The Bell Jar by
This classic novel details the life of Esther Greenwood, a college student who dreams of becoming a poet. It is a realistic and emotional portrayal of a woman battling mental illness and societal pressures.
Beloved by
An unflinchingly look into the abyss of slavery, from the acclaimed Nobel Prize winner. This spellbinding novel transforms history into a story as powerful as Exodus and as intimate as a lullaby.
Of Mice and Men by
This book focuses on the experiences of two displaced migrant ranch workers, George and Lennie, who move from place to place in California in search of work during the Great Depression. Lennie has an intellectual disability.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by
Set in a psychiatric hospital, the novel focuses on several of the patients and the authoritarian nurse in charge of their ward.
The Yellow Wallpaper by
Written with barely controlled fury after she was confined to her room for 'nerves' and forbidden to write, Gilman's pioneering feminist horror story scandalized nineteenth-century readers with its portrayal of a woman who loses her mind because she has literally nothing to do.
It can be comforting and empowering to know that disability representation exists in fiction. Below is a list of print books and eBooks featuring characters with disabilities. In the call number area, there is a note about which disabilities and/or illnesses are represented.
If you are an off-campus student, we recommend checking with your local public library for more fiction books with disability representation.
All the Light We Cannot See by
A bestseller about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II.
Angle of Repose by
Confined to a wheelchair, a retired historian sets out to write his grandparents' remarkable story, chronicling their days spent carving civilization into the surface of America's western frontier. But his research reveals even more about his own life than he's willing to admit.
By the Light of the Moon by
Stopping to get a hotel room for himself and his 20-year-old autistic brother, Dylan is attacked by a mysterious "doctor," injected with a strange substance, and told that he is now a carrier of something that will either kill him or transform his life in a remarkable way. He is told that he must flee--before the doctor's enemies hunt him down. Dylan runs for his life and straight into an odyssey of terror, mystery, and discovery.
Children of God by
The only member of the original mission to the planet Rakhat to return to Earth, Father Emilio Sandoz has barely begun to recover from his ordeal when the Society of Jesus calls upon him for help in preparing for another mission to Alpha Centauri. Old friends, new discoveries and difficult questions await Emilio as he struggles for inner peace and understanding in a moral universe whose boundaries now extend beyond the solar system and whose future lies with children born in a faraway place.
Doc by
Dr. Holliday arrives on the Texas frontier hoping that the dry air and sunshine of the West will restore him to health. Soon, with few job prospects, he is gambling professionally and hits the saloons of Dodge City. That is where the unlikely friendship of Doc Holliday and a fearless lawman named Wyatt Earp begins-- before the gunfight at the O.K. Corral links their names forever in American frontier mythology.
Fledgling by
A newly expanded edition of Octavia E. Butler's only collection of short stories. Butler graces new mansions of thought with her eloquent, distinguished and poignant prose. Although this book is little in size, its ideas are splendidly large.
Follow the Stars Home by
Weeks before her daughter was born, Dianne and her husband, Tim, discover that their daughter will be born with genetic defects. Refusing to care for such a child, Tim abandons Dianne and the baby. As time passes, Dianne manages to care for her daughter with the help of her mother and Tim's brother, who has always loved her.
The Ghost Road by
Central to this novel are two men divided by class and experience, but sharing a mutual respect and empathy. One is Billy Prior, cured of shell shock by psychologist Dr. William Rivers and determined to return to the war in France. The other is Dr. Rivers himself, consumed by the medical challenge and moral dilemma of restoring men to health so that they can be sent back to the battlefields and almost certain death.
The Green Mile by
Welcome to Cold Mountain Penitentiary, home to the Depression-worn men of E Block. Convicted killers all, each awaits his turn to walk "the Green Mile," the lime-colored corridor leading to the electric chair. Prison guard Paul has seen his share of oddities over the years, but he's never seen anything like John--a man with the body of a giant and the mind of a child, condemned for a crime terrifying in its violence and shocking in its depravity.
Ohio Angels by
Hallie Greaves comes home to Ohio one hot week in July. She hopes to help her mother who confines her life wholly to her bedroom. To enter her mother's room, however, is to come face to face with Hallie's own disappointments and yearnings. At an impasse in her painting and in her marriage, Hallie confronts questions of love, memory, sorrow, and infertility.
