Brilliant Imperfection

Eli Clare’s book “Brilliant Imperfection” explores the idea of cure—the widely held notion in society that people with “broken” bodies and minds require repair. Clare explores this complex idea through a combination of history, memoir, and critical analysis. Cure can be used to manipulate people, save lives, or give some lives more importance than others. The book emphasizes the importance of body-mind distinction by fusing race, disability, sexual orientation, class, and gender. In the end, Clare exposes cure as an ideology based on opposed ideas of necessity and normalcy.