Celebrating Disability: Must-Read Books with Diverse Characters

Updated: Jul 14, 2023

Author

Carrie Thornbrugh

“Disability is articulated as a struggle, an unnecessary burden that one must overcome to the soundtrack of a string crescendo. But disabled lives are multi-faceted – brimming with personality, pride, ambition, love, empathy, and wit.” — Sinéad Burke

Disability Pride Month is celebrated in the U.S. each July marking the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a landmark legislation that broke down barriers to inclusion in society. It’s an opportunity to honor the history, achievements, and struggles of the disability community and amplify the voices and experiences of individuals with disabilities. In this blog post, we’ll highlight some remarkable books that feature characters with disabilities. The recommended books below can offer insights into diverse perspectives, challenge stereotypes, and inspire readers to embrace disability pride.

Public book clubs reading books by diverse authors focusing on underrepresented voices/communities:

Our picks for must-read books for Disability Pride Month:

A Room Called Earth by Madeleine Ryan

From the inimitable mind of Madeleine Ryan, an outspoken advocate for neurodiversity, A Room Called Earth is a magical and miraculous adventure inside the mind of an autistic woman. Humorous and heartwarming, and brimming with joy, this hyper-saturated celebration of acceptance is a testament to moving through life without fear, and to opening ourselves up to a new way of relating to one another.

Break the Mould by Sinéad Burke

'This book made me feel proud to be different' - Rosie Jones.

Sometimes we can feel like we are not good enough. That we don't belong. Or that we want to be more like our friends. In this empowering guide, Sinéad Burke draws on her own experiences and encourages young readers to believe in themselves, have pride in who they are, and use their voice to make the world a fairer, more inclusive place. From the power of being different, to celebrating the things you love about yourself and helping others do the same, this is a brilliantly inspirational handbook for breaking the mould and finding your place in the world.

El Deafo by Cece Bell

El Deafo is a graphic memoir that chronicles Cece Bell's childhood experiences as she navigates the world with hearing loss. Cece, the author herself, brings her personal story to life with humor and warmth. This heartwarming and relatable tale highlights the resilience and strength of individuals with disabilities while addressing topics such as friendship, communication, and finding one's voice.

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

A heartwarming and refreshing debut novel that proves one thing: there's not enough data in the world to predict what will make your heart tick. Stella Lane thinks math is the only thing that unites the universe. She comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases--a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with, and way less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old. It doesn't help that Stella has Asperger's and French kissing reminds her of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish. Her conclusion: she needs lots of practice--with a professional. Which is why she hires escort Michael Phan. The Vietnamese and Swedish stunner can't afford to turn down Stella's offer, and agrees to help her check off all the boxes on her lesson plan--from foreplay to more-than-missionary position... Before long, Stella not only learns to appreciate his kisses, but crave all of the other things he's making her feel. Their no-nonsense partnership starts making a strange kind of sense. And the pattern that emerges will convince Stella that love is the best kind of logic.

Leg: The Story of a Limb & the Boy Who Grew from It by Greg Marshall

Greg Marshall's early years were pretty bizarre. Rewind the VHS tapes and you'll see a lopsided teenager limping across a high school stage, or in a wheelchair after leg surgeries, pondering why he's crushing on half of the Utah Jazz. Add to this home video footage a mom clacking away at her newspaper column between chemos, a dad with ALS, and a cast of foul-mouthed siblings. Fast forward the tape and you'll find Marshall happily settled into his life as a gay man only to discover he's been living in another closet his whole life: He has cerebral palsy, a diagnosis that has been kept from him since birth. (His parents always told him he just had "tight tendons" and left it at that.) Here, in the hot mess of it all, lies Greg Marshall's wellspring of wit and wisdom. Leg is an extraordinarily funny and insightful memoir from a daring new voice. Packed with outrageous stories of a singular childhood, it is also a startlingly original examination of what it means to transform when there are parts of yourself you can't change, a moving portrait of a family in crisis, and a tale of resilience of spirit. In Marshall's deft hands, we see a story both personal and universal--of being young and wanting the world, even when the world doesn't feel like yours to want.

Noor by Nnedi Okorafor

Anwuli Okwudili prefers to be called AO. To her, these initials have always stood for Artificial Organism. AO has never really felt...natural, and that's putting it lightly. Her parents spent most of the days before she was born praying for her peaceful passing because even in-utero she was "wrong". But she lived. Then came the car accident years later that disabled her even further. Yet instead of viewing her strange body the way the world views it, as freakish, unnatural, even the work of the devil, AO embraces all that she is: A woman with a ton of major and necessary body augmentations. And then one day she goes to her local market and everything goes wrong. Once on the run, she meets a Fulani herdsman named DNA and the race against time across the deserts of Northern Nigeria begins. In a world where all things are streamed, everyone is watching the "reckoning of the murderess and the terrorist" and the "saga of the wicked woman and mad man" unfold. This fast-paced, relentless journey of tribe, destiny, body, and the wonderland of technology revels in the fact that the future sometimes isn't so predictable. Expect the unaccepted.

Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper

Eleven-year-old Melody has a photographic memory. Her head is like a video camera that is always recording. Always. And there's no delete button. She's the smartest kid in her whole school, but no one knows it. Most people — her teachers and doctors included — don't think she's capable of learning, and until recently her school days consisted of listening to the same preschool-level alphabet lessons again and again and again. If only she could speak up, if only she could tell people what she thinks and knows...but she can't, because Melody can't talk. She can't walk. She can't write. Being stuck inside her head is making Melody go out of her mind — that is, until she discovers something that will allow her to speak for the first time ever. At last Melody has a voice, but not everyone around her is ready to hear it. From two-time Coretta Scott King Award winner Sharon M. Draper comes a story full of heartache and hope. Get ready to meet a girl whose voice you'll never, ever forget.

The Curious Case of the Dog in the Night Time

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

A modern classic--both poignant and funny--about a boy with autism who sets out to solve the murder of a neighbor's dog and discovers unexpected truths about himself and the world. Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. And he detests the color yellow. This improbable story of Christopher's quest to investigate the suspicious death of a neighborhood dog makes for one of the most captivating, unusual, and widely heralded novels in recent years.

The Electricity of Every Living Thing: A Woman’s Walk In The Wild To Find Her Way Home

The Electricity of Every Living Thing by Katherine May

In anticipation of her 38th birthday, Katherine May set out to walk the 630-mile South West Coast Path. She wanted time alone, in nature, to understand why she had stopped coping with everyday life; why motherhood had been so overwhelming and isolating; and why the world felt full of expectations she couldn't meet. She was also reeling from a chance encounter with a voice on the radio that sparked her realisation that she might be autistic. The Electricity of Every Living Thing sees Katherine come to terms with that diagnosis leading her to re-evaluate her life so far -- with a much kinder, more forgiving eye. We bear witness to a new understanding that finally allows her to be different rather than simply awkward, arrogant, or unfeeling. The physical and psychological journeys of this joyous and inspiring book become inextricably entwined, and as Katherine finds her way across the untameable coast, we learn alongside her how to find our way back to our own true selves.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Though not exclusively centered around disabilities, "Six of Crows" features Kaz Brekker, a mastermind thief with a physical disability. Kaz's character breaks stereotypes, demonstrating that physical limitations do not define a person's abilities. This gripping fantasy heist novel provides a diverse cast of characters, each with their strengths and vulnerabilities, promoting a more inclusive representation in the genre.

True Biz: A Novel by Sara Novic

True biz (adj./exclamation; American Sign Language): really, seriously, definitely, real-talk.
The students at the River Valley School for the Deaf just want to hook up, pass their history finals, and have politicians, doctors, and their parents stop telling them what to do with their bodies. This revelatory novel plunges readers into the halls of a residential school for the deaf, where they’ll meet Charlie, a rebellious transfer student who’s never met another deaf person before; Austin, the school’s golden boy, whose world is rocked when his baby sister is born hearing; and February, the hearing headmistress, a CODA (child of deaf adult(s)) who is fighting to keep her school open and her marriage intact, but might not be able to do both. As a series of crises both personal and political threaten to unravel each of them, Charlie, Austin, and February find their lives inextricable from one another—and changed forever. This is a story of sign language and lip-reading, disability and civil rights, isolation and injustice, first love and loss, and, above all, great persistence, daring, and joy. Absorbing and assured, idiosyncratic and relatable, this is an unforgettable journey into the Deaf community and a universal celebration of human connection.

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Millions of people have fallen in love with Auggie Pullman, an ordinary boy with an extraordinary face--who shows us that kindness brings us together no matter how far apart we are.

An inspiring tale of kindness and acceptance, Wonder follows the journey of August Pullman, a young boy born with a facial difference. As August enters mainstream school for the first time, the novel beautifully explores themes of empathy, friendship, and self-acceptance. Through August's narrative, readers gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and triumphs experienced by those living with visible differences.

blind man reading a braille book

As Disability Pride Month reminds us to celebrate the achievements and contributions of individuals with disabilities, literature serves as a powerful tool to foster empathy, promote understanding, and challenge societal norms. The books mentioned above offer a diverse range of perspectives, featuring characters with disabilities who are courageous, resilient, and relatable. By immersing ourselves in these stories, we expand our own understanding and embrace the rich tapestry of human experiences.

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