance High School are alsofacing difficulties and obstacles in their personal lives.physical disability or emotional difficulties. He is givenshelter by Lacey, an estranged father who is respon-sible for the disfigurement of his own son. Lisa, thegym teacher at his new school, who is also studyingphysical therapy and sports medicine, teaches himvisualization and movement techniques. Willie joins ahealth club and Sammy, a Tai Chi instructor, teacheshim to harmonize both body and mind. Willie realizesthat a large part of his bodyÕs ÒcooperationÓ with himIn contrast to IzzyÕs situation, many people inWillieÕs environment help him to achieve greaterindependence and autonomy by giving him encour-agement, friendship, skills, and opportunities for talkand reflection. Both novels reveal that the restrictionsindividual but rather may be located more powerfullyin the social world in which people live. Neither Willieidentity. Willie needs to escape a community that hasfriendship outside a circle of friends who haveshunned her. Both become outsiders and, with thehelp of other outsiders, are able to transform them-selves.Crazy Horse reveal certainsocietal attitudes and beliefs towards persons withdisabilities; they are also both reflective of a literarytradition that has portrayed characters with disabilitiesas either victims or survivors. As a victim, a characteris portrayed coping with a disability either by sufferingself-blame or by denying that he or she is reallysuffering. The disability becomes central to thepersonÕs self-concept, self-definition, social compari-sons, and reference groups (Fine and Asch 3-21). Thisperson assumes a role of helplessness, dependence,and passivity. People with disabilities, therefore, areseen as the recipients of help or pity. The role inliterature of these victims soothes middle class values,because he or she refuses to accept the disability as asource of rage (Kriegel 31-46).or most of the novel, Izzy is characterized as avictim. She admonishes herself for causing discomfortto others: ÒI minded the guilty feelings I was having,for causing all the changesÓ (Voigt 146). She blamesherself Òas if I was being punished, as if it was myfaultÓ (71). She tries to excuse the behavior of herfriends: Òprobably it made them sick to look at me. . .. [T]hey had more interesting things to doÓ (75). Otherpeople convey to her their pity: ÒWe all feel so bad forou, it seems so cruel and unnecessary and . . . itÕs aIn real life, there is rarely anyone to blame for adisability. Kent states that most disabilities occur as in WillieÕs environmentgreater independenceand autonomy by givingopportunities for talk the result of natural causes,illnesses. IzzyÕs disability,however, is not the result ofnatural causes. She isportrayed as a victim,someone physically damagedImages of disabled women inliterature as victim Òserve tois inadequate and helpless,[and] more vulnerable thanher disabled peersÓ (59).omen tend to be portrayedas victims in literature muchmore often than men, to beshown as the lonely outsider,judged unattractive due toof the novel, however, Izzy begins to make her firststrides towards independence.Crazy Horse, Willie is portrayed as a survivor.Although he is initially the object of pity and evenviolence from others, his character undergoes consid-erable transformation in coping with his disability. Inmodern literature, protagonists often lack a sense ofwholeness or are victimized by the limitations ofhumanity (Kriegel 31-46). The image of the moderncharacter with disabilities is often one who endures,and as a survivor, discovers that he is an outsider in aorld that possesses growing doubts about its insid-ers: ÒHe has been ennobled not by his condition but his willingness to accept the condition as his own. endure is to outlast circumstance, to step into, if h40_47_TAR_Win093/6/09, 2:08 PM45 ALAN REVIEW gence, however, are somewhat devalued by herphysical appearance and social status, Òsort of lumpyand badly dressed and not prettyÓ (191). AlthoughIzzy is grateful for RosamundeÕs companionship, herparents seem to disapprove of Rosamunde, especiallyIzzyÕs mother, who comments several times on herphysical appearance: ÒShe probably feels uncomfort-able because of the way she looks . . . with that nose?And that hair? And her figure?