Book Spotlight: Light a Single Candle by Beverly Butler

[ID: a white hand with a white and gold flower ring holds a white vintage paperback with an illustration of a blonde schoolgirl in dark blue sweater and a yellow skirt holding a stack of books and the harness of a German Shepard with a service dog harness. The book is in front of a bush of yellow flowers.]

Happy Disability Pride Month!

I’m celebrating this month by sharing posts and reviews ONLY about books with disability representation written by disabled authors!

Today I want to share the classic LIGHT A SINGLE CLASSIC by Beverly Butler, a book about a teen girl’s experience with vision loss as she navigates high school, friendship, and first love.

This book was published in 1962 but it feels startlingly and vividly modern. The main character, Cathy Wheeler, is fierce and relatable. We see her experience grief, frustration, ableism, and eventually pride and independence. I loved seeing her find a guide dog and succeed in pursuing her dreams!

This book does contain some dated language and attitudes, but I feel like with just a few edits it would be right at home with recent YA releases! I was blown away with how pioneering and empowering it was!

Part of Disability Pride Month is acknowledging and highlighting our disabled ancestors who have come before us. Like her main character, Beverly Butler became blind as a teenager. She went to college in the 1950s and eventually became a writing teacher. She passed away in 2007 after a prolific writing career.

The next time you hear someone complaining about how disability representation is just a modern fad, show them LIGHT A SINGLE CANDLE. Beverly Butler was writing and living disability rep long before many of us were born!

LIGHT A SINGLE CANDLE is available in the public domain and I highly recommend seeking it out for an enjoyable and, in its own way, revolutionary read!