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

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

• 
  Barry

  I think that she was pretty cool. Discrimination is however not cool.
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  haley ⊹

  read for my YA lit class (topic: biographies) (even though this is a memoir-biography, oops). super easy to read and entertaining but mostly inspirational and empowering. judith is awesome. I learned a lot about her and her impact on civil rights and the fight for equal access.
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  Lisa

  Immediately after finishing Being Heumann, I got this middle grade version and read it with my 9-year-old daughter. She told me she learned so much. Throughout the book she was shocked at the injustices disabled people had to face, and we were both inspired by their fight for their civil rights. The book does a great job holding younger readers' attention (only covering the bare minimum of the boring government stuff you need to know to follow the story) and is written in a way young people can understand, using examples they can relate to. I highly recommend this for older elementary/middle school readers.
• 
  Book Nerd

  
  Overall: 4 star review
  
  Summary:
  A memoir about a woman who was born with polio and her fight for equal rights for people with disabilities.
  
  Judy Heumann was denied the rights to go to her local school. Then she goes to college without having the buildings being assessable for her wheelchair. Then the state denied her to obtain a teaching license due to her disability. Judy sued the board of education. This started a chain of events to fight for equality for people with disabilities.
  
  My thoughts:
  This was an interesting read for me. I have watched documentaries at work about the fight for equal rights for people with disabilities. But they are always impersonal and more factual. It was nice to read a memoir from someone who saw and experienced it all firsthand.
  
  To think there was a time where people with disabilities were treated so badly. How hard it was to fight “the system.” Anytime where you have to rely on politicians to make a change, it is always quite the fight. Politicians always resist change which is horrible. Changing people’s pre-conceived notions and prejudices are also hard to do. Judy’s bravery and protests, changed the way that America and the world perceived a person with a disability. The injustices that they were to endure was just horrible. It was through the hard work and dedication from the people who fought for equality that changed these perceptions at least in the workplace.
  
  Needless to say, this memoir is inspiring and interesting to read. Ableism is still alive and well today. But at least the dedication of getting section 504 approved happened. This was a giant step forward for equality.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• 
  Jennybeast

  A memoir centered on the true story of the fight for Civil Rights for disabled people. Very historically based, but also well adapted for a young audience.
  
  Judith Heumann is a compelling writer. Her fight to be recognized as a human being is intensely inspiring, and her eloquent and straightforward descriptions of what it is like to be a person with a disability day-to-day opens a door for understanding. I particularly appreciate how she highlights that we are all either people who need accommodation, or we are one illness or accident away from becoming someone who needs accommodation. The need for accessibility affects all of us, and creating a more accessible world improves the world for all of us.
  
  This story centers on the occupation of the Federal Building in San Francisco to pressure the signing of regulation 504, but then continues to walk through some of the major legislation that followed that action, and into contemporary World politics. The book moves quickly, but explains itself well as it goes along. What a treasure, to hear this story from Heumann herself.
  
  Advanced Readers' Copy Provided by Edelweiss.
  
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  Lynsey Kamine

  Wonderful YA adaptation of Judy’s fight for disability rights. If I wasn’t reading this with my middle school students, I would have opted for the non-YA memoir as there are moments I can tell are intentionally slim for YA accessibility.
  
  The parts that stand out to me the most are Judy’s path to becoming a teacher in New York, the onset of the 504 sit-in (especially the involvement of the Black Panthers!), and the epilogue.
• 
  Denise

  Very well written and so, so informative!
• 
  Amber + Casey

  I finished this book in one day. It's an easy and quick read possibly because it's a condensed version of the memoir for a YA audience, but whatever the reason it works. The cover art is wonderful and the design of the book is fun. I wish the book came with poster of the cover art. I like the fonts used as well and the page design for each of the sections and the title pages. It's a great YA novel and I am now curious how it differs from the non-YA memoir.
  
