Trigger Warning: The mention of suicide in this article may be triggering to some readers.
Disability representation in books has been steadily improving over time. More and more types of disabilities are featured in books, meaning many people can finally see themselves in their favorite characters. Read on for a small list of such books!
The Memory of Light by Francisco X. Stork
Vicky Cruz wakes up in the Lakeview Hospital Mental Disorders ward after a suicide attempt, knowing she should be dead. But she forms bonds with a small group who help her think about her life before and offer acceptance. Still, her peace is fragile, and when a crisis forces them apart, Vicky must return to her old life that pushed her to suicide. She now has to rely on the courage and strength they instilled in her, but she doesn’t know if she’s up to the task.
Earth to Charlie by Justin Olson
Charlie Dickens is convinced his mother was abducted by aliens, and he watches for UFOs every night to try and join her. He doesn’t want to stay on Earth anyway; he doesn’t get along with his father, people at school and work bully him, and his only friends are his neighbor Geoffrey and Geoffrey’s three-legged dog, Tickles. Until he meets Seth, a popular kid who shows him true friendship, and Charlie starts enjoying life for the first time. But he soon has to make a decision: to leave, or to stay?
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Esther Greenwood is a young, brilliant, and talented woman, but she’s struggling with mental health and on the verge of a breakdown. As things start to go wrong in her life, she inevitably cracks and attempts suicide. She goes to several mental institutions and receives treatments that don’t work. But when she finally finds people who understand, her life begins to change.
Cold Nights of Childhood by Tezer Özlü
In Cold Nights of Childhood, the narrator is between lovers, coming and going from psychiatric wards to forcefully undergo electroshock treatments, and between Paris and Berlin. She comes back to Istanbul searching for happiness, love, and freedom. Based on the writer’s own life, this book offers an honest look at women’s sexual encounters and psychological struggles, and it shows a clash between feminine desire and the restrictive patriarchy.
Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey
Maggie’s doing fine. Really good. She may have issues, like being broke, struggling with her graduate thesis, and her marriage lasted less than two years, but at 29 years old, she’s determined to turn life around. She’ll take up nine hobbies, eat burgers ridiculously early in the morning, and get back to the dating scene. With support from friends and her academic advisor, she does her best to push through her first year of being newly single.
The Silence Between Us by Alison Gervais
Maya, a deaf teen, attends a hearing school for the first time. She has a hard time adjusting to hearing culture, which while frustrating, also surprises her when some of her classmates, including Beau Watson, decide to learn ASL for her. Maya looks to the future, determined not to let anyone or anything derail her dreams. But when people in her life, both hearing and deaf, get her to question parts of her deaf identity, Maya rebukes them, saying her deafness is no disadvantage.
Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Ally’s always been smart enough to trick people. In each new school, she hides her dyslexia by disrupting class. She doesn’t think anything can be done, so she never asks for help. But her new teacher, Mr. Daniels, sees through her distractions and helps teach her that dyslexia isn’t shameful. When she starts opening up, she finds that the world is a lot bigger than she thought and that there’s so much to discover.
Please Read This Leaflet Carefully by Karen Havelin
Laura Fjellstad works and cares for her daughter alone, and she also struggles with horrific pain and endometriosis. The novel travels back from there, and we meet Laura in the past when she was somewhat healthier: a bride in New York, a young queer person in Paris, and a figure skater in Norway. We see her relentless work to take back control over her identity, as well as her struggle with her illness and the conflicting demands from friends, lovers, family, and doctors.
The Moth Girl by Heather Kamins
Nothing unusual ever happened in Anna’s life until she fell unconscious during track practice. But instead of falling down, she fell up, the first symptom of a strange illness. After many trips to hospitals, she’s diagnosed with lepidopsy, an illness that causes symptoms resembling moths: floating, being attracted to light, craving sugar, and more. As Anna tries to cope, she drifts from her old life. Her friends can’t understand, she can no longer run track, and seeing other kids at the disease clinic she goes to every week reminds her that life will never be the same.
Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
Chloe Brown is a chronically ill computer geek who has a plan, list, and goal. After nearly dying, she comes up with things to do to “Get a Life,” and the first is moving out of her family’s mansion. Redford “Red” Morgan is a handyman and an artist. He paints at night and hides his art during the day, which Cloe knows because she — occasionally — spies on him. When she enlists him to help her rebel, she learns so much about him: why he hates her rich background, why nobody sees his art, and what he’s really like underneath his harsh exterior.
Everyone deserves to see themselves in the stories they read, which is why representation is so critical. If you’ve been searching for books with disability rep, don’t hesitate to check these titles out!
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