Looking for your next good read? If so, we’ve got you covered. Here are some of the most highly recommended books on disability published in the past year and the most highly anticipated books on disability in the year ahead.
For Adults
“Sipping Dom Perignon Through a Straw: Reimagining Success as a Disabled Achiever”
By Eddie Ndopu (Legacy Lit)
Born with spinal muscular atrophy, South African disability activist Eddie Ndopu typed his debut memoir using his one functional finger. Though he was not expected to live past age 5, Ndopu defied the odds, acing college and going on to study public policy at Oxford. “Sipping Dom Perignon Through a Straw” takes readers along on the author’s often challenging, sometimes frustrating but ultimately triumphant journey through graduate school.
“Beautiful People: My Thirteen Truths About Disability”
By Melissa Blake (Hatchett) Due out March 2024
Blake’s memoir describes her experiences living with Freeman-Sheldon syndrome, a rare condition that causes craniofacial deformities. “Beautiful People” is both an exploration of what it’s like to live in a world that’s not built for people with disabilities and a call to action for allies of the disabled.
“We’ve Got This: Essays by Disabled Parents”
By Eliza Hull, Editor (Scribe UK)
Hull, an Australian writer, journalist, musician and disability advocate is creator of “We’ve Got This,” one of her country’s most popular podcast series. Her new book of essays explores the little-known lives of parents experiencing the joys and hardships of parenting while managing chronic health problems and disabilities. The bottom line: Biases against disabled people are the greatest obstacles they face.
“American Breakdown: Our Ailing Nation, My Body’s Revolt, and the Nineteenth-Century Woman Who Brought Me Back to Life”
By Jennifer Lunden (Harper)
When she was just 21, Lunden began experiencing debilitating physical symptoms that brought life as she knew it to a standstill. Unable to find a cause for her symptoms, doctors told her she was “just depressed.” Five years into her mysterious illness, Lunden discovered the biography of nineteenth century diarist Alice James, whose chronic illness was also dismissed by doctors. Kirkus Reviews said, “Blending theory and memoir, the author personifies her struggle for wellness and its associated costs and consequences. An alarming chronicle of catastrophic chronic illness and a passionate plea for health care reform.”
For Children
“Henry, Like Always”
By Jenn Bailey with illustrations by Mika Song (Chronicle Books)
This year’s winner of the Schneider Family Book Awards for young children tells the story of Henry, a boy on the autism spectrum who values sameness but must adjust to a change in schedule at his school. This book is the first in a series for young readers.
“The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn”
By Sally J. Pla (Harper Collins)
This year’s Schneider Family Book Award winner for middle grade readers is about a neurodivergent girl who adopts surfing after she and her father must relocate due to a dangerous wildfire.
“Forever is Now”
By Mariama J. Lockington (Macmillan)
The winning selection for this year’s Schneider Family Book Award for teens and young adults, “Forever is Now” chronicles the tale of a young black activist who experiences post traumatic anxiety after she observes a violent episode of police brutality.
