Look Ma, No Hands is a celebration of writing and a sensitive exploration of chronic pain

book review

Look Ma, No Hands is a celebration of writing and a sensitive exploration of chronic pain

Journalist and cartoonist Gabrielle Drolet's memoir details her experience of coming of age alongside chronic pain from a herniated disc.

The first editorial cartoon that ever made me cackle felt like a personal attack. The graphic showed two black lines dressed in cowboy boots and 10-gallon hats, facing each other as if poised to draw pistols. A piece of paper – in my mind, a work in progress of some sort, perhaps an essay or newspaper column – rested beneath them.

The italicized caption was perfect: “This paragraph ain’t big enough for this many em dashes.”

Any editor of mine will confirm: I have an em-dash problem. As such, I’ve never hit “purchase” on a product so quickly – a fram