BOOKS


Author Intervi


uthor Interview Rosie Jone Jones


Comedian Rosie Jones has added another string to her bow by authoring a children’s book series—the sort of titles she says she needed as a child


Y Lucia Lucia Osborn


Osborne-Crowley @luc aoc_


@luciaoc_


Edie Eckhart, was published by Hachete on 5th August. The children’s book tells the story of Edie, who, as Jones puts it, is a “funny, smart, ambitious, stubborn girl who is starting secondary school for the first time—and she also happens t be someone who suffers from cerebral palsy.”


The children’s book tells the st puts it, is a “funny


t, ambitious, stubborn girl who is


starting secondary school for the first time—and she also happens to be someone who suffers from cerebral palsy.” Jones, who suffers from cerebral palsy herself, told me that as a kid, you could not tear her away from her books; reading was her first love. “It’s how my parents always knew I would be OK—no mater what happened with my condition, I would always have my books,” she says. But the problem was that none of the books she loved and took comfort in had disabled charact


that as a kid, you could not tear her away from her books; reading was her first love. “It’s how my parents always knew I would be OK—no mater what happened with my condition, I would always have my books,” she says. But the problem was that none of the books she loved and took comfort in had disabled characters. Jones says no mater how many books she read, she couldn’t find anyone whose life looked like hers; it meant she couldn’t


In my adult brain I now realise how da


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damaging that can be for a yo


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canbefora child, if you don’t seedon’t see


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no mater how many books she read, she couldn’t find anyone whose life looked like hers; it meant she couldn’t imagine what her life would look like. “In my adult brainimagine what her life would look like. “In my adult brain I now realise how damaging that can be for a child, if you don’t see yourself in books or on TV or in the media,” J ells me. “It means you don’t value yourself, and it means imagine how your life will pan out.


it’


“I wanted t write the book I needed as a child,” she adds. Enter Edie, a girl who is the centre of her own story and who navigates life with her disabilit in the best way she can. “Edie has cerebral palsy,” Jones says, “but it’s not


“I wanted to write the book I needed as a child,” she adds. Enter Edie, a girl who is the centre of her own st igates life with her disabilit in the best way


she can. “Edie has cerebral palsy,” Jones says, “but it’ only a book about disabilit. Her disabilit comes up in the. Her disabilit comes up in the book, in the same way it comes up in real life, but it’s not


book, in the same way it comes up in real life, but it’ her only qualit.” Jones says this is exactly why we need more disabled voices in comedy, in books, in films and on


more disabled voices in comedy, in books, in films and on TV, because having so litle representation leads peopleing so litle representation leads people to flaten the identities of disabled people, and force them t become two-dimensional characters in their own lives. “Being disabled is not a personalit trait,” she says.


to flaten the identities of disabled people, and force them to become two-dimensional characters in their own lives. “Being disabled is not a personalit trait,” she says.


18 24th Se 24th September 2021 ber 2021


I now realise how damaging that can be for a child, if you don’t see yourself in books or on TV or in the media,” Jones tells me. “It means you don’t value yourself, and it means it’s hard to imagine how your life will pan out.


ou have probably heard all about the stellar British comedian Rosie Jones, who rose to the top of her field despite all the barriers facing disabled people, and women, in comedy. But you might not know that she’s also a brilliant writer, and that her first book,er, and that her first book, The Amazing Edie Eckhartt


ou have probably heard all about the stellar British field despite all the barriers facing disabled people,


and women, in comedy. But you might not know that she’ The Amazing


y of Edie, who, as Jones


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