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thebooknerdscorner 's review for:
Unbroken: 13 Stories Starring Disabled Teens
by Marieke Nijkamp
This anthology includes 13 short stories featuring resilient teens with all manners of disabilities.
From alien space invaders to fantastical theatre performances, to falling in love for the first time and learning to accept oneself, this anthology has a little bit of everything. It showcases teens with various chronic illnesses, physical disabilities, and developmental differences who all have their own stories to tell.
I didn't have many expectations when it came to this one, but I ended having pretty mixed feelings about it. I found the first half to be mostly boring, but the last few stories did a better job of keeping my interest. I'll talk about them all individually below.
"The Long Road" by Heidi Heilig: 🌟🌟
Honestly, I think the story that started it all was my least favorite of the entire volume, which made for a rough beginning. This one follows a kid with a disability (I honestly didn't pick up on which one) as they cross the desert to find a cure for their condition. It has a good theme of learning that they don't need to be fixed, rather they need to be understood, but that was about all this one had to offer me.
"Britt and the Bike God" by Kody Keplinger: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
This one was one of my favorites in the collection. It follows a young cyclist who has retinitis pigmentosa, which is a degenerative eye disease that eventually leads to a hundred percent blindness. Britt now has to ride tandem whenever she rides due to how bad her eyesight has become. This one had a really sweet message with Britt realizing that she isn't a burden due to her blindness. The romance in this one also had me smiling. A great read overall.
"The Leap and the Fall" by Kayla Whaley: 🌟🌟🌟
Two girls, one in a wheelchair, enter a forest and discover an abandoned carnival. This one is a paranormal horror story with a sapphic romance, which was quite different than most of this anthology. I found it interesting enough, but nothing special.
"Per Aspera Ad Astra" by Katherine Locke: 🌟🌟
A space opera starring a girl with severe anxiety and panic attacks who is tasked to help restore the shield that protects her home from violent alien invaders. I was pretty confused by this entire story, and I found it a tad odd that the characters were named after people from "Pride and Prejudice."
"Found Objects" by William Alexander: 🌟🌟🌟
A theatre geek with chronic pain who uses a cane fights the ghosts of the theatre in this short story. I think the author was alluding to how pain always haunts those with chronic pain, but people can still fight their ghosts and not be confined to suffering despite the hurt. Not one hundred percent sure, but not a bad read regardless.
"Plus One" by Karuna Riazi: 🌟🌟
A young woman partaking on the holy journey of Umrah is haunted by "It." This story is a good crash course into a holy Islamic journey, but I was bothered by the ambiguity of "It." I'm guessing it was probably depression, but it could have been anxiety, OCD, or even gender dysphoria for all I know.
"The Day the Dragon Came" by Marieke Nijkamp: 🌟🌟🌟
An indebted girl is forced to deliver messages despite her limp and the cane she uses. A young boy addicted to the belltower crosses her path, and both of their priorities begin to shift. As they wait for the dragon to come and their futures to change, they learn more about themselves than they ever could have imagined. I think this one had a cool fantasy set-up and a cute romance going for it, but I needed more time to truly get invested in the lore or the characters.
"Captain, My Captain" by Francisco X. Stork: 🌟🌟🌟
A young boy with an "intellectual and developmental disability" finds companionship in a young girl named Becky. I honestly don't remember much about this one besides the bit with the goldfish and the fact the main character, Alberto, seems to have OCD, despite the notes I took. It was fine, but nothing memorable.
"Dear Nora James, You Know Nothing" by Dhonielle Clayton: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
This has to be the most coherent and well thought out story in the entire collection. It follows Nora, who is afflicted with irritable bowel syndrome, as she writes a dating column despite her absolute fear of relationships. Between her parents' divorce and her disability, she believes that love will never work out for her. The events in this one are pretty comical and the romance is cute, so I'd say it wins for a short story.
"A Play in Many Parts" by Fox Benwell: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
A chronically ill cane-user works to put on the play of a lifetime with their local theatre troupe. This one really embraces the theme of doing everything likes it's the last chance you'll have to do it. The way that love of the theatre is expressed as well as the grind of a stage actor's life is front and center in this one. As someone who's worked the stage myself, I related to this one a ton and I understand why one puts all this work in day in day out to bring a show to life.
"Ballad of Weary Daughters" by Kristine Wyllys: 🌟🌟🌟
A seventeen-year-old with bipolar II is tasked with taking care of their little siblings despite barely being able to take care of themself. Luckily, they have their best friend Lucy to get them through the day. This one really focuses on the importance of having a solid support system and the side effects that medicines have.
"Mother Nature's Youngest Daughter" by Keah Brown: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
I was pleasantly surprised that the title of this one is literal. It follows the youngest daughter of Mother Nature who is bullied due to the fact that she has cerebral palsy. Desperate for the taunting to end, she uses her elemental powers to seek revenge on those that have wronged her. This one also focuses on sibling bonds, which I found to be cute.
"A Curse, A Kindness" by Corinne Duyvis: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
The last one set this collection off with a bang at least. This is a story that I happily would read a whole length novel following Mia and Sienna. Sienna is a teem with autism who is cursed to repay acts of kindness directed her way by granting three wishes to the person who helped them out. Mia is a girl who is actually kind enough to try to find a lasting solution to Sienna's predicament. The ending of this one is so bittersweet, but it is tinged with such hope and longing; it's truly a powerful short story.
Overall, I found most of the stories in "Unbroken" to be pretty mid. There are a few stories that really sparkle, but most of them I will retain very little from. Also, there were a few stories that I couldn't even identify the disability featured within, which I found to be a major oof. This has to be one of the more boring anthologies I've read, but I'm glad that I still checked it out for the three stories that I found myself strongly attached to.
