With the unofficial start of summer—Memorial Day weekend—in the rear-view mirror, you may be looking forward to time spent at a beach, lake, pool or cozied up in a hammock. For many of us, reading a good book outdoors is one of summer’s great pleasures. So, it’s time for a new installment of Enabling Devices’ Bookshelf. Here are some of the latest books about disability to tuck into your travel or beach bag or read on your Kindle.
Nonfiction
“I Identify as Blind: A Brazen Celebration of Disability Culture, Identity, and Power”
By Lachi with Tim Vandehey (Penguin Random House, 2026)
Lachi, an award-winning pop music singer, disability activist and CEO of Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities, penned this new book full of stories, interviews, cultural critique and humor that redefines negative perceptions about disabilities.
“Famesick”
By Lena Dunham (Random House, 2026)
Another memoir by a celebrity, “Famesick” shares the highlights and lowlights of actress, director, screenwriter Dunham, who lives with chronic illness including Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, endometriosis, fibromyalgia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety disorder and depression. A fascinating critique of Hollywood that shows how being famous isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
“The Elusive Body”
By Alexandra Sifferlin (Viking, 2026)
This investigative journalistic book explores how diagnostic mistakes and gaps in U.S. healthcare often leaves people with disabilities and chronic conditions overlooked or misdiagnosed. Through reported stories, Sifferlin explores the roles of bias and bureaucracy while calling attention to the need for a more accurate and humane approach to medical care.
Fiction:
“Upward Bound”
By Woody Brown
Written by a nonverbal autistic author who communicates using a letter board, this New York Times bestselling debut is set in a struggling residential facility for people with disabilities. It follows Walter, a nonverbal autistic man, as he navigates relationships with fellow residents and staff while exploring his rich and often unrecognized inner life.
“It’s All in Your Head”
By Sabina Nordqvist (Grand Central Publishing, 2026)
This new novel tells the story of Skyler, a woman with a rare neurological condition and her romance with Pike, a former Olympic snowboarder whose career ended after a serious accident. The book explores the stigma of invisible disability.
“Wolf Bells: A Novel”
By Leni Zumas (Algonquin Books, 2025)
This novel follows a community of elderly, disabled, and unhoused young people living together in a residential health care facility run by a former punk rock musician. When two vulnerable children arrive seeking shelter, the group’s way of life is challenged.
Young Adult
“Never Seen the Stars”
By Kate Korsh (Scholastic Press, 2025)
This 2025 novel focuses on Hattie Murphy, a teenager coping with the sudden death of her close friend while secretly facing her own diagnosis of a degenerative eye disease that is causing her to lose her vision.
Children’s
“Simply Winnie”
By Winnie Harlow with illustrations by Sawyer Cloud (Penguin Random House, expected release date June 2026)
Inspired by the supermodel’s own experiences growing up with vitiligo, this book tells the story of Winnie, a talented young girl who struggles to fit in because she looks different than the other girls at school. With the help of her grandmother, Winnie learns to appreciate her unique beauty.