Ó (125). IzzyÕs motheralso comments unfavorable about the profession ofosamundeÕs father: ÒThe city police are lower on theespectability scale than the state policeÓ (171).Still, Izzy realizes that Rosamunde has been moreof a genuine friend than the friends who are nowshunning her: ÒShe wasnÕt the kind of person who Ihad for friends . . . . [S]he was different. . . . Except Iknew I like talking to her. . . . [W]hen she came to seethe usual human form or includes physical traitsegarded as unappealingÓ (42). The fears are ex-pressed by a tendency to shun those with undesirablebodily attributes, which are used to differentiate themfrom the rest of the population. Those people areplaced in subordinate positions within society, elicitserious discomfort, make others feel anxious, and areviewed as inferior and threatening. These anxieties areprevalent in a society that places Òextraordinary stresson beauty and attractivenessÓ (Hahn 43).IzzyÕs friendship with Rosamunde serves to about how surfaceappearances can be misleading. Rosamunde explainsto Izzy that, if you look different, Òyou have to face upto peopleÕs preconceptions right away. . . . You canÕthide itÓ (138). Rosamunde has been marginalizedbecause of her appearance, her open and directbehavior, and her social status, yet Izzy comes toealize that RosamundeÕs friendship and support aremore genuine than what she has been receiving fromillieÕs Social WorldWillieÕs interactions with others evolve as the novelprogresses. After his accident, Willie is seen by othersand views himself as a pathetic victim of circum-stances and somewhat pitiable. His friends, however,do not desert him. Willie feels that he is a burden tothem and that brings on the breakup with his girl-friend, Jen, and the added tension between hisparents. He tends to view himself as his own worstenemy. WillieÕs accident takes the lid off unspokenproblems and tensions that have been simmering inhis family since the death of his baby sister two yearsearlier to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. His fatherhas been playing the role of stoic and trying to holdhis family together. He has had a great deal of his ownidentity invested in WillieÕs success as an athlete.When Willie is injured because of his fatherÕs careless-ness, he is unable to keep the facade from crumbling.In WillieÕs hometown, his identity is so wrappedmust leave and start a new life elsewhere. On his tripto Oakland, California, he is beaten up by a streetgang. He realizes, as the novel unfolds, that he hasbeen advertising himself as a victim, and he isdetermined to change. pretend that nothing hashave shunned her, andbreak the surface of real when my friends came tosee meÓ (176). Rosamundeis the only person in thetalk about her problems andher feelings of depression.Her family wants to pretendher friends have shunnedher, and the professionals atthe hospital never evenbreak the surface of realconversation. Rosamunde,only one who encourageswhen she is at home and when she eventually returnsIzzy struggles with issues of social acceptance,class values, dependence, and public attitudes versusprivate beliefs. Like Willie, her sudden disabilitybrings to the surface the values, expectations, andassumptions about the physical and behavioralattributes that people ought to possess. Society placesa high premium on physical and behavioral capabili-ties for mastering the environment, and suddendisability violates important cultural norms andalues. In IzzyÕs case, she engenders what Hahn hastermed Òaesthetic anxiety,Ó which are fears raised bypersons Òwhose appearance deviates markedly from h40_47_TAR_Win093/6/09, 2:08 PM44 ALAN REVIEW tells him: Ò[I]t just taps into what youÕve lost and youget angry at yourself and the world. . . . That goldenboy isnÕt you anymore, and as long as you keepmeasuring yourself up against him, youÕre gonna bemad as hell at everybodyÓ (70).Willie, like Izzy, views his changes as losses inelation to the ideal self he was before the accident.He, too, uses derogatory terms, such as Òcripple,Ó inell as his place in the community have been tied upwith his performance as an athlete. After the accident,he no longer feels that he fits in anymore and must goout of his community in order to heal.IzzyÕs Social WorldIzzy and WillieÕs views of themselves as disabled areshaped strongly by the reactions and attitudes of thepeople around them. Directly after the accident, Izzyis shunned by her friends. Although they visit her, it isclear that they feel awkward and uncomfortable. Theystare at her face, trying to avoid looking at heramputated leg: Ò[T]hey didnÕt have anything to say. . .. They just stood there saying nothingÓ (Voigt 47). Oneof her friends, Lauren, who is aspiring to be a model,oids entering the hospital room fully and neveractually speaks to