Happy Monday, bibliophiles!
Here in the U.S., April is Autism Acceptance Month! Unfortunately, I’ve only done one of these recommendations lists in the past (April is usually a very busy month for me), but I figured I would make another, because like many of the other marginalized identities that the Trump administration has been going after, the autistic community, especially here in the States, has been under attack. RFK Jr. has repeatedly made claims that he will “cure autism” (as if it even needs to be cured in the first place) and has spread all sorts of harmful and baseless misinformation about autism and autistic people. What most of it boils down to is the concept that autism—and neurodivergence in general—is somehow a tragedy.
The truth is much more nuanced. While it isn’t a superpower, as some people try to sugarcoat it, autism is not a tragedy, and autistic people’s lives, experiences, and stories are worth celebrating. That’s what I hope to do with this list: here, we have narratives in many different genres about autistic people being the autonomous heroes in their own stories. And just like the experiences of autistic people, no two are completely alike—it is a spectrum, after all, and a multitude of experiences.
And because it’s evergreen (and relatable as a neurodivergent person), here’s this clip of Fern Brady on how people talk about autism:
For my list of recommendations from 2023, click here.
Also, if you’d like an opportunity to find even more books with autism rep, Ada Hoffmann (whose books I included on my last list) has compiled an exhaustive repository of them!
NOTE: most of these novels have explicit autistic representation, but some of them (The Book Eaters, A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe, etc.) do not have autistic representation, but are written by autistic authors; I chose to include them, as this post is meant to uplift autistic authors and characters. Additionally, there are several books that aren’t directly focused on autism, but on disability in general, but still have contributions/stories from autistic authors, which I thought merited inclusion as well.
Let’s begin, shall we?
THE BOOKISH MUTANT’S BOOKS FOR AUTISM ACCEPTANCE MONTH (2026 EDITION)
SCIENCE FICTION:
- Failure to Communicate – Kaia Sønderby | Adult | LGBTQ+, romance | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe – Alex White | Adult | space opera, LGBTQ+ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
- Accessing the Future: A Disability-Themed Anthology of Speculative Fiction – edited by Kathryn Allan and Djibril al-Ayad | Adult | anthologies | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Junker Seven – Olive J. Kelley | Adult | dystopia, LGBTQ+, romance | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
- Seven Devils – Laura Lam & Elizabeth May | Adult | space opera, LGBTQ+ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
FANTASY:
- A Prayer for Vengeance – Leanne Schwartz | YA | epic fantasy, romance | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
- The Deep – Rivers Solomon | Adult | POC, LGBTQ+, novellas | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- The Book Eaters – Sunyi Dean | Adult | LGBTQ+, urban fantasy | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- To a Darker Shore – Leanne Schwartz | YA | epic fantasy, LGBTQ+, romance | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
REALISTIC AND HISTORICAL FICTION:
- All the Noise At Once – DeAndra Davis | YA | POC, contemporary | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Something More – Jackie Khalilieh | YA | POC, coming-of-age, romance | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
- Social Queue – Kay Kerr | YA | coming-of-age, romance | ⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Afrotistic – Kala Allen Omeiza | YA | POC, coming-of-age | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
- Life Hacks for a Little Alien – Alice Franklin | Adult | contemporary | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
- Margo Zimmerman Gets the Girl – Briana R. Shrum & Sara Waxelbaum | YA | LGBTQ+, romance | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- The Luis Ortega Survival Club – Sonora Reyes | YA | POC, LGBTQ+, contemporary | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
NONFICTION:
- Strong Female Character – Fern Brady | Adult | memoir, LGBTQ+ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Disability Intimacy: Essays on Love, Care, and Desire – edited by Alice Wong | Adult | anthology | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century – edited by Alice Wong | Adult | anthology | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! Have you read any of these books, and if so, what did you think of them? What are some of your favorite books by autistic authors? Let me know in the comments!
Today’s song:
That’s it for this week’s recommendations list! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!
The Bookish Mutant 