Unstoppable: Women With Disabilities

by Helen Wolfe, Karen Patkau (Illustrations)

Around the world, people living with disabilities face barriers in the built environment, in employment and education, and in social attitudes and policies that can make it hard to live a full and satisfying life. The ten women we meet in this book face physical and mental health challenges, some from birth and some who became disabled later in life. But they all share the determination to make the world a better place, not just for themselves but for those who will come after them. Their fields are as diverse as elite sport, neurosurgery, architecture, and environmental activism, and while some have devoted themselves to disability policy, others prefer to lead by example. In either case they have proved themselves to be unstoppable.

Genres: Nonfiction, Picture Books, Biography, Childrens

24 pages, Hardcover

Published September 21, 2021

About the author

Helen Wolfe has been a teacher for more than thirty years. Her students have ranged from kindergarten to grade twelve. In her career, she has focused on teaching English, ESL, Special Education, and History. For more than twenty years she has been working with adults, many of whom speak English as a second language. Helen lives with her family in Toronto.

Helen's hobbies include going to the gym, reading and watching figure skating on television. She has also enjoyed participating in several charity fundraising events including The Weekend to End Breast Cancer and the Terry Fox Run.

Reviews

[Kim Cabrera · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an inspiring book about how much women can achieve, despite difficulties. The ten women in this book each had to overcome some sort of disability. But they all triumphed and have made their mark on the world.

It is a great book to read to younger kids, or for older kids to read themselves. The reading level is not too difficult and should be appropriate for readers in elementary school. The words may be too difficult for kindergarten and the younger grades.

Each account is short and to the point. It describes the person and their story. There is an illustration with each account. If you are using this book in a classroom, each chapter could be one day’s lesson. You could then use it for ten lessons.

Each of the women featured comes from a different field - from medicine to sports, to environmentalism and more. Each one has a unique story. They have overcome barriers to their success and have all struggled at some point. The message is positive, that anyone can succeed and can overcome even the most difficult circumstances. It’s a good message to inspire kids and let them know that they can triumph over challenges.

[Lauren Geier · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Unstoppable” by Helen Wolfe is a new release for children that tells the inspirational stories of women with disabilities. The pages are brightly colored and the descriptions are powerful and memorable. While I appreciated the attention to inclusion of a diverse group of women, I am left a little disappointed that more mental health or invisible disabilities weren’t included in this book. (Ahem...Helen Wolfe, this would make a great follow up book!)

I’m not sure that I will include this book in my clinical collection but will certainly continue to read it to my own children and recommend it to others. We are surrounded by people with disabilities who lead remarkable lives and contribute to our communities in powerful ways and this book reminds us of a few examples.

As always, I’m grateful to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review. The words and opinions are all my own.

[Ampersand Inc. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book profiles ten different girls and women with a disability. This book is also designed for a younger reading level. However, it’s a strong diverse title and will appeal to older readers too. It covers a wide range of issues such as cognitive and physical disabilities. The women are from all backgrounds and cultures with expertise in the fields of science, medicine, sports, and the arts. They were either born with a disability or developed one in later life. The women’s stories are both educational and inspirational. The interior pages feature a two-page spread of each of the women profiled and accompanied with a stylish pop art portrait.

[Michael Rank · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give the book kudos for finding women to profile who may not show up in other anthologies of women. It has some great, yet slight general knowledge of each woman with no resources or further reading provided at the end.

The biggest issue is the terrible design of the book. The illustrations should really just be the original photo. Each page is exactly the same, tiring the eye. If they broke up the full pages of text with line breaks or something, I think the book would be all the better for it.

[Sobia A Khan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great brief bio of each of the 10 remarkable women presented from all across the world. The author includes some that are already famous and others who are not. The author herself has a physical disability and writes briefly about it. Her book includes those women who were either born with or later became disabled. Two of the women have communication problems.

The illustrations are colorful and vibrant, full of life, showing what each person is championing in life. She is also physically disabled.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

NetGalley Review

I thought this book about disabled professional women was a decent beginner look at how disabled people (women in particular in this book) can and do work full time professional jobs that are fulfilling. We read about professions from doctor, teacher, lawyer, performer,, academic, filmmakers, and more.

There are short biographies for each of the women who are featured in the book. They describe how their disability’s played a roll in what motivated them to pick and pursue their chosen careers.

[Wunderdrugged · Rating 3 out of 5]

This title is nominated for the 2023 Hackmatack Award in the English Non-fiction category. The title pretty much says it all, this book profiles ten women from a variety backgrounds who have various disabilities. It is tremendously inspiring to read their stories. Each is told in one page, with an accompanying illustration. I enjoyed learning about people that I'd never heard of, like Dr. Karin Muraszko, and learning new facts about people who were familiar. For example, I did not know that Greta Thunberg has autism. I would recommend this book for grades three and up.

[April Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an interesting and inspirational book, both for abled and disabled kids. Ten disabled women from around the world are profiled, with a variety of disabilities represented, each with an illustration and a one page biography. Books like this are so good and important for children- for disabled kids to see someone like them being seen, and for abled kids to get a better understanding that disabled doesn't mean non-abled.

#Unstoppable #NetGalley

[AnnieM · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though this book is meant for a younger audience, I really enjoyed learning about all these women and their great accomplishments -- and by the way, they have a visible or invisible disability. I had heard about some of these women before and am so glad to learn about all of them. This book will help dispel stereotypes of what women can or can't do based on societal bias. This is a critical book to understand how all of us can be leaders and be unstoppable.

[Lindsey Eick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC from American Library Association’s Summer Conference. I would have given this book five stars had it not been missing a portion of a bio on Malvika Iyer. Otherwise, great information on women with disabilities who have had a positive impact on transforming our world.

[Nichole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was donated by the publisher for my Stags Read program and will be given to a child in my community.

Great profiles on important disabled women.

[Vijaya Bodach · Rating 3 out of 5]

The mini-biographies were fine but not popping with interesting tidbits found nowhere else. I wish the format had been more interesting. Thanks to the publisher for a DRC.