Task #21: Read a book with a main character or protagonist with a disability (fiction or non)

[Book Riot]

Use this space to discuss books you're reading or that might fit the 21st Read Harder task.

[Bonnie G.]

Geek Love, The Giant's House and The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures are all on my bookshelf, so one of these is likely.

[Karen]

Two from my TBR list for this one:

So Lucky by Nicola Griffith and/or
What Is Visible by Kimberly Elkins (also fits Historical task)

[Rachael]

I'm going for The Kiss Quotient

[Amy J.]

I'm reading Storm and Fury by Jennifer L. Armentrout. The main character is or is going blind.

[Rachel]

Nerdy, Shy, and Socially Inappropriate: A User Guide to an Asperger Life

[John]

“Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine” could qualify for this.

[Joanna]

Borderline by Mishell Baker qualifies twice - the protagonist is a double amputee after a suicide attempt caused by BPD.

[Liza]

The Odelia Grey mystery series — the protagonist’s husband (also a main character) is paraplegic

[Lauconn]

Must recommend Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus. It's a completely delightful middle grade/YA with a protagonist who was born without arms. There's a second book as well, which will probably be my read for this one.

[Bobby]

I will probably go the obvious route and read The Story of My Life: With Her Letters and a Supplementary Account of Her Education, Including Passages from the Reports and Letters of Her Teacher, Anne Mansfield Sullivan, by Helen Keller.

I am also considering Beethoven: Anguish and Triumph, by Jan Swafford.

One of the most extraordinary and inspiring books I've ever read is Shouting in the Dark: My Journey Back to the Light, by John Bramblitt with Lindsey Tate. The author went completely blind, then afterwards taught himself to paint and now makes a living as a professional painter.

[BookWormBen]

I'm surprised no one has brought up "A Curse So Dark and Lonely" or the Percy Jackson series. Both fantasized represent Cerebral Palsy and ADHD respectively.

[BookWormBen]

Another great one is "Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry. The protagonist, is born with a twisted leg.

The Book is set in the same universe as "The Giver" and most of the conflict comes from how her village deals with disabilities.

[Eliza]

Undecided between Me Before You and How to Walk Away...but leaning toward the latter.

[Lindsey]

A middle grade option I've been considering is The War That Saved My Life

[Jennifer]

I read Six of Crows last year and so I think this is a good reminder to get to the sequel, Crooked Kingdom- if anyone's looking for a YA fiction pick, it actually has several main characters with disabilities

[Carolina]

ProfBen10 wrote: "I'm surprised no one has brought up "A Curse So Dark and Lonely" or the Percy Jackson series. Both fantasized represent Cerebral Palsy and ADHD respectively."

I didn't realised that in A Curse So Dark and Lonely the main character has Cerebral Palsy (I clearly didn't read the blurb properly). It was given to me and I've been meaning to read it for ages. Also this is a double dipper as it is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

[Jane]

Pretty sure the author of A Curse So Dark and Lonely is not an author of color, so that won't work for the other prompt. It is a great idea for this one though!

[Bonnie G.]

Jane wrote: "Pretty sure the author of A Curse So Dark and Lonely is not an author of color, so that won't work for the other prompt. It is a great idea for this one though!"

Does this have to be an author of color? I don't see that.

[Carolina]

Jane wrote: "Pretty sure the author of A Curse So Dark and Lonely is not an author of color, so that won't work for the other prompt. It is a great idea for this one though!"

You're right! I forgot that bit

[Taylor]

Any of the books where Miles Vorkosigan is the protagonist would count if anyone enjoys science fiction. The Warrior's Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold is the first Miles POV book I believe (although it is chronologically the 4th book in the Vorkosigan saga. However the first 3 books are not necessary to read before The Warrior's Apprentice)

[Victoria]

For this task, I'm going to be reading Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare. The main male character is blind and it also fits the historical task if you want to double up!

[Bonnie G.]

Victoria wrote: "For this task, I'm going to be reading Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare. The main male character is blind and it also fits the historical task if you want to double up!"

This was my first Tessa Dare, read maybe 5 years ago, and it is still a favorite. Super swoon-worthy! The history is pretty much 100% wrong, which doesn't bother me in the context of historical romance (I would be screaming about it if it happened in any other genre) but it might be an issue for others.

[Victoria]

Bonnie G. wrote: "Victoria wrote: "For this task, I'm going to be reading Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare. The main male character is blind and it also fits the historical task if you want to double..."

This book is going to be my first Tessa Dare as well and I'm so excited to hear how good and well-loved it is! Historical inaccuracies don't bother me much either but thank you for the heads up!

