To Exist As I Am

WINNER OF THE 2026 SOMERSET MAUGHAM AWARD LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 2026 'This book is extraordinary' MIRANDA HART 'Life-affirming' VIV GROSKOP 'Astonishing, important, and truly radical ' POLLY MORLAND At the age of twenty-two, Grace Spence Green's spine was broken and her life changed course. One day, she was in hospital supporting patients, the next she was one herself. Over the years that followed, words like healing and recovery took on new meanings. Some emotions, like sadness and self-pity, dimmed. Others were heightened, and Grace learned to embrace them all: anger at a world ill-equipped to accommodate her new body; passion to demand change; and joy found in community, nature and wild swimming. Through her powerful story, Grace shows how we can come back to ourselves after trauma and fight for change while joyously embracing life exactly as we are. 'Extraordinary' XAND VAN TULLEKEN 'Superb' RACHEL CLARKE

WINNER OF THE 2026 SOMERSET MAUGHAM AWARD LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 2026 'This book is extraordinary' MIRANDA HART 'Life-affirming' VIV GROSKOP 'Astonishing, important, and truly radical ' POLLY MORLAND At the age of twenty-two, Grace Spence Green's spine was broken and her life changed course. One day, she was in hospital supporting patients, the next she was one herself. Over the years that followed, words like healing and recovery took on new meanings. Some emotions, like sadness and self-pity, dimmed. Others were heightened, and Grace learned to embrace them all: anger at a world ill-equipped to accommodate her new body; passion to demand change; and joy found in community, nature and wild swimming. Through her powerful story, Grace shows how we can come back to ourselves after trauma and fight for change while joyously embracing life exactly as we are. 'Extraordinary' XAND VAN TULLEKEN 'Superb' RACHEL CLARKE

LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 2026 'This book is extraordinary' MIRANDA HART 'Life-affirming' VIV GROSKOP 'Astonishing, important, and truly radical ' POLLY MORLAND At the age of twenty-two, Grace Spence Green's spine was broken and her life changed course. One day, she was in hospital supporting patients, the next she was one herself. Over the years that followed, words like healing and recovery took on new meanings. Some emotions, like sadness and self-pity, dimmed. Others were heightened, and Grace learned to embrace them all: anger at a world ill-equipped to accommodate her new body; passion to demand change; and joy found in community, nature and wild swimming. Through her powerful story, Grace shows how we can come back to ourselves after trauma and fight for change while joyously embracing life exactly as we are. 'Extraordinary' XAND VAN TULLEKEN 'Superb' RACHEL CLARKE

LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 2026 'This book is extraordinary' MIRANDA HART 'Life-affirming' VIV GROSKOP 'Astonishing, important, and truly radical ' POLLY MORLAND At the age of twenty-two, Grace Spence Green's spine was broken and her life changed course. One day, she was in hospital supporting patients, the next she was one herself. Over the years that followed, words like healing and recovery took on new meanings. Some emotions, like sadness and self-pity, dimmed. Others were heightened, and Grace learned to embrace them all: anger at a world ill-equipped to accommodate her new body; passion to demand change; and joy found in community, nature and wild swimming. Through her powerful story, Grace shows how we can come back to ourselves after trauma and fight for change while joyously embracing life exactly as we are. 'Extraordinary' XAND VAN TULLEKEN 'Superb' RACHEL CLARKE