#DoitForRaven - Kaz Brekker
While Raven Reyes was the character that made me decide to try and do more when it came to the representation of disabled people in fiction, she’s not the only character over the last few years that had a significant impact on me.
The other was Kaz Brekker, from Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows duology.
I’m specifically talking about Kaz’s physical disability, but I do want to quickly mention that Six of Crows is a treasure trove of awesome representation. The cast is diverse, and the personal challenges – mental and physical – that they face are diverse too.
Kaz himself suffers from a severe case of PTSD that impacts him mentally, as well as physically. He wears gloves all the time, and is unable to bear physical touch. It is the one weakness he allows himself, mostly because it’s something he cannot control. Watching him move towards overcoming his mental health struggles throughout both books is incredibly rewarding, and incredibly important.
‘He’d broken his leg dropping down from the rooftop. The bone didn’t set right, and he’d limped ever after. So he’d found himself a Fabrikator and had his cane made. It became a declaration. There was no part of him that was not broken, that had not healed wrong, and there was no part of him that was not stronger for having been broken.’ Leigh Bardugo, Six of Crows
When it comes to his physical disability, it is never a weakness and that was incredibly impactful for me when reading. This is a series rife with danger. Kaz is the leader of a group about to undertake an ultra-risky heist, but his disability is never a weakness? Amazing. Of course, there are things he can’t do. But that’s why he has a team! They each contribute something. He is still more than capable of defending himself, having learned to use his cane as a weapon, and having honed his body to deal with his bad leg. This, combined with his other strengths, make him as strong as anybody and very dangerous.
And Kaz is really dangerous. He’s not a hero. He’s an anti-hero at best. He is hell bent on revenge, he is murderous and dark. That might make him sound like a strange character for me to revere, but diversity of representation is as important as diversity itself.
I really, REALLY recommend this awesome interview from Leigh Bardugo, over at Disability in Kid Lit. Leigh is a pretty spectacular human, as is Natasha Razi – the interviewer – and everybody should know it. I do want to draw attention to this part however:
‘This is going to sound ridiculous, but until I was deep into the draft, I didn’t give much thought to the fact that his disability mirrored my own. And now I kind of wonder if writing him was my way of making peace with the pain I was in and the increasing fear I was experiencing around a degenerative condition. I think I wanted to write someone disabled and ferocious, because that’s how I wanted to feel.’
There’s invisible pressure when you’re disabled, or chronically ill, to rise above it. You have to be strong. You have to overcome. You have to find a way. And that’s true. But it’s also true that it sucks. It’s taxing, to be in pain all the time. It’s exhausting to be a teenager, or a young adult, and to feel like you’re in a race against time because your body is crumbling at an accelerated rate. Sometimes you want to be angry. That’s why Kaz’s darkness is so effecting.
I have two main characters in separate works now who are physically disabled. The first – Fida – was born post Raven revelation. She came from the part of me that wants to be strong, always. She’s incredibly positive and hopeful. She won’t let her disability stop her from doing anything when she puts her mind to it. The other character – Kianna – came to me post Kaz Brekker. Or, I should say, post Leigh Bardugo - because Kianna isn’t all that much like Kaz. She’s dark – yes - but her disability is a weakness. Kianna was born from my anger and my bitterness. Giving voice to that small part of me was incredibly cathartic for me as a writer. Seeing characters like Kaz is equally important as a reader.
Of course, both Fida and Kianna will grow and develop. Fida will have her low points, and I hope that Kianna will find a way out of her depression. Still, that doesn’t change the fact that if I had not watched Raven on The 100 or read about Kaz Brekker, I might never have written either of them.
If you’re a writer and you exclude disabled characters from your narrative, because you don’t understand how they can possibly be a part of it – you need to educate yourself, as I have tried to. Reading Six of Crows would be a great place to start. Leigh Bardugo is a brilliant writer, and I am so glad that she is using – and honing – her skills in ways designed to help people.
Quick note - I have only just discovered Disability in Kid Lit myself, but I am very willing to immediately recommend that you keep an eye on it. They cover mental and physical disabilities through reviews, interviews, and features. A stand out piece for me was by Laura Noakes, talking about representation of Hypermobility in fiction.
This summer, Natalie will be hiking in Seven Sisters (Sussex, England) to raise money for Arthritis Research U.K. You can donate to her Just Giving page here.
Her aim is to raise awareness for people suffering from chronic illnesses and/or physical disabilities, but to also raise awareness for the importance of seeing such people represented in fiction. Inspired by Raven’s arc on The 100, the fundraiser has been nicknamed #DoitforRaven.