24 September 2018

Beauty and the Wheelchair: Mary Settle Releases New Book "The Mansion," A Story of Acceptance

Mary Settle
Mary Settle
How many times have you seen somebody who was different and felt afraid?  Maybe he walked different.  Maybe he talked different.  Maybe he could not talk at all.  
In her new book, The MansionMary Settle takes the classic tale of beauty and the Beast, and turns it into a lesson on accepting people with disabilities.
The story starts with a high school student who was assigned to tutor a boy in a wheelchair.  Afraid that the rumors about him being an angry and mean boy are true, she dreads meeting the awful boy in the wheelchair.  

As she gets to know him better, she learns that he is just like everybody else.  
This is an issue that is particularly close to Settle's heart.  She was born with Cerebral Palsy which affects her entire body.  She describes herself as having "a handicap and a disability.   A handicap is something that creates obstacles designed to overcome.  A disability means you're not abled.  My handicap is Cerebral Palsy.  My disability is people who treat me like I'm not abled."
The Mansion - Front Cover
The Mansion - Front Cover (via Amazon)
Her Cerebral Palsy was caused by the umbilical cord getting wrapped around her neck during birth.  
Despite doctors' predictions that she would be a vegetable, unable to think, dream, or feel, she has graduated high school, went to college, and is raising three beautiful daughters.
The Mansion can be purchased on Amazon 
SOURCE: Mary Settle