July is Disability Pride Month! Although creating inclusive environments is a year round job, July is a time where our able-bodied society puts disability at the forefront of cultural conversation, giving disabled individuals the space necessary to share their stories.
Listening to stories that are different from our own plays an integral part in fostering acceptance and is one of the many reasons why reading novels with accurate representations of diversity is important. In honor of Disability Pride Month here are seven novels that portray disability with accuracy and empathy:
Wonder by R.J Palacia
Genre: Children's Literature
Representation: Treacher Collins Syndrome
This is the story of August Pullman, a young boy born with Treacher Collins Syndrome. After spending most of his life in hospitals and homeschooled, Auggie is ready to attend his fifth grade year at a mainstream school. Even though Auggie is ready for the world, the world may not be so ready for him. Told through alternate points of view, “Wonder” is a story of one community's struggle with empathy, compassion and acceptance.
Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper
Genre: Children's Literature
Representation: Cerebral Palsy
Eleven-year-old Melody is a genius. She can remember everything. And nobody knows it. Born with Cerebral Palsy, Melody cannot walk, talk, or write. But, she's determined to communicate somehow. Her doctors, teachers and classmates don't see Melody as anything more than her disability. But, she's intent on proving otherwise.
Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
Genre: Romance
Representation: Chronic Illness
Chloe Brown likes to play things safe. Chronically ill and a bit of a nerd, she's made a decision to have some fun. With the help of her decidedly more fun neighbor, Redford Morgan, Chloe begins to check off boxes on her list to get a life. She soon finds herself confronting emotional pain that often goes left unchecked by those leading chronically-ill lives.
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
Genre: Romance
Representation: Autism
Stella Lane sees the world in numbers. While her neurodivergent brain helps her at work, interpersonal relationships have never been Stella's strong suit. After her mother urges her to find a partner, Stella concludes she needs practice. Soon, she will find herself making sense of what had once seemed so senseless. Own Voices author Helen Hoang writes a touching novel about an autistic woman looking for love.
A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Representation: Cerebral Palsy
A retelling of Beauty and the Beast with a twist! Harper's life has never been easy. With her father dead, her mother dying, and her brother barely holding himself together, she learned to survive and how to be tough. Constantly underestimated because of her Cerebral Palsy, Harper yearns to prove herself to her brother and the world. But when she tries to save someone on the streets of Washington, DC, she's sucked into a world full of secrets with a curse only she can break.
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Representation: Osteonecrosis and PTSD
To Ketterdam and his crew, Kaz Brekker is a criminal prodigy. A mastermind. A thief. To himself, he's a boy with a mountain of fears and a cane. When he's offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams, Kaz enlists five dangerous outcasts to pull off the job? if they don't kill each other first.
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
Representation: ADHD and Dyslexia
Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he's never been good at paying attention or controlling his temper. At least that's what his teachers say. And life at boarding school seems to keep getting worse. When his pre - algebra teacher turns into a monster and tries to kill him, Percy's mother decides it's time to tell him the truth. He's a demi-god and to keep him safe, she sends him away to Camp Half Blood, a summer camp for kids like him. There, Percy learns that all his supposed flaws may actually help him save the world.
Opinions expressed by the author are not necessarily those of WITI.
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