Expanding the Canon: Recommended Reads Featuring Characters with Disabilities
- unabridgedpod
- Apr 18
- 4 min read
Curated by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books)
We’re always thinking about the stories we share—and the ones we don’t. In recent years, we’ve seen a welcome shift. A growing number of authors are writing stories that center disabled characters in ways that are nuanced, authentic, and deeply human.
In this post, we’re highlighting a selection of books that foreground characters with disabilities across a range of genres and age levels. Some are joyful, some are challenging, and all are worth reading—and several will help you to conquer two categories in this year's Unabridged Podcast Reading Challenge!
Here are 6 books we recommend adding to your shelf.
Note: This book would work for the Unabridged Podcast Reading Challenge category "Romance featuring a character with a disability."
From the review: "The novel, which won the Pura Belpré Young Adult Author Honor, AudioFile Magazine Earphones Award, and Schneider Family Book Award Honor, was a rich text to read and discuss.
"The story centers on Verónica, who lives with her parents in central Florida and has dreamed since she was a young girl of being a mermaid at Mermaid Cove.
"Verónica has always been most at home in the water, where she feels strong and in control. On land? Not so much.
"Her parents are loving but very controlling. They immigrated from Peru to the United States to seek treatment for Verónica's hip dysplasia, and her mother, in particular, worries constantly that doing anything wrong could mean that they'll be sent back."
Note: This book would work for the Unabridged Podcast Reading Challenge category "Romance featuring a character with a disability."
From the review: "At the beginning of the book, Reggie meets Delilah as she's experiencing a migraine right after giving a phenomenal first performance as the lead singer of a punk rock band. Because he's so wowed by her (and because he unintentionally wore a super nerdy t-shirt), he pretends to have a lot more confidence than he actually feels, and he leans into the Black nerd vibe that he usually tries to hide from other people. "
Nita Prose's THE MAID--Cozy Mystery At Its Finest (Sara's Review)
Note: This book would work for the Unabridged Podcast Reading Challenge category "Book about someone with neurodivergence."
From the review: "Hooray for a wonderful, delightful, heartfelt cozy mystery!
"Admittedly, I am a total sucker for the cozy mystery genre. Give me all the cozy mysteries. However, I do think in The Maid, Nita Prose has elevated the genre and created an excellent story and well-developed characters."
Kimberly Brubaker Bradley's THE WAR THAT SAVED MY LIFE - Finding Hope Amid Hardship (Ashley's Review)
From the review: "As the story opens, we meet Ada as WWII approaches London. Ada is trapped at home, forbidden by their mother to leave their tiny apartment because of her twisted foot. Ada knows very little about the outside world because of her captivity and her mother's abusive treatment, but after her beloved little brother starts going to school, she decides to teach herself to walk despite the pain it causes her."
Mona Awad's ALL'S WELL - A Reality-Bending Retelling (Jen's Review)
From the review: "Miranda Fitch is a theater professor who, after falling from the stage and being extremely injured, had to abandon her life as an actress to deal with her chronic pain. Miranda deals with skepticism from almost everyone—therapists, her friends, and even her ex-husband believe that she's exaggerating her condition. She's left with a profession she never would have chosen and a Shakespeare competition to manage."
Cece Bell's EL DEAFO - A Graphic Novel for All Audiences (Sara's Review)
From the review: "Clearly this graphic novel is something special. It won the Newbery in 2015. The humor and rawness with which Cece Bell portrays her story is deeply affecting, but peppered with humor so that it is accessible to a wide audience. I adore the way she incorporates herself and her alter-ego, El Deafo, within the story to depict what is actually happening versus what she desires to happen."
(A note to our readers: click on the hashtags above to see our other blog posts with the same hashtag.)
Interested in what else we're reading? Check out our Featured Books page.
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