The sudden onset of disability profoundly affects an individual's sense of self, especially when their identity is tied to possessing an "able" body. This experience reveals the societal structures that shape notions of heteronormative masculinity. In the U.S., World War II marked a pivotal moment in the evolution of modern disability understandings, highlighting that postwar concerns would complicate the definitions and cultural meanings of disability. The examination of disability in American film and literature from the postwar era, starting with World War I and extending through the Vietnam War, reveals the origins of the discourse surrounding disability and masculinity. Will Kanyusik analyzes both fictional and documentary texts, exploring how many were influenced by the relationship between the culture industry and the Office of War Information in the 1940s. Through original archival research, a new perspective on disability, masculinity, and war in American culture emerges. The book's structure includes an introduction, discussions on themes of legibility and scrutiny in postwar fiction and documentaries, the role of prosthetics in cinema, and the impact of violence and loss on the home front and in the context of Vietnam veterans, culminating in reflections on resilience and the implications of American hegemony under neoliberalism.
