It Wasn't Meant to Be Perfect: A Memoir

Folk musician, Broadway composer, and disability advocate Gaelynn Lea's warm, funny, poignant memoir is a love letter to every kind of body, to music, and to making it work--inviting us to embrace all of life's experiences with heart and determination

Gaelynn Lea was born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta. Her parents were loving, cash-strapped theater kids, and she grew up racing about in her first electric wheelchair, having adventures with her siblings, and handing out playbills at her parents' dinner theater shows. Transfixed by an orchestra performance in 5th grade, Gaelynn was determined to play the cello. When her shortened limbs made playing the instrument challenging, she employed a familiar tactic: adapting. What if she held a violin upright in her wheelchair, like the world's tiniest cello? That what if was the key that unlocked her lifelong music career.

After winning NPR Music's Tiny Desk Concert in 2016, Lea became a full-time touring musician--and that's when she began to truly struggle with the inaccessibility of the music world. Out of necessity, she became a dedicated advocate and activist, pushing back against the prevailing stereotypes, assumptions, and barriers with her own gently defiant style. Lea's warm, funny, deeply-felt memoir addresses love and faith, sexuality and mortality, the frustration and the joy of difference. She shows how disability inspires and enables unique and indispensable contributions to the world, and reminds readers to think creatively, fight for what they love, and savor the journey.

Author: Gaelynn Lea
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Published: 04/14/2026
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.05lbs
Size: 9.50h x 6.50w x 1.20d
ISBN: 9781643756431

About the Author
Gaelynn Lea is a composer, musician, and disability rights advocate. Since winning NPR Music's Tiny Desk Contest in 2016, she has captivated audiences around the world with her haunting original songs and traditional fiddle tunes. Gaelynn has collaborated with Michael Stipe, The Decemberists, and Wilco. In 2022, Gaelynn composed an original score for Macbeth on Broadway, starring Daniel Craig and Ruth Negga. She later released an album featuring these compositions, titled Music From Macbeth. Music aside, Gaelynn Lea is a sought-after public speaker about disability culture, inclusion, and accessibility in the arts. She was awarded a Disability Futures Fellowship in 2024.