Author(s): Charlotte Peirse

NZ biography

I have cerebral palsy and this is my attempt at passing on some of what it is to have a physical disability and how life has panned out for me.

In her beautifully illustrated memoir, Lottie describes her life in a clear-eyed and whimsical way — from loving family to institutional care to independence and beyond. Here Goes… is both a social history of living disabled in New Zealand from 1962 to 2017 and a personal reflection on making a good life undeterred by vulnerability, dependence and an ageing body. Lottie imbues her recollections with a sense of joy — in her words, "so wonderful to be free with all my thoughts and my dreams".