My life in my hands

'I think it's wrong for me to complain that people don't understand disability and then refuse to talk about my personal life. Telling my story is the best way I know to make issues I care about understood' In autumn 2005, Alison Lapper's body became familiar to thousands of people when Marc Quinn's 16-foot marble statue of her - Alison Lapper: Pregnant - was placed on Trafalgar Square's fourth plinth. MY LIFE IN MY HANDS is Alison's story: from her mother's rejection at birth, through a childhood deprived of affection in children's homes, to independence, a first class art degree, motherhood and critical success. Her resilience, fortitude and humour are humbling, yet she rejects any notion of 'bravery'. From the beginning, Alison was different to most children, yet through the strength of her personality and the nurturing of her artistic talents, she was determined to live as full a life as possible. MY LIFE IN MY HANDS challenges our perceptions of disability by showing how Alison overcame pain, prejudice, violence and loneliness to reach a state of happy independence. MY LIFE IN MY HANDS is an extraordinary and compelling story like no other.