her. Her best friend, Suzy, calls herbring charges against Marco, the boy responsible forMarco never apologizes or even speaks directly toIzzy, and although Izzy inflicts a form of mild revengeon him later in the book, she never confronts himdirectly about the accident or feels enraged aboutwhat happened. Her parents also do not want to presscriminal charges against Marco, because that is notthe Òkind of peopleÓ they consider themselves to be.IzzyÕs family fosters dependency in Izzy, which isa continuation of their behavior towards her beforethe accident. Her mother is an organizer and thesmoother-over of problems. Her reaction to IzzyÕsaccident is to redecorate the house so that Izzy haseasier access to the ground floor while she is wheel-chair-bound. Her father is portrayed as the familyprovider. For example, he announces that he will haveher physical therapy in the privacy of her own home.IzzyÕs younger sister is jealous and resentful of thespecial attention that Izzy is receiving, and her oldertwin brothers, star athletes and college students, areunable to discuss openly IzzyÕs disability with her.IzzyÕs sudden disability does not seem to bringabout significant changes in her family members. Herfamily tries to preserve appearances in the face of Izzy and WillieÕs views ofDirectly after the accident,visit her, it is clear that uncomfortable.desperately onto the statusquo. Part of it comes froma stiff-upper-lip mentality.They believe that peopleadversities but rather dealwith them as well aspossible. Much of theirbehavior is built onlifestyle. Their attitudes donot allow Izzy to expressany conflicts about hersituation or to developphysical limitations.Izzy does not makequestions, and acceptserything but then suffersin silence. IzzyÕs isolation and negative self-imagecause her to sink into a deep depression. Not only hasshe been shunned by her friends, but also her familymembers are unable to discuss her feelings of despairand confusion with her. None of the professionalsinvolved with her treatment is portrayed as providinginformation, advice, or therapy that contributes to heracceptance or understanding of her disability.The one ray of hope and help in her life isosamunde, a brainy acquaintance from Latin Club.osamunde is the only person who actually speaksno one else dares to: ÒNobody . . . was talking aboutwhat had happened, as if everyone was pretendingerything was normal and all rightÓ (82).osamunde, on the other hand, encourages Izzy toxpress herself: ÒCÕmon, Izzy, you can have a negativeosamundeÕs directness, honesty, and intelli- h40_47_TAR_Win093/6/09, 2:08 PM43 ALAN REVIEW able feeling that Big Will lived through Willie. WillieÕssuccesses were Big WillÕs too; and likewise hisfailuresÓ (22). Crutcher sets up the psychologicalpressure and tension right in the beginning of thenovel. Big Will is WillieÕs role model, but Big Will isalso living vicariously through Willie.WillieÕs performance in the Crazy Horse Electricbaseball game comes at the height of his physicalconversations with each other on shopping and boys.Izzy characterizes herself after the accident as beingdifferentiated from others, as well as her former selfbased on her physical characteristics. The labels thatshe applies to herself are ones that have tended toarouse strong feelings in others and are negative inconnotation: ÒThe words hammered on the back of ÔNot me,Õ I answered ÔNo, not me.Õ ÔNot me, pleaseÕÓ (54).Izzy depersonalizes her body as a means ofcoping with her accident. When the physical therapistarrives in her hospital room, she likens the massage ofscribes herself in terms of her physical deficit:Ò[T]hatÕs what I was, a thing, a messed-up bodyÓ(57). She describes the personal consequences of heraccident as resulting in deficits, or loss of ÒnormalcyÓ:I wasnÕt normal anymore. I was abnormal. I wasnÕt goingto be able to be a cheerleader, or even to walk around. IcouldnÕt ride my bike or play tennisÑI donÕt think crippledpeople could drive cars, not with only one leg. Not to men-tion dances . . .,who would ask me to dance with him now?Who would want to go out with a cripple? (61)ties shows that she her disability. She defines herselfin terms of what she is not, how she is deficient, howher life will be constricted, and how she is suddenlyabnormal. The language she uses tends to reinforce adeficit view of disability, which assumes that thosewho are different from the perceived norms aremissing something or are sick, helpless, or invalid(McDermott and Varenne 324-348; Gartner and Joe 2).Willie also has a similar reaction to the changes inbody as being ÒcooperativeÓ or Ònot cooperative.