Book Review Archive: Unbroken

[ID: A book cover featuring two teens hugging, one with a cane, on top of an open stack of books with two pink flowers and two pink butterflies.]

Summary: This anthology explores disability in fictional tales told from the viewpoint of disabled characters, written by disabled creators. With stories in various genres about first loves, friendship, war, travel, and more, Unbroken will offer today's teen readers a glimpse into the lives of disabled people in the past, present, and future.

The contributing authors are awardwinners, 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.

Category: YA Science Fiction/Fantasy

“To find magic in the mending.”

— Unbroken

Representation: Neurodivergency, wheelchair user, chronic pain, digestive disease, bipolar disease, and more.

⁣Unbroken, a collection of #ownvoice short stories, was one of my favorite books of 2020 and has easily become one of my most recommended reads. Every time I sit down to write a proper review I become speechless. I just can’t articulate how much this book means to me - how wonderful and important it is. I just want to keep repeating: read it, read it, read it! You won’t regret it!⁣⁣

I only wish this book had been around when I was younger. Seeing myself in fiction would’ve been amazing to my teenage self. Even now, it moves me beyond words. I never thought I would see things like chronic pain and digestive disease representation in fantasy books. It combines so many things that are near and dear to my heart in one delightful fantasy package.⁣

There’s something for everyone here - from sci-fi to historical fantasy to a tinge of horror. I didn’t love every single one of the stories in this collection but all of them deserved to be full novels. They’re fabulous. I feel so thankful this book exists and I need everyone to read it, buy it, and spread the word so we can have many, many more #disabilityreads in the future! ⁣

Originally published on Instagram on March 16, 2021.