Brittle Joints
At a slim 160 pages, Brittle Joints presents the story of disabled queer artist, Maria Sweeney, as she navigates her 
day-to-day world. Sweeney has Bruck Syndrome, a rare autosomal disease due to multiple congenital joint contractures. It presents itself with bone fragility and recurrent fractures which is also known as brittle joints.
Sweeney’s elegant drawings and poignant story telling gives life to her struggles as a disabled person maneuvering an able-bodied world with her cane or wheelchair. She points the reality where doors are not wide enough for her chair, or no ramps available to get into the building, or steps too wide apart for safe footing. As an able-bodied person, these are not things I think about when I’m out and about. It does not cross my mind if the door is wide enough for me to get through of if no ramp is available for me to get from point a to point b. For Sweeney, these are things she battles with anytime she leaves her home.
(Sweeney points out how the world can benefit from universal design which is the composition of an environment that can be accessed by anyone regardless of their age, ability, or size. Universal design applies to both physical and virtual environments. An example of universal design is dropped curbs that allow wheelchairs and other mobility devices easier access from the road to the sidewalk.)
Sweeney’s vignettes are dated but are not in consecutive order so her adoption to American parents (Sweeney was born in Moldova) comes after a recent trip to a specialist. I think most of us are used to a linear story line and that something that doesn’t follow a logical sequence can be confusing but not in Brittle Joints. I didn’t find myself perplexed with the time jumps, I thought it added to the cohesiveness of her story. Some days she feels good, and the world is a beautiful place while others she’s in constant pain and even getting out of bed is a struggle. Sweeney bookends these events so that her story feels fully formed rather than disconcerting.
As someone who has arthritic flare-ups in my right ankle, I felt empathy with Sweeney when she documents that she’s been on various pain killers for so long, they no longer help. Discovering pot in college, there is relief from her pain that prescription drugs can no longer touch. She’s dependent on obtaining pot from friends and friends of friends until New Jersey finally allows those with musculoskeletal pain to obtain medical marijuana cards. But even with the long list of documentation, Sweeney fights for the right to get the pain relief she needs and the hoops she needs to jump such as driving several hours away to the closest dispensary.
But even with Sweeney’s trials and tribulations of day to day living, she peppers her story with the beauty of the world from petting her dog Bambi to the sun on her face on a beautiful day or the vulnerability she shares with her partner, Eros. Sweeney makes clear that life is more than just pain and suffering; that the in-moment events can provide a balm to a painful experience.
Sweeney is originally self-taught but honed her craft in illustration at the Moore College of Art & Design in Philadelphia where she graduated with her BFA. Her illustrations are muted and she uses a darker palette when she draws about her pain and brighter colors when she is expressing joy. In a recent interview, Sweeney was asked about the use of nature as primary motif in her work, and she responded that the nature gives her everything she needs and that water is healing for her. “I am the most free in nature when my body is supported by gentle waters.” (27) (This is something I recognize that I feel the most whole when I’m also in water swimming or just floating around.)
If you’ve been following my reviews, I’ve been concentrating on books from marginalized writers and artists. Brittle Joints is a wonderful example of a life that is different (living with a debilitating disease) and yet also relatable (exploring the joy of living even amidst chronic pain). Brittle Joints gives a worldview that is at the same time educational and passionate. Highly recommend.
Brittle Joints
By Maria Sweeney
Street Noise Books, 2024
ISBN: 9781951491260
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+)
Creator Representation: Moldovan-American, Chronic Illness,
Character Representation: Moldovan-American, Chronic Illness,
Vi was supposed to enter Arden High with her twin brother, but then he decided to go off to boarding school. Now Vi is starting high school alone and she is not happy about it. Plus, at Arden High, humans like Vi attend alongside fairies, ghosts, and other magical creatures, so it’s disorienting, to say the least.
