971 words
8 minute read
I'm a big reader, if you can't tell by the copious amount of book posts that exist on this blog. I also review a lot of hideous media about disabled people. I've gotten a fair few requests that are like: "Do you know of any good books, actually written by disabled authors?"
Well...I do, in fact. And here they are:
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1. Know My Name by Chanel Miller (Memoir, 2019)
Chanel has the most soothing, comforting narrative voice I have ever known. She desires to comfort survivors and that is exactly what she does with this book. She is authentic and genuine. And I love her book more each time I read it.
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2. Free Cyntoia by Cyntoia Brown-Long (Memoir, 2019)
I really cannot tell you how much I loved this book. It's incredible and so very necessary to read. It's a complex story beginning with trauma and identity issues around adoption as well as undiagnosed disability.
One of my favorite things about the book was when, during a court proceeding when Cyntoia's (previously unknown, even to her) disability was outed using offensive language, Cyntoia did not hesitate to address this.
I think what I loved the most about this book, though, was that it gives the reader a rare and fully dimensional view of a Black disabled woman. Seriously, everyone should read this book. I'm not kidding.
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| [Image: The cover of Cyntoia Brown-Long's book, Free Cyntoia] |
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3. Messenger by Jeni Stepanek (Memoir, 2010)
This is one of my all-time favorite books. I've reread it a few times since its release in 2010, but it's a tough one to get through.
Mainly, I love the openness and honesty with which Jeni shared the reality of her situation and that of her kids. I loved seeing how, though Mattie's life was very hard and full of medical and other kinds of uncertainty, he was beautifully emotionally supported. I love the respect that so obviously existed between parent and child.
I loved seeing disability culture represented and so normalized in this book.
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4. An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon (Science Fiction, 2017)
Honestly, some of the best disability representation I have ever read. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. I shared some thoughts on it after I read it the first time. You can find those here.
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5. Disability Visibility by Alice Wong (Anthology, 2020)
A must-read. Check out my Twitter thread for a more comprehensive review.
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6. Rolling Warrior by Judith Heumann (Nonfiction, 2021)
This book was so good and so relatable! As a disabled reader, I was so right there with the author as she detailed all the steps it took to go to her friends' house, being excluded and facing ableism, that feeling when you must ask friends or family for help doing things you need to do for survival, as well as just how loaded going to the doctor is.
I was unsure I'd be able to grasp all the governmental lingo and details of the sit-ins just because a lot of that stuff is complicated for me, but this book explained everything in a super approachable way. Definitely recommend for older kids and teens (heck, any age person would enjoy this, disabled and nondisabled alike, I think.)
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7. The Chance to Fly by Ali Stroker (Middle Grade Fiction, 2021)
A really solid OwnVoices book. I'd definitely recommend this for middle graders readers and beyond. As a lifelong wheelchair-user myself, the reading world is seriously lacking in books that accurately portray what it's like to be a chair-user, and this book does. Check out my Twitter thread for a more comprehensive review.
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8. Mia Lee is Wheeling Through Middle School by Melissa Shang & Eva Shang (Middle Grade Fiction, 2016)
I read this one for the first time in 2017. (You can find my thoughts on it here.) And it really does stand the test of time. So good. You can always tell when a book comes from an authentic place, versus when it doesn't. (The main author has the same disability as her main character, and it shows! Yay, authentic representation!)
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9. Reflections of a Peacemaker by Mattie JT Stepanek (Poetry, 2005)
I really enjoyed this book, and felt it gave a really full picture of Mattie as a poet. There are several favorite poems of his, but especially Purple Moon. I was also struck by Steps of Heaven as well. A great portrait of a young poet and what mattered to him.
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10. You Get Past the Tears by Hydeia Broadbent & Patricia Broadbent (Memoir, 2002)
I grew up seeing Hydeia on TV. HIV and AIDS were far less scary to me because of seeing her and reading this book by Hydeia and her mother, Patricia, provided a lot of insight into their lives and family dynamics.
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11. The Pretty One by Keah Brown (Memoir, 2019)
I was so beyond excited to check out this book! It was the first time I'd ever gotten to read a book written by someone with CP, that's actually about how it feels to have CP (at least in part.) I related to a good portion of Keah's essays, and you can read a full review of her book here.
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12. One for All by Lillie Lainoff (Historical Fiction, 2022)
As I'm a disabled reader, I'm always on the lookout for OwnVoices books and One for All definitely fits the bill. While it isn't exactly my cup of tea and I had trouble following the French and old language and swordplay, the disability issues threaded throughout were powerful. And on a non-disability note: I loved when the Musketeers tried coffee for the first time, and Thea ran around screaming: "DUEL ME! DUEL ME RIGHT NOW! I HAVE SO MUCH ENERGY!"
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Disuphere (Disappear) series by me (Disabled Fiction, in progress)
The Avoiders, as they will come to call themselves, know that it is their right to leave unsafe people, places and situations...but as disabled people...it's not always possible.
Join disabled friends as they journey from isolation to community, to form a chosen family all their own. As they protect, accommodate and adapt for each other, supporting each other through the perils of ableism.
...As they love each other, not in spite of disability, but because it makes them exactly who they are.
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We Belong by me (Middle Grade Fiction, finished 2020)
Nine year old twins, Jesse and Lexie Martin, have just moved to a new neighborhood, and away from their cousins and grandparents. Soon, it's clear, the move is the least of their worries.
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The Kindness of Strangers by Katrina Kittle (Fiction, 2003)
While the author does not have experience with complex trauma (as far as I know) this is a book I've reread once a year for over a decade. (Some years, I reread it twice, in fact!)
That's because, in my opinion, this book is the best representation I've yet to read on how it feels to grow up traumatized. I'd recommend this book to anyone whose loved ones have experienced trauma (and caution those of us who have to read with care.)
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