[Mya]

ProfBen10 wrote: "I'm surprised no one has brought up "A Curse So Dark and Lonely" or the Percy Jackson series. Both fantasized represent Cerebral Palsy and ADHD respectively."

Something to be aware of is that ADHD is not specifically considered a disability. Some people who have it would prefer to be neurotypical. Others consider being neurodiverse a gift and refer to it as their “superpower.”

[kennedy]

Bone Gap by Laura Ruby would be good for this

[BookWormBen]

Mya wrote: "ProfBen10 wrote: "I'm surprised no one has brought up "A Curse So Dark and Lonely" or the Percy Jackson series. Both fantasized represent Cerebral Palsy and ADHD respectively."

Something to be awa..."

I appreciate the feedback, but I have ADHD myself and take no offense at it being called a disability.

Thanks for the comment anyways. :-) This is an important discussion to have.

[Emily]

Does The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue work for this challenge?

[Mya]

Emily wrote: "Does The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue work for this challenge?"

Emily, I read that earlier this year and don’t remember any of the protagonists having a disability?

[Bonnie G.]

it does Emily. Epilepsy is a disability.

[Veronica]

I may the last person who still hasn't read All the Light We Cannot See, so, with a blind protagonist, I'm happy to finally get to it with this task.

[Maryam]

If anyone interested in Fantasy, Shattered Sea series could qualify for this task. AFM I’ll go with Six of Crows as it’s been on my TBR list for a long time now.

[Emily]

Bonnie G. wrote: "it does Emily. Epilepsy is a disability."

Thanks Bonnie! It's been on my TBR list for a while now. I saw it on a list of books with a main character who has a disability, but could not find any more info.

[Bonnie G.]

Emily wrote: "Bonnie G. wrote: "it does Emily. Epilepsy is a disability."

Thanks Bonnie! It's been on my TBR list for a while now. I saw it on a list of books with a main character who has a disability, but cou..."

Its a lovely book, and I particularly liked the focus on disability and chronic illness, and how it made a person into, essentially, a nonperson. It was really heartbreaking and led me to read more about the subject in more scholarly, if less entertaining, tomes.

[Jane]

What book are you talking about?

[Bonnie G.]

Jane wrote: "What book are you talking about?"

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue

[Mya]

I really enjoyed The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue and had completely forgotten that one of the main characters has epilepsy! I may have to reread it. The second book of that series is also excellent.

[Tammy]

Veronica wrote: "I may the last person who still hasn't read All the Light We Cannot See, so, with a blind protagonist, I'm happy to finally get to it with this task."

You're not the last! Thanks, it's been on my TBR for a long time, as well, but I may not have thought of it for this.

[Chickadee]

Would The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism be a good book for this category?

[Monica]

Does The Rosie Project apply here?

[Marie]

See discussion upthread on neurodiversity - some people consider it a disability, some not. If you need an official ruling, the CDC defines autism as a developmental disability.

[Marie]

Tammy wrote: "it's been on my TBR for a long time, as well, but I may not have thought of it for this."

Some other TBR mainstays that people might not immediately think of for this task:
Any of the A Game of Thrones books
Flowers for Algernon
Of Mice and Men
Geek Love
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
My Left Foot

[Lisa]

I am considering one of these:
All the Light We Cannot See
The Beekeeper of Aleppo
The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell

[Matilda]

Yasunari Kawabata's book "dandelions", which unfortunately I wasn't able to find here on goodreads with the method of 'add book/author', features a woman who suffers ffrom “somagnosia,” or “body blindness.”
I'm not completely sure that this type of disability would work for the task but I think I'll go with it anyway...
Any opinion?

[Audra]

Monica wrote: "Does The Rosie Project apply here?"

Absolutely!

[Hayley]

The Storm Runner is about a boy with one leg that is shorter than the other, and he uses a cane to get around. It's part of the Rick Riordan Presents imprint and features Mayan mythology. The author is also a WOC. There are two more books in the series, one forthcoming this year.

[Marga]

For those who would like to read a book in Spanish: Lectura fácil by Cristina Morales.

[[deleted user]]

For anyone also doing the 2020 Reading Women Challenge, which has many overlapping/related items), the book Sister Mine also counts as an Afrofuturism book by a woman author.

[Nancy]

Joanna wrote: "Borderline by Mishell Baker qualifies twice - the protagonist is a double amputee after a suicide attempt caused by BPD."

I just finished this series, I'd have waited if I knew this was going to be a challenge! I loved Borderline, I second the recommendation.

[Erica]

I just reread The View from Saturday. The narrator/teacher uses a wheelchair.

It was a childhood favorite and I didn't love it as much as I remember loving it then, but it was still pretty good.