ÓBefore the accident, his body was Òhis friendÓ andould do anything he asked of it: ÒHe felt so fast andstrong and confident that nothing could touch himÓ(18). His identity was tied very closely to his perfor-mance as an athlete, his fatherÕs expectations of him,as well as his communityÕs traditions. After theaccident Willie ÒcanÕt get used to his body; hauling hisleft side around is like dragging small sacks of con-crete . . . [H]e feels like a circus freakÓ (80). Williealso feels an uncontrollable rage at his circumstances.He is angry and resentful at friends who are able to dothings that he is not longer able to do. His therapist psychological pressureand tension right in thebeginning of the novel.Big Will is WillieÕs rolemodel, but Big Will is through Willie.perfection. He feels like hecould do anything, and hisstronger every day. Thehis dad, and to the town.They need to defeat theteam that won a place in thechampionships three yearsin a row. Willie feels that hecannot let anyone down. Athard line drive that wouldhave snuffed out his teamÕsdream of the Easternchampionship, and they win. With the game ashistory, ÒWillie Weaver becomes a minor legendÓ (32).dolescents are in the process of coming to realizewho they are and where they stand in terms of familyand community. They want to belong, to fit in, and tofind their place in the larger whole (Steiner 20-27). Assoon as Izzy becomes aware of the consequences ofthe accident, she starts to talk about herself in the pasttense: ÒI liked myself pretty much exactly the way IasÓ (Voigt 3). Her new body is difficult for her toacknowledge, and she tends to discuss herself in thethird person, as if the real Izzy is somewhere else. Sheen imagines a Òlittle IzzyÓ within herself, who isable to express the emotions that Izzy cannot show tothe world.IzzyÕs accident almost cancels out her self-image,which has been built largely on physical appearance.She has been part of a circle of friends who areÒperfectly made up,Ó stylishly dressed, always dietingto keep their figures in shape, and who base their h40_47_TAR_Win093/6/09, 2:08 PM42 ALAN REVIEW pity, anger, depression, and rage. These reactionseflect societal perceptions of disabilities and influencethe formation of IzzyÕs and WillieÕs new identities asdisabled youth. This article looks critically at thebody images that form the charactersÕ identities andhow these identities are forged and challenged withintheir social worlds.Crazy Horse explore physical disabilitiesas well as the physical ideals held up for teens. Inestablishing ideals and norms, society ranks ourintelligence, weight, height, and many other bodilydimensions, especially emphasizing physical beautyand athletic prowess. This ideal, unobtainable formost people, is constantly present in the media andespecially influences young people. Fear of not beingable to meet the standard (normal source of anxiety for many teenagers, especially girls. understand how it feels to be disabled, it isimportant to understand how normalcy is constructed.population must or should somehow be part of it. Thedeviations or extremes, and often people with disabili-ties have been thought of as deviants (Davis 1-28). Onthe other extreme is the ideal body, something that isstrongly wished for, but rarely attained. CrazyHorse eal the attitudes and beliefs that the charac-ters hold about both extremes and how they definethemselves and others in those terms.Physical attractiveness and appearance play acentral role in Izzy, Willy-Nilly. VoigtÕs protagonist,Izzy, begins the novel as the ÒidealÓ high schoolstudentÑsuccessful, attractive, and athletic. Izzy hasalways been particularly concerned with how shelooks and describes herself and her friends in terms oftheir physical appearance, e.g., LaurenÕs Òash blondehair . . ., arched eyebrows she plucks carefully . . .,little Clara Bow mouth . . ., even at slumber partiesher face is perfectly made upÓ (Voigt 43). Izzy tends todownplay her own sense of physical perfection beforethe accident, however: Òboys would like me better if IdidnÕt show offÓ (47); rather, she emphasizes what anice person she is and how she will always try to dowhat is expected of her by others, especially familymembers.Izzy describes herself repeatedly as a ÒniceÓ girl:Nice suited me: pretty but nowhere near beautiful; popularenough, with girls and boys; although no jock, I could givesomebody a respectable game of tennis, and I was one ofonly three sophomores on the school cheerleading