Review: The Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi
I related to Mahlia’s struggle with the harsh words hurled at her because of her limb deficiency—sometimes wanting to prove herself and sometimes wanting to keep her distance.
Browsing: Reviews
Post listing
Review: The Shattering by Karen Healey
Keri’s anxiety seems more of a framing device than anything else; The Shattering doesn’t contain as thorough a portrayal of anxiety as I’d hoped for, though its representations of other kinds of diversity more than make up for that.
Review: The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness
Despite reservations about the ending, I would recommend The Rest of Us Just Live Here; it’s a welcome addition to YA novels involving OCD and anxiety.
Review: Young Knights of the Round Table by Julia Golding
Linette is more a convenient plot device than a protagonist, and disabled readers deserve more. Young Knights of the Round Table is a prime example of incidental disability done wrong.
Review: Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves
Hanna is a character with bipolar disorder; she’s not “bipolar disorder, the walking human diagnosis.” I think people who share the disease will find something soothing in seeing someone who both manages and mismanages her illness realistically.
Review: The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans
An accurate, respectful, and deftly handled portrayal of Tourette’s Syndrome, from an author who has the condition himself.
Review: Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman
From a mythology buff’s perspective, I was delighted with Odd and the Frost Giants. From a disability perspective, though, I was confused.
Review: Louder Than Words by Laura Jarratt
Although I can’t recommend it wholeheartedly, Louder Than Words features a well researched, realistic portrayal of progressive mutism.
Review: Hurt Go Happy by Ginny Rorby
One of the more authentic reflections I have seen of what it can be like to grow up deaf—this is the kind of book I wish I could have had when I was younger.
Review: Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin
A well-researched exploration of how mental illness can interact with queer identity, especially for those just discovering themselves during a volatile time of life and those with less well understood identities.
Review: I Funny by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein
We have so few stories—especially lighthearted ones—with wheelchair-using characters that I’d hoped I’d be able to recommend I Funny, but it’s a dangerous narrative wrapped up and presented as “good messages.”
Review: Reaching for Sun by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer
Though I would have liked more disability details woven into the story, I relate to and applaud the author’s portrayal of cerebral palsy overall.
Review: The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
I could criticize the focus on “fixing” and of the correlation between unwantedness and disability, but the book is focused on unwantedness in a broader fashion; Ava is as challenged by her circumstances as she is by her clubfoot.
Review: Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Hunt captures the inner confusion when you aren’t getting something everyone else grasps easily that is a pre-diagnosed dyslexic’s life. Ally’s situation conjured up so many memories at first that it was hard for me to read, but the reward was great.
Review: Kinda Like Brothers by Coe Booth
Kinda Like Brothers is a pacey, touching look at foster care from an adolescent perspective, featuring an accurate and relatable look at asthma.
Review: Blindsided by Priscilla Cummings
Although the process of coping with and accepting sudden blindness seems rushed, this is one of the best books depicting blindness that I’ve read. Natalie’s emotions and time at a school for the blind are spot-on.
Review: The Angel Tree by Daphne Benedis-Grab
Although the author got some of the details about blindness wrong, she seems very committed to diversity, and I enjoyed this book a lot.
Review: Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom
Parker Grant is a complex, flawed character whose blindness was handled realistically; a big part of her life, but not the only part of her life. This is definitely a book I will be recommending.
Review: Blind by Rachel DeWoskin
Although I sometimes genuinely enjoyed myself while reading this book, those times were unfortunately outweighed by the serious inaccuracies.
Review: Blind by Rachel DeWoskin
It’s sadly hard to see beyond Emma’s reflections on what she can’t do now that she’s lost her sight to actually find out how she’s adapting and adjusting.
Review: Because You’ll Never Meet Me by Leah Thomas
It felt like the author used Moritz’s echolocation as a way of avoiding a realistic portrayal of blindness; too many tired blindness tropes popped up throughout the book for me to love and champion it the way others have.
Review: The Young Elites by Marie Lu
Lu’s depiction of life with one eye is up and down; cringe-worthy beliefs are juxtaposed with realistic depictions of the main character’s adjustment to her condition.
Review: She Is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedgwick
Although Laureth didn’t represent me as a blind person, Sedgwick didn’t feed off tropes and stereotypes; instead, he met with many young blind people and found out about their lives.
Review: Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy
Overall, I found the portrayal of pediatric cancer iffy—better than some, worse than others. Rather than unthinking stereotypes, though, these shortcomings felt like a result of a lack of personal experience or oversights in research.
Review: Jerk, California by Jonathan Friesen
I would’ve enjoyed Jerk, California a lot more if its depiction of life with Tourette’s Syndrome was handled as well as its technical depiction of Tourette’s Syndrome itself.