From alien space invaders to fantastical theatre performances, to falling in love for the first time and learning to accept oneself, this anthology has a little bit of everything. It showcases teens with various chronic illnesses, physical disabilities, and developmental differences who all have their own stories to tell.
I didn't have many expectations when it came to this one, but I ended having pretty mixed feelings about it. I found the first half to be mostly boring, but the last few stories did a better job of keeping my interest. I'll talk about them all individually below.
"The Long Road" by Heidi Heilig: 🌟🌟
Honestly, I think the story that started it all was my least favorite of the entire volume, which made for a rough beginning. This one follows a kid with a disability (I honestly didn't pick up on which one) as they cross the desert to find a cure for their condition. It has a good theme of learning that they don't need to be fixed, rather they need to be understood, but that was about all this one had to offer me.
"Britt and the Bike God" by Kody Keplinger: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
This one was one of my favorites in the collection. It follows a young cyclist who has retinitis pigmentosa, which is a degenerative eye disease that eventually leads to a hundred percent blindness. Britt now has to ride tandem whenever she rides due to how bad her eyesight has become. This one had a really sweet message with Britt realizing that she isn't a burden due to her blindness. The romance in this one also had me smiling. A great read overall.
"The Leap and the Fall" by Kayla Whaley: 🌟🌟🌟
Two girls, one in a wheelchair, enter a forest and discover an abandoned carnival. This one is a paranormal horror story with a sapphic romance, which was quite different than most of this anthology. I found it interesting enough, but nothing special.
"Per Aspera Ad Astra" by Katherine Locke: 🌟🌟
A space opera starring a girl with severe anxiety and panic attacks who is tasked to help restore the shield that protects her home from violent alien invaders. I was pretty confused by this entire story, and I found it a tad odd that the characters were named after people from "Pride and Prejudice."
"Found Objects" by William Alexander: 🌟🌟🌟
A theatre geek with chronic pain who uses a cane fights the ghosts of the theatre in this short story. I think the author was alluding to how pain always haunts those with chronic pain, but people can still fight their ghosts and not be confined to suffering despite the hurt. Not one hundred percent sure, but not a bad read regardless.
"Plus One" by Karuna Riazi: 🌟🌟
A young woman partaking on the holy journey of Umrah is haunted by "It." This story is a good crash course into a holy Islamic journey, but I was bothered by the ambiguity of "It." I'm guessing it was probably depression, but it could have been anxiety, OCD, or even gender dysphoria for all I know.
"The Day the Dragon Came" by Marieke Nijkamp: 🌟🌟🌟
An indebted girl is forced to deliver messages despite her limp and the cane she uses. A young boy addicted to the belltower crosses her path, and both of their priorities begin to shift. As they wait for the dragon to come and their futures to change, they learn more about themselves than they ever could have imagined. I think this one had a cool fantasy set-up and a cute romance going for it, but I needed more time to truly get invested in the lore or the characters.
"Captain, My Captain" by Francisco X. Stork: 🌟🌟🌟
A young boy with an "intellectual and developmental disability" finds companionship in a young girl named Becky. I honestly don't remember much about this one besides the bit with the goldfish and the fact the main character, Alberto, seems to have OCD, despite the notes I took. It was fine, but nothing memorable.
"Dear Nora James, You Know Nothing" by Dhonielle Clayton: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
This has to be the most coherent and well thought out story in the entire collection. It follows Nora, who is afflicted with irritable bowel syndrome, as she writes a dating column despite her absolute fear of relationships. Between her parents' divorce and her disability, she believes that love will never work out for her. The events in this one are pretty comical and the romance is cute, so I'd say it wins for a short story.
"A Play in Many Parts" by Fox Benwell: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
A chronically ill cane-user works to put on the play of a lifetime with their local theatre troupe. This one really embraces the theme of doing everything likes it's the last chance you'll have to do it. The way that love of the theatre is expressed as well as the grind of a stage actor's life is front and center in this one. As someone who's worked the stage myself, I related to this one a ton and I understand why one puts all this work in day in day out to bring a show to life.
"Ballad of Weary Daughters" by Kristine Wyllys: 🌟🌟🌟
A seventeen-year-old with bipolar II is tasked with taking care of their little siblings despite barely being able to take care of themself. Luckily, they have their best friend Lucy to get them through the day. This one really focuses on the importance of having a solid support system and the side effects that medicines have.
"Mother Nature's Youngest Daughter" by Keah Brown: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
I was pleasantly surprised that the title of this one is literal. It follows the youngest daughter of Mother Nature who is bullied due to the fact that she has cerebral palsy. Desperate for the taunting to end, she uses her elemental powers to seek revenge on those that have wronged her. This one also focuses on sibling bonds, which I found to be cute.
"A Curse, A Kindness" by Corinne Duyvis: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
The last one set this collection off with a bang at least. This is a story that I happily would read a whole length novel following Mia and Sienna. Sienna is a teem with autism who is cursed to repay acts of kindness directed her way by granting three wishes to the person who helped them out. Mia is a girl who is actually kind enough to try to find a lasting solution to Sienna's predicament. The ending of this one is so bittersweet, but it is tinged with such hope and longing; it's truly a powerful short story.
Overall, I found most of the stories in "Unbroken" to be pretty mid. There are a few stories that really sparkle, but most of them I will retain very little from. Also, there were a few stories that I couldn't even identify the disability featured within, which I found to be a major oof. This has to be one of the more boring anthologies I've read, but I'm glad that I still checked it out for the three stories that I found myself strongly attached to.