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

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.

‘Beautiful, vital and important. I loved it’ Jack Thorne, writer of Adolescence

‘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

Publisher Review

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 * 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 * Disability is an unnecessarily awkward subject for far too many people given the millions and millions of people within our society who engage with it daily, either due to their own health struggles, or those of someone they love. Frances has a talent for de-stigmatising the conversation and pushing past the uncomfortable to the necessary in an engaging and undeniable fashion. An inimitable voice in disability advocacy. We all need this book * Jameela Jamil *