We’re thrilled to spotlight the voices that don’t always get the attention they deserve – authors who are both disabled and from BIPOC backgrounds. These storytellers bring perspectives that explore intersectionality in ways we rarely see. They challenge stereotypes, reshape narratives and ultimately remind us of the importance of inclusion in the literary world. We’ll be exploring their work, celebrating their contributions and encouraging you to add these books to your reading list.
An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon
Rivers Solomon is a Black, non-binary and disabled author who brings a unique voice to speculative fiction, often exploring the intersections of race, gender and disability. Their lived experiences and understanding of marginalisation are reflected in their novel An Unkindness of Ghosts.
An Unkindness of Ghosts takes readers on a journey aboard the Matilda, a spaceship structured like a plantation where society is divided by class, race and power. The protagonist, Aster, is a queer, neurodivergent Black woman whose experiences of both race and disability are integral to the story. Aster's sharp intelligence and medical skills allow her to survive the oppressive environment, yet her neurodivergence shapes how she interacts with the world around her.
What sets this novel apart is how Solomon integrates Aster’s identity – her race, her queerness, and her disability – into the broader themes of survival and resistance against a brutal system. Disability in An Unkindness of Ghosts is not merely a subplot; it’s part of the fabric of Aster’s character, influencing how she navigates the emotional and physical challenges aboard the Matilda. Solomon’s writing allows us to see Aster not just as a survivor, but as a complex individual shaped by both her strengths and her vulnerabilities.
Year of the Tiger: An Activist’s Life by Alice Wong
The daughter of immigrants from Hong Kong born with muscular dystrophy, Alice Wong is an activist, author and editor whose work straddles and embraces a multiplicity of experiences. She is the founder of the Disability Visibility Project and is the co-partner of various projects that bring together disabled writers and journalists and advocate for political participation within the disabled community.
Year of the Tiger: An Activist’s Life is Wong’s debut memoir which brings together original essays, previously published works, interviews, photographs, art created by disabled and Asian American artists and much more. The eclectic mediums parallel the breadth of the content from Wong’s origins to her reflections on the future. Wong’s wholly unique, sometimes satirical, and deeply discerning outlook is evident from the memoir’s first chapter: A Mutant from Planet Cripton. She deftly combines her personal passions, such as science fiction, with the unadulterated realities of being “born different.” As the memoir continues, Wong leads the reader through a process of reframing disability with the help of Chinese characters and their multitude of meanings, ultimately coming to the realisation that “prosperity and blessings may not look the same to each person.” Year of the Tiger is not just the story of an activist, it is also a reservoir of imagination and manifestation. Wong’s writing unfurls and grips you in a way that opens new dimensions and illuminates undeniable truths.
A Face for Picasso by Ariel Henley
Henley’s memoir A Face for Picasso: Coming of Age with Crouzon Syndrome, recounts her life experiences – at eight months old, both Ariel and her twin sister Zan were diagnosed with Crouzon Syndrome, a rare condition causing bones in the head to fuse too early. They were thought to be the first known pair of twins who have survived the disease.
In this book, Henry explores what life was like as the sisters went through many operations to alter their appearance, and how, in order to make space for their growing organs, surgeons would have to break bones in their faces and heads. Ariel and Zan inevitably faced much physical pain, but the emotional weight of having a facial disfigurement proved to be more of a challenge.
Henry’s novel explores themes of identity, confidence and family as she speaks on how to love yourself and feel comfortable with who you are. Winning both the Golden Kite Award and the Schneider Family Honour Book Award, this is a must-read.
The Perseverance by Raymond Antrobus
British-Jamaican writer Raymond Antrobus became the first poet to win the Rathbones Folio Prize for his work The Perseverance. Originally thought to have learning difficulties, Atrobus was discovered to be Deaf when he was six years old.
This poetry collection is from Atrobus’ perspective as he decided to travel to Barcelona after his father’s passing. While in Gaudi’s Cathedral, he ponders upon whether sound and acoustics can bring one closer to God. He begins to examine how Deaf people are included in this concept.
The collection brings together themes of grief, loss, love and life within the Deaf experience. It also expertly intertwines ideas relating to race and identity, masculinity and, most notably, communication. It explores how communication is utilised and taken for granted by others. Winning a vast number of accolades, including most recently the Sunday Times/University of Warwick Young Writer of the Year Award, this collection is an invaluable piece of work.
He also published a children’s picture book Can Bears Ski? in 2020, after not being able to find a children’s book that has a Deaf main character.