In Disposable, senior New York magazine writer Sarah Jones brings readers the stories of essential workers and those connected to them, whose lives were forever changed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Written with brutal honesty, Disposable is an unflinching look at a country that does less than nothing to protect its most vulnerable people.
Deborah Smith, who "was never without a job--sometimes two at once," and had a "slight intellectual disability," wasn't able to achieve a stable living situation until late in life, but remained incredibly optimistic about the future. She died of a heart attack that was suspected to have been caused by Covid-19 after she delayed care due to the high cost of an emergency room visit. Richard Proia lost his job as an accountant in the 2008 financial crisis, and never recovered his former middle-class status. Proia became ill in 2020 but was sent home from the hospital without being tested for Covid-19, due to his financial status and lack of fever. He died later that month after finally being admitted and testing positive.
These are just two of the many heart-wrenching cases Jones recounts with care and compassion. Through interviews with the families of those who died--who are often essential workers or impoverished themselves--as well as activists and community organizers, Jones paints a clear picture of people who were left behind by their government. She urges readers to remember that "injustice is a human creation" and that treating people this way is a choice. Infuriating but vital, Disposable will be especially appreciated by readers of The Anti-Ableist Manifesto and Evicted. --Alyssa Parssinen, freelance reviewer and former bookseller