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“Let me speak. Let me speak,” says Teresa Heartchild, a self-talk poet, writer, and disability activist with Down Syndrome in the epigraph of the memoir, Freeing Teresa: A True Story About My Sister and Me by Franke James.
And speak she does, freeing herself from the boundaries set by other family members and the healthcare system. “In this heart-wrenching audiobook, a cast of thirteen actors recount the journey of Teresa’s unfortunately common experience. She was a victim of unjust medical treatment and nonconsensual housing placement—both by the Ontario government and her immediate family members. Actor Jackie Blackmore plays Franke James, the author and environmental activist. Teresa is played by the U.S. star Lauren Potter, and Dayleigh Nelson plays James’s husband, Bill.
By elevating Teresa’s activist voice as a prominent feature in the story, Freeing Teresa reveals how injustice and ableism can tear a family apart—but also how courageous love and the decision to listen to those who have been marginalized serves to build unbreakable bonds.
Franke James writes, “It all began with the question, ‘Where will Teresa live?’” In Toronto, Ontario, Canada 2013, six siblings wondered how to care for their youngest sister with Down Syndrome following their father’s anticipated death. Unfortunately, as is too often the case, these conversations took place without the knowledge and input of those directly involved: Teresa and her caretaker father.
Over several months, a corrosive division formed amongst the family, splitting Franke James from her beloved siblings and their spouses. This conflict quickly escalated until Teresa was wrongly removed from her home with her father and placed in a nursing home meant for end-of-life care without her consent. Armed with a camera, a recording device, and endless determination, Franke James and her husband set out to free Teresa from the unjust control the rest of her family extended over her and her father. Together, Teresa, Franke, Bill, and their father fight for Teresa’s human right to live where she wants and experience a full, happy life. But the path toward victory is rife with ruined relationships and painful ableism.
Freeing Teresa is not only a touching and inspiring story but a practical one as well.
Using her extensive background in climate change art and her political resistance to the Canadian government’s censorship, Franke James exposes the layers of injustice her sister faces through clearly articulated research about medical, legal, and interpersonal ableism. In doing so, she models practical activism skills for readers, including reading the fine print, documenting every conversation, asking probing questions, searching for alternative options, and listening to and prioritizing marginalized voices.
Together, the authors have constructed a well-researched, expertly documented, and beautifully articulated message of courage and endurance in the face of oppressive forces—even when they are directed from one’s own family. Freeing Teresa will leave readers inspired and in awe of the courageous love that drives true activism.
Over ten years after being freed from the nursing home that would have limited her potential as an empowered individual and activist, Teresa is thriving and inspiring countless artists and disability advocates worldwide. Teresa’s poems work as bookends for the memoir, appearing in the epigraphs at the start and end of the story. In the audiobook, Teresa’s voice is narrated by Hollywood actor Lauren Potter, who starred in the TV series Glee. Potter, who also has Down syndrome, acts as an authentic representative, allowing her to embody Teresa’s truth and express Teresa’s own voice.
This award-winning memoir is fueled by love and an endless drive toward equality—no matter the cost. After all, as Franke James writes, “The war is never won. The struggle for equality is never done. But sometimes by standing up for what’s right, you can make a difference.”
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