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

[Cindi]

I chose The World's Strongest Librarian & it was really amazing

[Karen]

I’m reading Wonder by R.J. Palacio. I am using this challenge to both catch up on books my daughter has read and find book she might enjoy. So I will be reading more YA fiction than I usually do and I’m kind of excited about it!

[Lauren]

Hannah wrote: "I’m going to use Wonder by RJ Palacio."

I was also wondering about Wonder - I just read it and LOVED it, but the book makes a point of discussing how Auggie is not disabled. Do others have thoughts?

[Book Riot]

Hi everybody! Our rec post for this task is live. https://bookriot.com/2020/01/09/books...

[Debbie]

I've chosen The Diving Bell and the Butterfly as it has been on my TBR pile for years.

[Alli]

I actually read a book from the category by complete accident, All the Light We Cannot See. One of the main characters is blind. I personally didn't like this book but I know a majority of everyone else did.

[Theresa]

Tammy wrote: "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 t..."

Add me to that list as well! It's been on my TBR for so long that I forgot about it, so thanks for the reminder!

[taeli]

Kaleidoscope: Diverse YA Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories is a collection of short stories about characters with disabilities

[Bonnie G.]

Alli wrote: "I actually read a book from the category by complete accident, All the Light We Cannot See. One of the main characters is blind. I personally didn't like this book but I know a majo..."

I just want to say that it is good to not be the only person who did not like this book!

[Ann]

I'm reading William Gibson's Neuromancer for the Popsugar challenge. The main character "crossed the wrong people and they crippled his nervous system." Do you think that counts as a disability? TIA

[Carolina]

Bonnie G. wrote: "Alli wrote: "I actually read a book from the category by complete accident, All the Light We Cannot See. One of the main characters is blind. I personally didn't like this book but ..."

I also didn't like it. I didn't hate it, but I felt like I was reading it as a chore

[Bonnie G.]

Do people thing crippling anxiety is a disability? I am reading Monkey Mind: A Memoir of Anxiety, and had not thought of it for this, but as I have been reading I was thinking it might just work.

[〰️Beth〰️]

Bonnie G. wrote: "Do people thing crippling anxiety is a disability> I am reading Monkey Mind: A Memoir of Anxiety, an had not thought of it for this, but as I have been reading I was thinking it mig..."

I am counting The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie. It is a historical romance and the main character has Asberger Syndrome which is on the autism scale

[Dana]

I read Get a Life, Chloe Brown for this prompt.

[Bonnie G.]

〰️Beth〰️ wrote: "Bonnie G. wrote: "Do people thing crippling anxiety is a disability> I am reading Monkey Mind: A Memoir of Anxiety, an had not thought of it for this, but as I have been reading I w..."

Cool thanks!

[Amy]

Just finished Planet Earth is Blue by Nicole Panteleakos. It’s a middle grade novel told from the perspective of a girl with autism. It’s set in the 1980’s and tells the story via the lead up to the Challenger disaster. It’s an incredibly moving story and quite sad - as in really sad. Read it for the Girls Leadership Book Club I am doing with my daughter. Highly recommend.

[Veronica]

Carolina wrote: "Bonnie G. wrote: "Alli wrote: "I actually read a book from the category by complete accident, All the Light We Cannot See. One of the main characters is blind. I personally didn't l... I also didn't like it. I didn't hate it, but I felt like I was reading it as a chore."

I'm reading it right now and I'm having similar feelings. I don't necessarily dislike it, but I don't love it either and am having to set page goals for myself so I finish before it's due back at the library. I want to finish it - Pulitzer Prize winner and all - but I don't think this will end up as one of my favorites by the end of this challenge.

[Angela]

Jennifer wrote: "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 ha..."

A friend of mine recommended Six of Crows a couple of years ago. It's been on my TBR list for a while. I had no idea the main character had a disability. Thanks Jennifer!

[Ness]

For graphic novel readers, Coda, Vol. 1 is a wonderful series, the protagonist of which is missing a leg. It's also fully contained in three trade paperbacks, so if you make it through all three, there's a 'last book in series' too.

Likewise, Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 1 has a main character with multiple missing limbs, and his various prostheses are pivot points throughout the series.

[Jillian]

I just finished A Woman of No Importance. It’s a nonfiction book about a (very successful) female spy during WWII who had lost a leg pre-war. I loved that it was not remotely inspiration porn. Just a story of a courage, badass lady.

[Mandie]

I'm not sure if it's been mentioned, but if anyone wants to include some graphic novels in their reading then I suggest El Deafo for this prompt.

[Sam]

I am going to read Good Kings Bad Kings about several variously disabled young people helping each other survive in a mental hospital where some of the caretakers are cruel and abusive. Susan Nussbaum, 2013.

[Bonnie G.]

Mandie wrote: "I'm not sure if it's been mentioned, but if anyone wants to include some graphic novels in their reading then I suggest El Deafo for this prompt."

Thank you for this suggestion, it looks perfect for graphic memoir as well as this prompt.

[Alessandra]

Already read this book, but i want to recommend "Flowers for algernon" for everyone who hasn't read it yet. The protagonist has an intellectual disability.

[BookWormBen]

Also, might I recommend Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor, Vol. 2: Hidden Human History as one of the Doctor's companions has dyspraxia.

Another recommendation for those of you that want to get into manga is A Silent Voice, Vol. 1. One of the main characters is hearing impaired.

