We hope these selections serve to educate and encourage a dialogue around the biases and inequalities that affect access to healthcare and preventative care. These books highlight people and communities affected by these inequalities and the social justice activists and movements working towards change.
Snowflake, AZ by Marcus Sedgwick
Ash boards a Greyhound bus heading to the place where Bly was last seen: Snowflake, Arizona. Six thousand feet up in the wide red desert in their ramshackle homes, the walls lined with tinfoil, almost all the residents of Snowflake are sick. But this isn’t any ordinary sickness: the chemicals and technologies of modern life are poisoning them. The healthy “normies” of Snowflake have written them off as a bunch of eccentrics, and when Ash too falls ill, the doctor’s response is “It’s all in your mind.” Ash lives through a cycle of illness and recovery and loss, the world beyond is succumbing to its own affliction: a breakdown of civilization only distantly perceived by Ash and the isolated residents of Snowflake, from which there may or may not be a chance for recovery.
Available formats: Book, Audiobook (Hoopla), Ebook (OverDrive by Media on Demand)
Landscape with Invisible Hand by M.T Anderson
When the vuvv first landed, it came as a surprise to Adam and the rest of planet Earth – but not necessarily an unwelcome one. Can it really be called an invasion when the vuvv generously offered free advanced technology and cures for every illness imaginable? As it turns out, yes. With his parents’ jobs replaced by alien tech and no money for food, clean water, or the vuvv’s miraculous medicine, Adam and his girlfriend, Chloe, have to get creative to survive. Soon enough, Adam must decide how far he’s willing to go – and what he’s willing to sacrifice – to give the vuvv what they want.
Available formats: Book, Ebook (OverDrive by Media on Demand)
Florence Nightingale: The Courageous Life of the Legendary Nurse by Catherine Reef
This riveting biography explores the exceptional life of a woman who defied the stifling conventions of Victorian society to pursue what was considered an undesirable vocation. She is best known for her work during the Crimean War, when she vastly improved gruesome and deadly conditions and made nightly rounds to visit patients, becoming known around the world as the Lady With the Lamp. Her tireless and inspiring work continued after the war, and her modern methods in nursing became the defining standards still used today.
Available formats: Book, Ebook (Hoopla)
Mental Health by Michelle Dakota Beck
Mental health issues have been part of life as long as human beings have existed. Like physical illnesses, mental health problems can strike anyone at any time. But mental illnesses are not discussed openly in the same way as physical health problems, because of the stigma surrounding them. Understanding mental health is the key to talking about it openly, and having open conversations can help people with mental illness live happier, more fulfilling lives.
Available formats: Book, Ebook (Hoopla)
Disability Visibility: 17 First-Person Stories for Today edited by Alice Wong
The seventeen eye-opening essays in Disability Visibility , all written by disabled people, offer keen insight into the complex and rich disability experience, examining life’s ableism and inequality, its challenges and losses, and celebrating its wisdom, passion, and joy. The accounts in this collection ask readers to think about disabled people not as individuals who need to be “fixed,” but as members of a community with its own history, culture, and movements. They offer diverse perspectives that speak to past, present, and future generations.
Available formats: Book
Body Talk: 37 Voices Explore Our Radical Anatomy edited by Kelly Jensen
Just as every person has a unique personality, every person has a unique body, and every body tells its own story. In Body Talk , thirty-seven writers, models, actors, musicians, and artists share essays, lists, comics, and illustrations–about everything from size and shape to scoliosis, from eating disorders to cancer, from sexuality and gender identity to the use of makeup as armor. Together, they contribute a broad variety of perspectives on what it’s like to live in their particular bodies–and how their bodies have helped to inform who they are and how they move through the world.
Available formats: Book, Ebook (Hoopla)
Life Inside My Mind: 31 Authors Share Their Personal Struggles edited by Jessica Burkhart
Life Inside My Mind is an anthology of true-life events from writers of this generation, for this generation. These essays tackle everything from neurodiversity to addiction to OCD to PTSD and much more. The goals of this book range from providing home to those who are feeling alone, awareness to those who are witnessing a friend or family member struggle, and to open the floodgates to conversation.
Available formats: Book
Addiction and Overdose: Confronting an American Crisis
Drug overdosing and death from prescription painkillers and heroin are at epidemic levels in the United States. Meet the experts who study the neurology of addiction. Hear stories of addicts in recovery, and of loved ones left behind by those who died from overdosing. Discover more about the social and economic costs of overdosing and learn about scientific research to decrease it. Learn about the connection between addiction and mental health disorders. Find out how to identify signs of addiction and overdose and what you can do to help someone get assistance.
Available formats: Book, Ebook (Hoopla)
Beneath the Surface: A Teen’s Guide to Reaching Out When You or Your Friend is in Crisis by Kristi Hugstad
Depression and mental illness don’t discriminate. Even in the most picture-perfect life, confusion and turmoil are often lurking beneath the surface. For a teenager in a world where anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses are commonplace, life can sometimes feel impossible. Whether or not you or someone you love is suffering from any of these issues, it’s important to be able to recognize the warning signs of mental illness and know where to turn for help. This comprehensive guide provides the information, encouragement, and tactical guidance.
Available formats: Book, Ebook (Hoopla), Audiobook (Hoopla)
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