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Happy Disability Pride Month! July is one of my favorite times of year because I get to celebrate and highlight other disabled folks. Back in July 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed, giving disabled people some important foundational rights. While there’s still a long way to go for disabled people to have equality in this country, the ADA was, and remains, a vitally important piece of legislation. Now, disabled communities across the U.S. celebrate Disability Pride every July. To celebrate, I thought I’d feature some disability-related titles to honor the occasion. But first, Bookish Goods and New Books!
Bookish Goods
Neurodiversity is Beautiful Bookmark by The Book Lovers Era
Disability Pride is a time to celebrate all sorts of different kinds of brains. This bookmark is definitely giving that vibe. $4
New Releases
Sharing Space: An Astronaut’s Guide to Mission, Wonder, and Making Change by Cady Coleman
Cady Coleman spent six months on an international space station as the only woman on her crew. In Sharing Space, Coleman writes about her experience leading up to this life-changing mission and what she’s learned from being an astronaut.
Private Revolutions: Four Women Face China’s New Social Order by Yuan Yang
Journalist Yuan Yang writes about the systemic oppression her generation of women (those born in the ’80s and ’90s) faced as they sought financial independence. Following four different women, Yang shares their experiences and the challenges they faced in the workplace and at home.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to Be an Ally by Emily Ladau
If you’re new to the world of disability literature, Demystifying Disability is a great place to start. Emila Ladau does a great job of giving people instruction in disability etiquette 101. She also gives readers an introduction to disability history, language, and culture. This has become my go-to book whenever I want to introduce someone to the world of disability — it’s the perfect place to start!
The Future is Disabled: Prophecies, Love Notes, and Mourning Songs by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha
Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha follows up their incredible book Care Work with The Future Is Disabled. Piepzna-Samarasinha writes about the last two years of surviving COVID-19 as a disabled femme of color in an ableist world that isn’t interested in protecting disabled folks. They also discuss mutual aid and disabled joy in the face of isolation and discrimination. The pandemic has been incredibly difficult for disabled people who have been asked to “take one for the team” by wider society. Piepzna-Samarasinha writes encouragement to disabled folks, relishing in our community’s creativity in our fight for survival. They also mourn those lost in the pandemic and the care crisis so many of us still face.
You can find me over on my substack Winchester Ave, over on Instagram @kdwinchester, on TikTok @kendrawinchester, or on my podcast Read Appalachia. As always, feel free to drop me a line at kendra.d.winchester@gmail.com. For even MORE bookish content, you can find my articles on Book Riot.
Happy Reading, Friends!
~ Kendra
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