A.k.a…. Books I recommend! I am only getting started here (as you can see…), but since I may never finish, I figured I’d post my working draft.

There are of course articles, essays, videos, social media, visual and performance art… but I limited myself (for now!) to books. The best are impossible to categorize because they cover more than one of my categories, but I’ll try anyway. This is a work in progress! Please buy these books from independent book stores like Powells (good selection of used books too!), Third Place Books, Elliot Bay and Bookshop.org. Or of course, get them from your library!

 

On Disability and Chronic Illness

Kindling, by Aurora Levins Morales (personal and political essays/memoir on disability)

Exile and Pride and Brilliant Imperfection, by Eli Clare (personal and political essays/memoir on disability)

Too Late To Die Young, by Harriet McByrde Johnson (memoir by a disability rights activist, lawyer, and born storyteller)

My Body Politic, by Simi Linton (disability memoir, which is of course political – see title)

Care Work and many other books and essays and collections by Leah Lakshmi Piepzne-Samarasinha (essays on disability justice)

Beauty is a Verb, edited by Jennifer Bartlett, Sheila Black, and Michael Northen

Disability Visibility and Disability Intimacy, edited by Alice Wong

Pain Woman Takes Your Keys, Sonya Huber

The Undying, by Anne Boyer

The Cancer Journals, Audre Lorde

I Live a Life Like Yours, Jan Grue

Sure I’ll Join Your Cult, Maria Bamford

 

On Parenting and Disability

Knowing Jesse, by Marianne Lione (disability parenting memoir)

Raising a Rare Girl, by Heather Kirn Lanier (disability parenting memoir)

Boy in the Moon, by Ian Brown (disability parenting memoir)

My Baby Rides the Short Bus, edited by Jennifer Silverman, Sarah Talbot and Yantra Bertelli (essay collection on parenting and disability)

 

 

On Embodiment/Yoga/Spirituality (and more!)

The Body is Not An Appology, by Sonya Renee Taylor

Radical Dharma, by Rev. angel Kyodo Williams, Lama Rod Owens and Jasmine Syedullah

Queer Dharma, by Jacoby Ballard

My Grandmother’s Hands, by Resma Menakem

The Book of Joy, by His Holiness the Dali Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Douglas Abrams

 

 

A Few of My Favorite Memoirs and Personal Essay Collections

Heart Radical, Anne Liu Kellor

Nervous, Jen Soriano

Inciting Joy, Ross Gay

Girlhood, Melissa Febos

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, Ocean Vuong (officially a novel)

Heavy, Kiese Laymon

Punch Me Up to the Gods, Brian Broome

On Immunity  and Having and Being Had, Eula Biss

Dear Damage, Ashley Marie Farmer