Unbroken

UnbrokenUnbroken: 13 Stories Starring Disabled Teens by Marieke Nijkamp, William Alexander, Fox Benwell, Keah Brown, Dhonielle Clayton, Corinne Duyvis, Heidi Heilig, Kody Keplinger, Katherine Locke, Karuna Riazi, Francisco X. Stork, Kayla Whaley, Kristine Wyllys
on September 18th 2018
ISBN: 0374306508
Pages: 320
Goodreads
four-stars

Unbroken is a collection of short stories by authors who have lived with disabilities. Not all the stories are winners, but there are enough gems in a book with a subject that does not get enough coverage or print space. Edited by Marieke Nijkamp (herself a contributing author of one story), the book is an #ownvoices book written about disabled characters by authors who have lived with a disability. Contributing authors are a mix of bestsellers and newcomers including Kody Keplinger, Kristine Wyllys, Francisco X. Stork, William Alexander, Corinne Duyvis, Marieke Nijkamp, Dhonielle Clayton, Heidi Heilig, Katherine Locke, Karuna Riazi, Kayla Whaley, Keah Brown, and Fox Benwell. Each author identifies as disabled along a physical, mental, or neurodiverse axis―and their characters reflect this diversity. Viewpoints intersect race, gender, and sexuality and stories cross genres (realistic, scifi, fantasy, horror). The stories are one the short side and cover themes like friendship, family, and finding one’s place in a world not designed for them.  For collections where short story anthologies are checked out, this one would be a worthwhile title.

Recommended by Jill O’Connor, Merrill Memorial Library, Yarmouth

four-stars