Such a Pretty Girl. Nadina LaSpina

       Nadina LaSpina

      New Village Press • New York

      Copyright © 2019 Nadina LaSpina

      All rights reserved. Except for brief portions quoted for purposes of review, no part of this book may be reprinted, reproduced, or utilized in any medium now known or hereafter invented without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

      Published in the United States by

      New Village Press

       [email protected]

       www.newvillagepress.org

      New Village Press is a public-benefit, nonprofit publisher

      Distributed by New York University Press

      Paperback ISBN: 978-1-61332-099-0

      Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-61332-103-4

      EBook ISBN: 978-1-61332-104-1

      EBook Institutional ISBN: 978-1-61332-105-8

      Publication Date: July 2019

      First Edition

      Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

      Available online at http://catalog.loc.gov

      Front cover and frontispiece photo of the author at age 4 or 5, courtesy of the author. Back cover photo: Nadina LaSpina being arrested at the Occupy Wall Street action, New York City, November 17, 2011. Photo credit: Stephanie Keith. Courtesy of Stephanie Keith.

      Interior photos are courtesy of the author except where indicated.

      Cover design: Lynne Elizabeth

      Interior design and composition: Jordan Wannemacher

       This book is dedicated to my parents,Giovanni and Maria LaSpina,and to my husband,Daniel Robert,in memoriam

      Those with power can affordTo tell their storyOr not.

      Those without powerRisk everything to tell their storyAnd must.

       —FROM THE POEM “TELLING,” BY LAURA HERSHEY, POET AND DISABILITY RIGHTS ACTIVIST

      In this memoir, aesthetic and emotional truth is given precedence over factual truth. To protect privacy, the names and characteristics of some people and places are changed, and, in some cases, two or more individuals are made into one. Some events in my personal life are compressed and their sequence altered to improve the flow of the narrative. Dialogue is recreated. The disability language changes according to the usage of the times. I use “cripple” in some instances for its shock value. I regret if anyone is offended. In no way do I intend to speak for all people with all different types of disabilities.

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