Too Late to Die Young: Nearly True Tales from a Life

Harriet McBryde Johnson was interviewed about her book Too Late to Die Young: Nearly True Tales from a Life, published by Henry Holt and Co. Harriet McBryde Johnson was born with congenital neuromuscular disease and has never been able to walk. In her memoir she recalls growing up in Charleston, South Carolina, her career as a civil rights attorney, the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, and her experiences as a disability activist. Because she wants kids with disabilities to grow up “prepared to survive,” not merely waiting to die, she has protested against the Jerry Lewis muscular dystrophy telethon for thirteen years. She answered questions from Ms. Ringelheim and from audience members. close