squad.A B student . . ., I did the work I was told to do and didnÕtmind school: just a nice person, easy to get along with, funto have around. (1)Although Izzy views herself as an average, normaltype of person, other characters in the book look atosamunde, her less attractive but more studiousfriend, refers to her as being part of the Òin-crowd,Ócoming from an almost Brahmin-like family, and being of anxiety for many teen- agers, especially girls.the object of great interestfrom boys: ÒYouÕre used topeople looking at you andenvying you, wishing they youÓ (241). There isa tension between cravingand emphasizing physicalbeauty and downplaying itxplicitly as well as tryingCrazy Horse,also represents an ideal ofathletic hero. WillieÕshero has assumed mythicproportions after hispitcher against the Crazy Horse Electric team. Coho,Montana, is a town with a long history of supportingathletics, and WillieÕs family has played a major rolein establishing the tradition. His grandfather donatedthe land for the baseball team and was a legendaryathlete in town and as a football, basketball, andbaseball player at the University of Notre Dame. Hisfather was also a hero, one who was voted mostaluable football player at the University of Washing-ton and played in the Rose Bowl. ÒIn Coho, they had aday in his honor, with a parade down Main StreetÓ(Crutcher 22). Willie is following in his fatherÕs andgrandfatherÕs illustrious footsteps. He wants his dad tobe proud of him, but Òthere was a vague, uncomfort- h40_47_TAR_Win093/6/09, 2:08 PM41 ALAN REVIEW oigtÕs Izzy, Willy-Nilly Izzy, Willy-Nilly (Cythnia Voigt, 1986) andThe Crazy Horse Electric Game (Chris Crutcher,1987), the teen protagonists face the life-alteringgainst her better judgment, fifteen-year-old Izzy let Marcodrive her home from the football teamÕs post-game partyen though he had been Òswilling beersÓ all night. Onceshe got into the car with him, Izzy realized that MarcoÕsdriving was impairedÑthe car was in the middle of theoad swerving from side to side, and suddenly she Òfelt theeight of the car swing out of control before I heard MarcoÕsoice, cursing, and I watched the treeÑan elmÑrise up atmeÓ (Voigt 26).When Izzy woke up in the hospital: ÒI moved my toes backand forth. At the end of my left leg the blanket twitched,but nothing happened under the flat white blanket on theest of the bed. I looked at my legs and one of them hadbeen cut off short foreverÓ (61).consequences of a sudden physical disability after anaccident. Twenty years after their publication, thesebooks by highly acclaimed authors Voigt and Crutchercontinue to be recommended for young adult readersas realistic portrayals of characters with disabilities,and both continue to be read and used widely inThe issue of disability even further complicatesthe already complicated path of adolescent develop-ment and the search for identity. Good young adultfiction can provide a foundation for adolescents toface crises and to forge new identities. Young adultliterature, Òin which characters encounter conflict andviolence, face its consequences, and assume responsi-bility for their actions,Ó can provide teachers andstudents with a positive form in which to Òwrestlewith complex problemsÓ (Brown and Stephens). Foradolescents with disabilities, the characters portrayedin books tend to influence how they develop their ownidentities and autonomy (Carroll and Rosenblum 620-630). Young adult literature can be effective in promot-ing understanding, awareness, and acceptance ofthose with disabilities and in creating positive atti-tudes towards others (Andrews; Myracle; Smith-DÕArezzo and Thompson 335-347).Crazy Horse take the reader on thejourney of transformation that Izzy and Willie experi-ence after they suffer accidents that leave themsuddenly disabled. IzzyÕs right leg is amputated afterher drunken date crashes his car into a tree, and Williesuffers brain injury from a waterskiing accident thatleaves him with a speech impediment and a loss ofmovement and control on his left side. Both novelsshow how self images are shattered as well as thethem. IzzyÕs adjustment to the loss of her leg isnarrated over the period of six months, and half thenovel relates her emotions directly after the accidentCrazy Horse takesplace over two years as Willie winds up leaving hiscommunity to seek a new life and to recover else-where. The sudden physical disabilities unleash a hostof reactions for the main characters and for familymembers and friends, including guilt, fear, avoidance, h40_47_TAR_Win093/6/09, 2:08 PM40