Note: This list is by no means exhaustive; with only 3-4 books in each category, it is meant simply to get you started in exploring disability literature. Historically, much of the literature on disability has been written about disabled people without centering disabled voices, and/or as been led by people who identify as straight, white, and cisgender. This list endeavors to break those molds and center the voices of disabled humans from diverse backgrounds and perspectives. Furthermore, many of the books on disability that can be found on bookstore and library shelves actually perpetuate harmful stereotypes about disability, including inspirational objectification, helplessness, and the narrative of overcoming disability. One important goal of this curated list is to shift away from those harmful narratives and focus on honesty, humanity, and the inherent dignity and worth of disabled lives. I hope you find a book that speaks to you. Enjoy!
- Courtney Tabor
Children and family
Just Ask!: Be Different, Be Brave, Be You
by Sonia Sotomayor
ABC Let’s Celebrate You And Me
by Sugar Snap Studio
by Kelly Fritsch, Anne McGuire, Eduardo Trejos
All The Way To The Top: How One Girl’s Fight For Americans With Disabilities Changed Everything
by Annette Bay Pimentel
Young Adult
by Alison Gervais
Disability Visibility (adapted for young adults): 17 First-Person Stories For Today
edited by Alice Wong
by SK Ali
The Pretty One: On Life, Pop Culture, Disability, and Other Reasons to Fall in Love With Me
by Keah Brown
Anthologies
Disability Visibility: First Person Stories From The Twenty-First Century
Edited by Alice Wong
Edited by Sharon DaVanport, Morenike Giwa Onaiwu, Emily Paige AAllou
Beauty Is A Verb The New Poetry Of Disability
Edited by Jennifer Bartlett, Michael Northen, Sheila Black
History and Disability Education
A Disability History Of The United States
By Kim E. Nielsen
Skin, Tooth, and Bone: The Basis of Movement is Our People: A Disability Justice Primer
By Sins Invalid
Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to Be an Ally
By Emily Ladau
Essays and memoirs
Care Work: Dreaming Disability Justice
By Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha
Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist
By Judith Heumann
Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law
by Haben Girma
Just Human: The Quest For Disability Wisdom, Respect, and Inclusion
by Ariel Silverman
Fiction
By Susan Nussbaum
by Talia Hibbert
By Rivers Solomon
Faith/Theology
By Nancy Eiesland
by Cole Arthur Riley
For more ideas check out these curated lists:
10 BOOKS ON DISABILITY JUSTICE - bookriot.com/disability-justice/
15 Books to Celebrate Disability Pride - nypl.org/blog/2021/07/02/books-celebrate-disability-pride
Kids’ and Teen Recommendations for Disability Pride Month- powells.com/post/lists/kids-and-teen-recommendations-for-disability-pride-month