Read These Books by d/Deaf Authors
Article excerpt
Book Riot curates a reading list of works by d/Deaf authors across multiple genres, poetry, children's graphic novels, and thrillers among them. The roundup reflects growing recognition of Deaf voices in publishing and offers readers an entry point into stories shaped by Deaf experience and perspectives. The collection spans different formats and tones, suggesting the diversity of literary contributions from Deaf writers rather than treating them as a monolithic category.
There’s a common misconception that disabled people don’t have our own culture. In fact, we do, but disability culture is more of a patchwork quilt of many different cultures, each with its own experiences and traditions. d/Deaf people are no exception. They have their own communities, histories, forms of artistic expression, and a wide array of languages. Like all writers, d/Deaf authors’ experiences inform their work, meaning their stories are just as unique, vibrant, and complex as anyone else’s.
Systemic ableism means d/Deaf writers’ work is still undervalued and underappreciated. The Read Harder Challenge’s purpose is to help readers assess their reading habits and fill in any gaps they might have there. Today, we’re featuring a range of d/Deaf authors writing in a wide assortment of genres and types of literature. From d/Deaf poetry to a nail-biting thriller, here are a few books that will satisfy Task #11 in the 2026 Read Harder Challenge.
El Deafo by Cece Bell
If you’re completing the Read Harder challenge with a kiddo in your life, El Deafo is perfect. It’s a graphic novel that features the author’s experience as the only Deaf girl at her school. For Cece, it’s quite the adjustment when she moves from her all-Deaf school to her new one, but on the first day, she realizes her hearing aid can pick up teachers’ voices from all around the school. She has a superpower! El Deafo went on to win the Vermont Golden Dome Book Award, was a Newbery Medal Winner, and is now an animated series on Apple+.
Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law by Haben Girma
In her must-read memoir, disability rights advocate Haben Girma tells how she became the first DeafBlind person to graduate from Harvard Law School. The daughter of Eritrean immigrants, Girma also describes her experience of traveling the world and then attending law school, including her innovations in text-to-braille technology.
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