[BookWormBen]

Vanessa wrote: "For graphic novel readers, Coda, Vol. 1 is a wonderful series, the protagonist of which is missing a leg. It's also fully contained in three trade paperbacks, so if you make it thro..."

FMA!!!! One of my favorite stories of all time!

[CLAIRE]

It’s not a recent book but try Soundless by Richelle Mead I think it might qualify because the whole village is deaf and some are going blind.

[Michelle]

I read Sadie by Courtney Summers. The main character stutters and it the reason for some of her difficulties. She has trouble throughout school. The book is YA and really good. Told in alternating perspectives: Sadie and a podcast about missing girls.

[Siobhan]

SFF-not-inspiration-porn recommendations
Into the Drowning Deep
The Outside
Ascension

[Meghan]

I incidentally read a book in which one of the main characters has what is probably dyslexia (though his parents refer to him as being a “little bit retarded”). He’s also one of at least three point of view characters. (Golden Child, can’t link it on my tablet.)

[Lacey ♡☆]

I read When We Were Vikings. It was funny and serious. Great themes

[Teresa]

I read The Gauguin Connection. It was excellent. The main character has high functioning autism and I gained a lot of insight into a different way of thinking. She also uses her doctorate in psychology throughout the story.

[Renata]

Veronica wrote: "Carolina wrote: "Bonnie G. wrote: "Alli wrote: "I actually read a book from the category by complete accident, All the Light We Cannot See. One of the main characters is blind. I pe..."

I think I'm the only person here who actually enjoyed All the Light We Cannot See! I couldn't put it down. hahaha

[Amanda]

Renata wrote: "I think I'm the only person here who actually enjoyed All the Light We Cannot See! I couldn't put it down. hahaha"

I liked it too! It's been a couple years now but I remember that I had a little bit of trouble getting into it for the first few chapters (they are really short!) but once I got into the story I really enjoyed it.

[Emily]

I am reading Riding the Bus with My Sister: A True Life Journey which I have had on my shelf for ages. A couple of other good options: My Age of Anxiety: Fear, Hope, Dread, and the Search for Peace of Mind, Boy Alone: A Brother's Memoir and No Pity: People with Disabilities Forging a New Civil Rights Movement which is more about the founding of the ADA but many of the protagonists have varying disabilities and its a great read if you don't know much about the disability rights movement. Editing to add Thinking in Pictures: My Life with Autism

[Carmen]

I'm reading The Cuckoo's Calling, a crime novel by Robert Galbraith *cough J.K. Rowling cough*.

[Judith]

Mandie wrote: "I'm not sure if it's been mentioned, but if anyone wants to include some graphic novels in their reading then I suggest El Deafo for this prompt."

I've just read this and it's a lot of fun. Counting it for this prompt as I already have something for the graphic memoir (I try not to double dip until the end of the year, although I'm also counting it for the ReadingWomen challenge as it has a very similar prompt)

[Hope]

I just finished Born on a Blue Day by Daniel Tammet. It’s a memoir written by a man with Aspergers who is also a savant. As an educator it was extremely interesting to learn how he thinks about and sees things in ways neurotypical do not.

[Kris V]

QUESTION: Does The Deep by Rivers Solomon
Work for this category?
The protagonist has what some consider a gift in her community, when it is more or less an ability that no one else has. When she tries to experience transformation by running away from her responsibility in her community, she discovers she cannot, that she’s also one of a dying people...

[Canadian Dragon]

Just finished The Kiss Quotient for this task and it was wonderful,

[Kathleen]

Currently readingThe Rosie Result byGraeme Simsion. It's the final book in the Don Tillman trilogy. Thought I'd use it for this challenge.

[KLC]

Someone recommended El Deafo in the comments, so I read that. It was great. Highly recommend!

[Lianne]

Would it count if there are two primary/POV characters, one of whom has a disability? I'm thinking of a book in the Lincoln Rhyme series by Jeffrey Deaver. His girlfriend (later wife), the cop, is fully abled, but he had an injury that paralyzed him, so he works from home in a wheelchair, with an assistant for all the things he cannot do physically.

[KLC]

Lianne wrote: "Would it count if there are two primary/POV characters, one of whom has a disability?"

I would say, yes. I don't know the story, but it sounds like it fits. If you read the whole series this year, it could also fit in topic #9 (the last book of a series).

[Siobhan]

Judith Heumman, disabled activist, has a book coming out.

Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist

[Marie]

Feed by Mira Grant Horror, main character has a disability brought on by the horror elements but that dramatically impairs her vision and causes other chronic medical concerns.

Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris the Main character was struck by lightning which she was a teenager. Gives her the ability to find dead bodies, but also severely damaged her leg and gives her difficulty with movement.

[Olivia]

I am reading When We Were Vikings. The protagonist was born wit hfetal alcohol syndrome so she has special needs. It's a delightful book. When We Were Vikings

[Emily]

I read Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry. It was mentioned earlier in this thread, and it is the second book in The Giver quartet. I really really really liked this book and can't recommend it enough.

[Stina]

I read Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening for this prompt. Be warned, there is a lot of body horror in this. Beautiful artwork, though, oddly enough.

[Kimberley]

I have a genuine question that is not meant to offend.
Is a ‘hunchback’ considered a disability. I use that term only because that is how the character, Matthew Shardlake in the books by C J Sansom, is referred.
It’s certainly a recurring obstacle for him and a lot of care is taken in the book to acknowledge it and how he would be treated at the time (medically and socially) but I’m not sure if it qualifies?
Thanks