Three Must-Read – Memoirs by Disabled Authors

Are you like me and currently love reading about other disabled individuals’ experiences, or are you not disabled and just want to educate yourself about the disabled experience? Either way, I have you covered! Here is a list of three of my favorite memoirs written by disabled individuals:

Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body by Rebekah Taussig This Book is a beautifully written collection of essays that touch on essential topics in intersectionality, such as feminism, accessibility, and love. It chronicles Rebekah’s experiences as a disabled wheelchair user from childhood to her 30s and how her perception of disability has changed. What I love most about this memoir is how candid and honest the author is. On a personal level, although we do not share the same disability, I find her commentary incredibly relatable. I would highly recommend listening to the audio version because it is a whole other experience to hear her tell the stories; it feels much more personal. If you want to hear more about Rebekah’s story, you can listen to my podcast episode, Sitting Pretty: A Conversation with Rebekah Taussig.

The Pretty One: On Life, Pop Culture, Disability, and Other Reasons to Fall in Love with Me by Keah Brown. This Book is a thoughtful and diverse collection of essays written by a woman with cerebral palsy that allows readers a look into what it is like to be a disabled woman of color. Her book, like Rebekah’s, is extremely candid and honest. She is not afraid to talk about the mental health impact of having a disability, which is something that isn’t talked about enough. What I enjoyed most about this book is how there are so many pop culture references in her essays and how she let her personality shine through her writing. This book is for you if you are a big pop culture nerd like me, born in the 90s or early 2000s.

Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights ActivistIf you are more interested in the history of disability, I have the book for you. This autobiographical book details the life of the legendary activist Judy Huemann. The book chronicles her activism over her career and describes her life fighting for equal access to education. She describes what it was like to grow up with polio in the 50s and 60s. Huemann is known for being one of the most influential individuals in disability history. What I love most about this book is that it goes deep into the policies and legislation she was instrumental in helping get passed, the details of which are often unknown by the disabled and non-disabled community. If you want a deeper understanding of policies, protests, and disability rights legislation, this book is for you. If you’ve already finished this book and want to hear more from Judy, you can listen to her podcast the Huemann Perspective where she has conversations with other disability activists.

Until next time,

Liv