I Reclaimed My Child

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Chilton Company, 1959. Near-fine; one small short tear to dust jacket, wear to head and tail of jacket.. First edition of a "simply and beautifully written story of a family into which a r******d child was born", in which a mother turns a perceived tragedy--the birth of a child with Down Syndrome--into a triumph and a blessing. As always with books written on the subject of mental illness or differently-abled people in the 1950s, the book uses the "R" word frequently, as well as the term "Mongoloid Child" to refer to a person with Down Syndrome/trisomy 21. Both of these terms were perceived to be acceptable at the time, and (truncated) were not slurs or derogatory terms as they are today. Single vol. (8.25" by 5.5"), pp. 89, [1], original light orange publisher's cloth printed in black on spine, with original illustrated dust jacket. Not price clipped. An important account of motherhood and negotiating with ableism and ableist sentiments-- whether in society, or the self. (Inventory #: 23013733)