Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

A book by or about a person who has a disability was suggested by our very own Rachel (shout out!) and here we have it! Some of the suggestions I've seen include Helen Keller, Temple Grandin and Stephen Hawking. What fictional characters might we consider?

Left Neglected - this is what I plan to read
First Person Plural: My Life as a Multiple - I have a copy of this one and have read it at least twice. Really good book!

Thanks Juanita! Here are some suggestions (both fiction and non-fiction):

House Rules
Handle with Care
Carly's Voice: Breaking Through Autism
With the Light: Raising an Autistic Child (An amazing manga series about the family of a young boy with autism)
The Memory Keeper's Daughter
Me Before You
Mockingbird
Twirling Naked in the Streets and No One Noticed: Growing Up With Undiagnosed Autism
The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism
The Miracle Worker

To clarify, when I originally posted the suggestion my intent was to read about physical, cognitive or developmental disabilities. I know you can also make a case for mental health conditions (ie. anxiety, depression, etc) being a disability as well, but since I've seen mental health categories in a few challenges in the past, I thought I'd bring in a different kind of diversity. Of course I wouldn't judge anyone for how they choose to interpret disability.

I really want to go with fiction for this prompt -- it's so important to get diversity in fictional characters. Thanks for your suggestions, Rachel! (And thanks for suggesting the prompt, too.)

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time has an autistic narrator.

And I think one of the main characters in The Heart is a Lonely Hunter is deaf-mute.

I am planning on reading What Alice Forgot.

Two series have books that fill this one:

In mystery, the Cormoran Strike series (has anyone noticed how much I LOVE this series? LOL!): Cormoran had a leg amputated after a war injury.

In historical romance, the Survivor's Club series from Mary Balogh, each book revolves a different member of the "club" of people wounded and disabled during the Napoleonic wars (some of the disabilities are not physical). I think I'm going to read the next book in this series.

Yes, there are two deaf men in The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, one of them is the central character.

The Tales of Max Carrados is a collection of stories about a blind detective that appeared in The Strand magazine with Holmes starting in 1914. I have had the Stephen Fry narrated audio book in my wish list for a while now. I am likely to use this book for one prompt or another.

Anna wrote: "And I think one of the main characters in The Heart is a Lonely Hunter is deaf-mute."

There are actually two characters. They are roommates. I felt that was the more compelling part of the story and was disappointed by how it was/wasn't developed.

I want to read Wonder for this.

I am leaning towards reading The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson. The father of the main character has PTSD after coming back from war and the story is about how their relationship has changed as father and daughter and how they move forward as a family. Would this still fit into the prompt?

I'm looking at B&N's list of Best Sci-Fi of 2016 and found another candidate for this category:

Borderline, protagonist is a double amputee (and also has borderline personality disorder, AND is some sort of liaison between Hollywood and Fairy, hence title)

Rachel wrote: "Thanks Juanita! Here are some suggestions (both fiction and non-fiction):

House Rules
Handle with Care
Carly's Voice: Breaking Through Autism


I can't get the type below to print properly. Oops!

Thank you so much! I was struggling with this category. I've already read books by/about Helen Keller and Temple Grandin, but I love the idea of The Memory Keeper's Daughter

I haven't seen All the Light We Cannot See suggested yet. I'm probably late to the party, but one of the main characters is blind.

I also second Nadine's suggestion of the Cormoran Strike series. And Me Before You was amazing.

Would A Beautiful Mind work for this category? He was brilliant but schizophrenic. I've only seen the movie and really want to read the book that I bought a while back.

Therese wrote: "Would A Beautiful Mind work for this category? He was brilliant but schizophrenic. I've only seen the movie and really want to read the book that I bought a while back."

It all depends on how you define disability. I definitely think that would work.

Charlotte wrote: "I am leaning towards reading The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson. The father of the main character has PTSD after coming back from war and the story is about how..."

I personally would not, since I think a mental health condition is different from a disability although there can definitely be some overlap. When I originally suggested this prompt, my idea was for physical disabilities (blind, deaf, wheelchair users, etc.) or cognitive/developmental disabilities (Down syndrome, CP, autism, etc.), but you can interpret it however you want.

I've been meaning to read The World's Strongest Librarian: A Memoir of Tourette's, Faith, Strength, and the Power of Family

Lindi wrote: "Therese wrote: "Would A Beautiful Mind work for this category? He was brilliant but schizophrenic. I've only seen the movie and really want to read the book that I bought a while back."

It all dep..."

Well since I have been a wheelchair user for over 44 years, I don't see my disability in the same way that others do. Even last month when I was talking to a couple of people who know my sister and they were talking about her disability (she is blind in one eye), I was puzzled for a bit because I couldn't figure out how she could be handicapped. She is super smart and nothing has stopped her. At any rate, I know I have a disability, but I don't see that my sister does. Often other people don't know unless they are told. I appreciate your answer. I will have to give this some more thought. Although as one person said, you can always change the rules to suit you, or something like that :-)

Therese that's interesting, and a good reminder. I don't know about the other books, but I can say that Cormoran Strike (an amputee with a prosthesis) is not particularly limited, no more than the rest of us whose bodies are aging and not as strong as they used to be.

Nadine wrote: "Therese that's interesting, and a good reminder. I don't know about the other books, but I can say that Cormoran Strike (an amputee with a prosthesis) is not particularly limited, no more than the ..."

I read that book last year, and I will read the next one for the author with the pseudonym next year for this challenge, but I forgot that he was an amputee. I certainly didn't see him with any sort of disability. Some things are definitely in the eye of the beholder. My disability is very obvious and it limits me, but instead of focusing on that, I focus on what I can do. That's why I love my little Gracie, my adorable feline, because she definitely sees me that way :-)

Laura Hillenbrand, who wrote Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption and also Seabiscuit: An American Legend, has debilitating chronic fatigue syndrome.

