Here Come The Holidays!

If you’ve been outside your home lately, surely you’ve noticed the transition to the holiday season is in full swing. Here in Southern California, where it’s been warm lately, the abundant festive decorations still feel a little out of place. But, for the 30% of the US where it is snowing right now, the holidays must seem right on schedule.

Maybe you plan to begin your holiday shopping this weekend, which is also on my agenda. If you know me well, then you know my favorite gifts are books. If you have an Inclusionista in your life or even a budding junior Inclusionista, here are some KIT-approved bookish gift recommendations. If you don’t celebrate a gift-giving holiday, these suggestions work equally well for birthdays and other celebrations.

First up, for the young Inclusionistas, here is a list of 20 Must-Read YA Books with Disabled Characters. I haven’t read any of these, but I saw a few that I am going to add to my wish list, as I do like a good YA novel every now and then. I would add to this list Out of My Mind, by Sharon Draper (which is really more middle grade) and Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern (which is YA).

For adult readers, here are 6 Powerful Books by Disabled Authors. I’ve got The Pretty One by Keah Brown in my Amazon cart right now. The Kiss Quotient by Helen Huong was a popular novel in 2018. It was one of the Washington Post’s “Notable Works of Fiction” and was also on Amazon’s Top 100 list in 2018. I haven’t read it because I think it might be a little too spicy for me, but I saw it on a lot of “Best of” lists. Of course, not on the list, but getting my enthusiastic recommendation is Haben Girma’s memoir Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law. This book would make a terrific gift for many readers.

One of our highest level goals at KIT is to help people view disability as a natural part of life. Changing the way people think about disability will reduce the stigma and marginalization that children with a diagnosis face. Reading stories about people who are different from you is a proven way to expand awareness and understanding. Plus, reading good stories is just plain fun!  #readingrocks