Rolling Warrior: The Incredible, Sometimes Awkward, True Story of a Rebel Girl on Wheels Who Helped Spark a Revolution

As featured in the Oscar-nominated documentary Crip Camp, and for readers of I Am Malala, one of the most influential disability rights activists in US history tells her story of fighting to belong.

"If I didn't fight, who would?"

Judy Heumann was only 5 years old when she was first denied her right to attend school. Paralyzed from polio and raised by her Holocaust-surviving parents in New York City, Judy had a drive for equality that was instilled early in life.

In this young readers' edition of her acclaimed memoir, Being Heumann, Judy shares her journey of battling for equal access in an unequal world--from fighting to attend grade school after being described as a "fire hazard" because of her wheelchair, to suing the New York City school system for denying her a teacher's license because of her disability. Judy went on to lead 150 disabled people in the longest sit-in protest in US history at the San Francisco Federal Building. Cut off from the outside world, the group slept on office floors, faced down bomb threats, and risked their lives to win the world's attention and the first civil rights legislation for disabled people.

Judy's bravery, persistence, and signature rebellious streak will speak to every person fighting to belong and fighting for social justice.

Author: Judith Heumann, Kristen Joiner
Publisher: Beacon Press
Published: 06/15/2021
Pages: 224
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.55lbs
Size: 7.90h x 5.40w x 0.70d
ISBN: 9780807003596
Audience: Young Adult

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 5.5
Point Value: 5
Interest Level: Upper Grade
Quiz #/Name: 515422 / Rolling Warrior: The Incredible, Sometimes Awkward, True Story of a Rebel Girl on Wheels Who Helped


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 05/01/2021 pg. 110
Booklist 06/01/2021 pg. 70
School Library Journal 07/01/2021 pg. 83

About the Author
Judith Heumann is an internationally recognized leader in the Disability Rights Independent Living Movement. She has served in the Clinton and Obama administrations, and she was the World Bank's first adviser on disability and development. Heumann is the author of a memoir, Being Heumann, and her story was featured in the Netflix documentary Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution (2020). Connect with her on Twitter (@judithheumann) and Facebook (TheHeumannPerspective).

Kristen Joiner is a writer and activist who tries to tell stories that change how people see the world. Her writing on exclusion, inequality, and social change has been published in Stanford Social Innovation Review, Stuff and other outlets. She lives in New Zealand with her family. Connect with her on Twitter (@kristenjoiner).