Octavia Butler, who has written lots of science fiction, is severely dyslexic.

Jorge Luis Borges became blind and continued writing.

I recommend To Each Her Own The hero has paraplegia since his spinal cord injury.

Very unusual topic (devotee) for a love story but so well done and interesting.

My choice for this topic The Story of My Life

(1) DisabilityThe term “disability” means, with respect to an individual—
(A) a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities of such individual;
(B) a record of such an impairment; or
(C) being regarded as having such an impairment (as described in paragraph (3)).
(2) Major life activities
(A) In general
For purposes of paragraph (1), major life activities include, but are not limited to, caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, seeing, hearing, eating, sleeping, walking, standing, lifting, bending, speaking, breathing, learning, reading, concentrating, thinking, communicating, and working.
(B) Major bodily functions
For purposes of paragraph (1), a major life activity also includes the operation of a major bodily function, including but not limited to, functions of the immune system, normal cell growth, digestive, bowel, bladder, neurological, brain, respiratory, circulatory, endocrine, and reproductive functions.

Out of My Mind
Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper would fit this category well. It is Young Adult/Middle Grades.

Feed by Mira Grant is a good book for this. The main character is disabled (and identifies this was several times during the book). I'm 99% certain that the author has said she's disabled.
It could also qualify for author using a pseudonym (real name is Seanan McGuire) and first book in a series you've never read (assuming you haven't real it already).

Kara wrote: "Feed by Mira Grant is a good book for this. The main character is disabled (and identifies this was several times during the book). I'm 99% certain that the author has said she's disabled.
It coul..."

That's true, she mentioned it A LOT in the book -so much that I did a word count when I was reading it. Georgia mentions her "retinal KA" condition 30 times, headaches/migraines caused by it are mentioned 23 times, and the special sunglasses she has to wear to protect her eyes are mentioned a whopping 93 times.

It's a fictional disability, but I think it should still count, since it's real in the story.

Totally agree on Feed by Mira Grant, and recommend it because it was a great book.
Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John is about a deaf girl who manages a band. It was pretty good and would work for anyone looking.
I plan on reading Under Rose-Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall which has come highly recommended by a number of friends. She has agoraphobia and OCD, according to the blurb.

I'm thinking about reading Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom. The main character is blind. I got this in a subscription box a while back and have been meaning to read it. Perfect timing. :)

I would recommend Rubbernecker by Belinda Bauer.

I very much liked The Reason I Jump. It's not written in a linear style; it's more of Q&A, but I thought it was delightful.

A great middle grade novel (also set during WWII if you want to double dip on that category!) is The War that Saved My Life - the main character has an untreated club foot and it is a major part of the book.

I'm going to read Islands in the Sky by Arthur C. Clarke. One of the characters is the commander of a space station who has lost his legs.

Wonder "August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school—until now. He's about to start 5th grade at Beecher Prep, and if you've ever been the new kid then you know how hard that can be. The thing is Auggie's just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face. But can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, despite appearances?"

Figured out what I can read for this one! For those interested in a mental disability, there is always Forrest Gump by Winston Groom.

Here are some sci-fi books about people with autism I'm planning to read this year:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9...

Any YA fans out there may want to check out something by Leigh Bardugo - she has the Grisha trilogy and the semi-related Six of Crows duology. Ms. Bardugo is diagnosed with osteonecrosis ("bone death", literally) and speaks openly about it, as well as wrote it into the SoC storyline with one of the main characters.

I am planning on reading The Bone Collector by Jeffery Deaver. The main character in this mystery/detective series is quadriplegic.

My dh (librarian) recommends The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon. This sci-fi book's main character is autistic.

I wish Goodreads would let us "like" comments.

Cindy wrote: "I wish Goodreads would let us "like" comments."

I KNOW! Also, I wish that we could add comments underneath the comment it goes too - does that make sense? Like facebook does...

For this one, I am reading Wonder, and my Mom is reading Auggie & Me because she has already read Wonder.

Cindy wrote: "I wish Goodreads would let us "like" comments."

ditto!

Megan wrote: "Cindy wrote: "I wish Goodreads would let us "like" comments."

I KNOW! Also, I wish that we could add comments underneath the comment it goes too - does that make sense? Like facebook does..."

I wish I could like both of these comments! lol

Ghost Boy by Martin Pistorius would also be a good book for this, and is an incredible read.

I also second those who have said House Rules. Great book.

For those who like Romance was good.

Caity wrote: "Figured out what I can read for this one! For those interested in a mental disability, there is always Forrest Gump by Winston Groom."
I would advise you not to, especially if you liked the movie. It was a DNF for me.

I highly recommend House Rules and Mockingbird. Both books are about someone on the autism spectrum. I've read them both, so I will choose something different for this category.

Think I'll go for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly for this one.

For anyone looking for YA/middle grade books, there is
The Sword of Summer (one of the main characters is deaf)
Wonder (the main character has a facial deformity)
The Westing Game (a character in a wheelchair)
Freak the Mighty (a main character has a physical disability)
Wonderstruck (deaf characters)

I recently read Deafening byFrances Itani. I highly recommend it!!!

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
Ben and Rose secretly wish for better lives. Ben longs for his unknown father. Rose scrapbooks a famous silent actress. When Ben finds clues and Rose reads enticing news, the children independently run to New York for what they are missing. Ben's story in words, Rose's in pictures, come together in deafness.