Who Wants Normal? - by Frances Ryan (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"We all need this book." -- Jameela Jamil

"A razor-sharp manifesto by one of Britain's most vital voices." -- Yomi Adegoke

"Exceptional." -- British Vogue

A groundbreaking memoir about what it means to be a disabled woman in Britain today -- from acclaimed journalist and author Frances Ryan -- featuring insights and personal stories from more than 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 go a bit mad. To experience pain or exhaustion or feel 92. To navigate all the standard parts of life -- exams, careers, dating -- but with a body that's different from everyone else's."

Part memoir, part manifesto, and filled with Frances Ryan's trademark warmth, humor, and honesty (alongside hard-hitting facts), Who Wants Normal? explores six key aspects of life: education, careers, body image, health, relationships, and representation -- as well as how to survive life's inevitable bumps in the road.

Drawing on Ryan's own experiences and deeply personal interviews with more than 50 of Britain's most prominent women and non-binary people with mental and physical health conditions -- including Jameela Jamil, Ruth Madeley, Sophie Morgan, Rosie Jones, Fearne Cotton, Emma Barnett, Tanni Grey-Thompson, Marsha de Cordova MP, Ellie Goldstein, and Katie Piper -- this book breaks the silence surrounding disability with empathy, candor, and courage.

Who Wants Normal? shatters stereotypes and offers solidarity, hope, and inspiration to the one in four women living with long-term health conditions -- while opening the eyes of anyone seeking to better understand what life with a disability is really like.

"Beautiful, vital, and important. I loved it." -- Jack Thorne

"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 humor. Readers will find stories here to inspire, enrage, and encourage." -- The Observer

Review Quotes

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"

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"

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"

Illuminating and spirited - such a necessary book-- "Marina Hyde"

One of the most interesting and important writers working in the UK today-- "Nish Kumar"

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"

This book is beautiful, vital and important. I loved it-- "Jack Thorne, writer of Adolescence"

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"

About the Author

Frances Ryan is an award-winning journalist and author. For the past decade, she has been a columnist and reporter for The Guardian. Named Commentator of the Year 2024 by the Society of Editors, Ryan's work has appeared on the front pages of The New York Times, The Guardian, and British Vogue. Her reporting has helped change government policy, been discussed in the House of Commons, and featured across major media outlets including Channel 4 News, BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour, and The World Tonight.

​Her debut book, Crippled (Verso, 2019), was shortlisted for the Bread and Roses Award 2020 and adapted into the BBC short drama Hen Night in 2021. Twice highly commended at the National Press Awards, Ryan was named one of Britain's "30 Exceptional Women Journalists" by Women in Journalism in 2022. That same year, she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Ryan lives in Nottingham and holds a PhD in politics from the University of Nottingham.