How to Tell When We Will Die expands upon Hedva’s paradigm-shifting perspective in a series of slyly subversive and razor-sharp essays that range from the theoretical to the personal—from Deborah Levy and Susan Sontag to wrestling, kink, mysticism, death, and the color yellow. Drawing from their experiences with America’s byzantine healthcare system, and considering archetypes they call The Psychotic Woman, The Freak, and The Hag in Charge, Hedva offers a bracing indictment of the politics that exploit sickness—relying on and fueling ableism—to the detriment of us all.
Author: Johanna Hedva
Publisher: Hillman Grad Books
“In these sharp essays, novelist Hedva reflects on living with chronic illness . . .They push back against misogynistic associations between illness and a concept of femininity defined by weakness and fragility, instead asserting that “you don’t need to be fixed, my queens—it’s the world that needs the fixing.” Hedva’s philosophical takes on disability are consistently illuminating, even if the subject matter makes for heavy reading . . . Probing and sophisticated, this is worth seeking out.” – Publisher's Weekly
“This is a book for the moment and for the ages. It’s questing, pissed, propulsive, funny, generous, pervy, and original—full of love and pain in all their entwined glory. Hedva lays waste to solidarity and care as buzzwords and returns them to us enlivened with all the blood and paradox they deserve. I will be thinking in the wake of this important collection for a long time, no doubt alongside so many grateful others.” – Maggie Nelson, Author of The Argonauts
“Invites the reader into an ecstatic circle dance in order to generate expansive approaches to talking about disability, illness, care, sex, and community.” – Lily Kwak, Interview Magazine
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