Our fight for disability rights -- and why we're not done yet

People with disabilities forging the newest and last human rights movement of the century.

August Pullman was born with a facial deformity that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid—but his new classmates can't get past Auggie's extraordinary face. Wonder begins from Auggie's point of view but soon switches to include his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend and others. These perspectives converge in a portrait of one community's struggle with empathy, compassion, and acceptance.

In a world where bullying among young people is an epidemic, this is a refreshing new narrative full of heart and hope. R.J. Palacio has called her debut novel "a meditation on kindness" — indeed, every reader will come away with a greater appreciation for the simple courage of friendship. Auggie is a hero to root for, a diamond in the rough who proves that you can't blend in when you were born to stand out.

In this funny, poignant graphic novel memoir, author/illustrator Cece Bell chronicles her hearing loss at a young age and her subsequent experiences with the Phonic Ear, a very powerful and very awkward hearing aid. She really just wants to fit in and find a true friend, someone who appreciates her as she is. After some trouble, she is finally able to harness the power of the Phonic Ear and become "El Deafo, Listener for All." More importantly, Cece declares a place for herself in the world and finds the friend she's longed for.

Since 1990, Jean Driscoll has been one of the most inspiring leaders in women's sports. Her tenacity for winning at women's wheelchair racing has delivered her into the record books, and her charisma and enthusiasm for life has captured the hearts of audiences worldwide. Best known for her eight victories at the Boston Marathon and her two Olympic silver medals (1992, 1996), Driscoll has inspired both men and women, athletes and non-athletes, and those with and without physical disabilities. A documentary highlighting Driscoll's life story, Against the Wind, has aired on more than 400 PBS stations nationwide. In addition to training and racing, Driscoll serves as a corporate spokesperson for Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. As a motivational speaker, she delights in sharing her "Dream Big, Work Hard" message at conventions, corporations, schools, and with the media.

Helen Keller: Selected Writings collects Keller’s personal letters, political writings, speeches, and excerpts of her published materials from 1887 to 1968. The book also includes an introductory essay by Kim E. Nielsen, headnotes to each document, and a selected bibliography of work by and about Keller. The majority of the letters and some prints, all drawn from the Helen Keller Archives at the American Foundation for the Blind in New York, are being published for the first time.

While hitchhiking from Boston to Washington, D.C., in 1971 to protest the war in Vietnam, Simi Linton was involved in a car accident that paralyzed her legs and took the lives of her young husband and her best friend. Her memoir begins with her struggle to regain physical and emotional strength and to resume her life in the world. Then Linton takes us on the road she traveled (with stops in Berkeley, Paris, Havana) and back to her home in Manhattan, as she learns what it means to be a disabled person in America.