Out of the Dust by
A terrible accident has transformed Billie Jo's life, scarring her inside and out. And the one thing that might make her feel better -- playing the piano -- is impossible with her wounded hands. Dust storms are devastating the family farm and all the farms nearby. While others flee from the dust bowl, Billie Jo is left to find peace in the bleak landscape of Oklahoma -- and in the surprising landscape of her own heart.
Recessional by
The challenges and rewards faced by older adults and their families is the subject at the heart of this provocative new novel. Set in a Florida retirement center called the Palms, the book follows a group of unforgettable residents over the course of a year as their humorous, triumphant narratives unfold.
Rules by
12-year-old Catherine just wants a normal life. Which is near impossible when you have a brother with autism and a family that revolves around his disability. She's spent years trying to teach David the rules in order to stop his embarrassing behaviors. But the summer Catherine meets Jason, a paraplegic boy, and Kristi, the next-door friend she's always wished for, it's her own shocking behavior that turns everything upside down and forces her to ask: What is normal?
The Sickle Cell Tragedy by
Star-crossed lovers are both black students in a small Southern college. Margo is the apple of her family's eye. She is a top student on her way to becoming a teacher. But all of her own and her family's well-laid plans are destined to change when she falls in love with Tommy.
The Sparrow by
A novel about a Jesuit priest who undergoes an experience so harrowing and profound that it makes him question the existence of God. This experience--the first contact between human beings and intelligent extraterrestrial life--begins with a small mistake and ends in a horrible catastrophe.
The View from Saturday by
Four children are joined together by their teacher to form a team to compete in the academic bowl. We meet them as we hear the questions they are given in the finals, and discover their relationship to each other.
Wonder by
Auggie, who was born with extreme facial abnormalities and was not expected to survive, goes from being home-schooled to entering fifth grade at a private middle school, which entails enduring the taunting and fear of his classmates as he struggles to be seen as just another student.
The Call by
3 minutes and 4 seconds. The length of time every teenager is "Called," from the moment they vanish to the moment they reappear. 9 out of 10 children return dead. Nessa, Megan, and Anto are at a training school to give them some chance to fight back. Nessa is determined to prove that her polio-twisted legs won't get her killed.
Finding Dorothy by
This richly imagined novel tells the story behind The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the book that inspired the iconic film, through the eyes of author L. Frank Baum's wife, Maud.
Mexican Gothic by
Set in Mexico in the early 1950s, this gothic horror novel centers on a young woman investigating her cousin's claims that her husband is trying to murder her. Depicts mental illness and chronic illness.
Mosquitoland by
When she learns that her mother is sick in Ohio, Mim confronts her demons on a thousand-mile odyssey from Mississippi that redefines her notions of love, loyalty, and what it means to be sane.
My Dark Vanessa by
Alternating between Vanessa's present and her past, this book juxtaposes memory and trauma with the breathless excitement of a teenage girl discovering the power her own body can wield. Portrays troubled adolescence and its repercussions that raises vital questions about agency, consent, complicity, and victimhood.
Rachel's Holiday by
When Rachel's family hustles her back home to Ireland and checks her into the Betty Ford Clinic to treat her alcoholism, Rachel is hopeful. Perhaps it will be lovely--spa treatments, celebrities, that kind of thing. Instead, she finds a lot of group therapy, which leads her, against her will, to some important self-knowledge.
Savage Season by
Hap Collins and Leonard Pine are best friends, yet they couldn't be more different. Hap is an East Texas white boy with a weakness for Texas women. Leonard is a gay, black Vietnam vet. When an ex-flame of Hap's returns promising a huge score, Hap lets Leonard in on the scam, and that's when things get interesting.
The Story Hour by
An experienced psychologist, Maggie carefully maintains emotional distance from her patients. But when she meets a young Indian woman who tried to kill herself, her professional detachment disintegrates. Soon the doctor and her patient become close friends, but their relationship is warped by conflicting expectations. Secrets and revelations will jeopardize their close bond and force them to confront painful choices.
Call Numbers: FIC DEAV (Quadriplegia)
This series focuses on Lincoln Rhyme, a quadriplegic forensic expert. Both campuses have many print books in this series listed below.
PLEASE NOTE: Unless otherwise indicated, the location is Steubenville