Award-Winning Novels
Disclaimer: The Nora Project no longer uses the term "#OwnVoices" to describe books where the author's lived experience is reflected in their work through its characters, events, themes, and more. To learn more about this decision and background, please reference the statement released by We Need Diverse Books here.
In this final installment of our series highlighting the Schneider Family Book Award winners for 2022, we’re focusing on the novels who won in the teen category. Both of the books in this post are #OwnVoices novels that highlight the experiences of young women with disabilities in a world that sees them as other, not normal, broken, or needing to be fixed.
Book cover of ‘The Words in My Hands’ has an illustrated drawing of a person with long black hair holding a red pen in their mouth standing infront of a row of buildings.
The Words in My Hands written and illustrated by Asphyxia, is a novel set in the near future and is this year’s winner in the teen category. The lead character, Piper McBride, is an oral deaf high school student who struggles to pass as “normal.” The author uses her own experiences as an oral deaf child to portray the challenges Piper faces. The novel is presented as Piper’s journal, with text, drawings, collages, and paintings done by Piper as she narrates her life as an oral deaf individual who becomes connected to the Deaf community and learns sign language. The author vividly describes the results of Piper’s attempts to rely on the use of hearing aids (which makes her ears itch relentlessly) and lip-reading (which usually results in headaches), and her relief at how using sign language opens up her communication and her world. The story line is futuristic, set in Australia during a time when the government and big business have joined forces to compel the citizens to eat “recon food,” an engineered foodstuff infused with medications and preventative drugs. As side effects begin to appear, many people secretly build gardens for “wild food” “Piper becomes an advocate for “wild food” while growing her ability to communicate as a d/Deaf person using sign language, rather than complying with her mother’s wish for her to “fit in,” act “normal,” and be an oral deaf person who speaks. Among other topics, this novel depicts the oral vs sign debate that is prevalent in education in a truly personal way, which can lead to rich discussions about personal choice, inclusive behavior, and how the Deaf community views deafness, language, and disability. The author shares some tips about how to relate to d/Deaf people as an appendix of sorts, which can lead to further insightful conversations.
Book cover for ‘A Face for Picasso’ with a profile photo of a girl with long brown hair looking up at the blue sky.
A Face for Picasso: Coming of Age with Crouzon Syndrome is an autobiography written by Ariel Henley and is this year’s teen honor recipient. The novel shares the experiences of Ariel and her twin sister Zan, both of whom have Crouzon syndrome. The author has divided the book into three distinct sections: Before, After, and Healing. These sections detail the medical/surgical journey of Ariel and her sister, primarily during their middle school years and beyond. Before and After refer to the major facial surgery Ariel had during seventh grade that significantly changed her appearance, to the point that the reflection in the mirror after the surgery was no longer the reflection she recognized and knew as herself. Ariel ties this into the themes of identity and the ableist social construct of a woman and beauty. She speaks of how the trauma from surgery, bullying, and society’s expectations combined to make her question her worth and very identity. The Healing section follows Ariel as she releases her desire to look as the world expects her to look, through her journey to college away from family and friends, as she develops and refines her identity as a young woman with strength and resilience. This novel captures in a vivid way the experiences people with apparent disabilities face in a society built on structures of privilege and conformity to norms that do not reflect the beautiful diversity that actually exists in our world. Readers will have the opportunity to learn from a masterfully written novel, expanding the lens through which they may view the world.
To follow along with this series, check out our two previous posts highlighting Award-Winning Picture Books and Award-Winning Intermediate Chapter Books.
Don’t forget to give Team TNP your input! Please continue to let us know what you think about the books we have chosen to highlight, and tag us on social media (Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram) with book recommendations for our ever-growing list of stories to read and discuss.
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