  The book is a memoir by and about Judy Heumann who is a wheelchair riding fighter for disability rights. The book is broken into three section with the first section starting with her early years (so childhood up to college), but does so in a very condensed fashion only highlighting the important moments -- maybe the most pivotal moments would be more accurate. Then the book goes into her involvement of getting 504 passed and I think all of section two is devoted to this. Then in section three (which maybe has 2 chapters) looks at some years passed and where Judy is and what she is doing with global disability rights with The World Bank.
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  Barbara

  For a long time, I associated civil rights with those pertaining to women and Blacks in the United States. Once my eyes were opened to the many injustices around the world and in this country, I came to realize that there was much to learn about one aspect of civil rights in particular--that of those with disabilities. Having watched and learned from the documentary Crip Camp, I learned a little bit about this movement, and then learned even more from this memoir from Judy Heumann, one of the movers and shakers in that movement. In this version of her story adapted for young readers, Heumann describes her formative years and attempts to attend school with her friends. It's unthinkable now that she was initially denied access to school because officials considered her a "fire hazard" because of her wheelchair and that she was refused a teaching license because of her disability, the result of polio as a child. Something as simple as a street curb or stairs presented barriers to movement and independence in those days--and yes, still, in some places, even today. But as infuriating as these and other incidents are, readers will take heart at how Judy and her supportive family took on the system and forced it to change. Eventually, frustrated at the federal government's slow response to proposed legislation, Judy was part of 150 protesters with various disabilities who took over the San Francisco Federal Building in order to gain the attention of officials who kept putting them off. Hers is a story that is inspiring, impressive, and important, and every student in junior high should read it for its historical context and to appreciate this outspoken, determined woman who truly epitomized the book's title: Judith Heumann was, indeed, a "rolling warrior," a force of nature who refused to let others keep her down, deny her dreams, and marginalize her and others like her. The book captures her irrepressible nature and outspoken ways.
• 
  Liz

  A true story about Judith Heumann's fight for her civil rights.
  
  As someone who has worked with people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, I'm always eager to learn more, especially when it comes to civil rights. Judith Heumann wrote a compelling memoir detailing how she felt and was treated while growing up with complications from having polio. Judith talks about how she wasn't able to go to school at the same time as others and when she was able to, it was to a special education class. She continued to deal with similar issues as she grew older. For instance, Judith discusses how she won an award from school, but wasn't able to get up the stage due to stairs. The principal insisted that she stay down in the front row. Her dad refused and pulled her backward up the stairs. The principal made her sit behind all of the other people and when her name was called, the principal met her more then half way so no one would see her. Through these stories, you get to know what life was like before civil rights for folks with disabilities. You get to know Judith and wish you were there when she helped stage and participated in a sit-in.
  
  Judith Heumann is a wonderful writer and has dealt with a lot in her life. As an able-bodied person, it's helpful to see what other's perspective is. This book provides exactly that.
  
  ARC provided by Edelweiss+ for an honest review.
• 
  Sandy Brehl

  Co-Author Judith Heumann draws on her personal and community activism experiences to bring to life the prolonged and courageous battle for equal, human rights that she and others with physical differences waged in the mid-twentieth century. My own cousin was struck with polio in the 1950s and she attended my school with the added burden of braces and crutches, in anaacnietn three-story bullding without an elevator. but at least she was not turned away.
  Judith's account begins when she was a young child with parents who survived the Holocaust and viewed obstacles as something to work over, around, or through. Watching her siblings attend school while she was denied that right, then attending basement classes that were never meant to approximate real academic rigor, only fueled her fire to prove her capacity to engage fully in the world around her.
  All this is inspiring and informative, but it is only the beginning of her many years of activism and organizing that eventually (and dramatically) led to the Americans with Disabilities legislation that
  eventually resulted in a built environment that allowed access, and protected rights to full participation in society.
  Her journey, and subsequent role in global rights activism, offer a primer in both emotional and pragmatic engagement to make the world a better place for herself and for everyone.
  
  
• 
  Bridget

  I read this in one sitting, and it reads super conversational and incredibly compelling. Near the end, I discovered an anecdote about a classmate of mine from junior high, including a photo of her on the capitol steps. It's one of those moments that reminded me how VERY recent the events of this book are. It would make a good crossover read for adults too.
  
  I highly recommend this, and even if you don't read it maybe look into legislation and legal matters that are currently under consideration in the US that will have wide ranging ramifications for people with disabilities among other populations. Here's
  a summation of a recent vigil and a
  brief piece by congresswoman Ayanna Pressley about Home & Community Based Services. You can also search the hashtag HCBS to find more articles and reporting.
• 
  Niki

  When I saw the film Crip Camp a couple of years ago, I was astounded and inspired by the creativity, endurance and courage of the Disability Rights activists. That film is where I learned about the 504 protests and about Judy Heumann and many other activists. This book brings a more detailed account of those protests, bookended by earlier and later parts of Judy's life. As she writes in the book, it is important to hear/read the stories of people from their perspective, to understand what they have been through and how they used their life's experience and all the skills they built up to find ways to bring about the changes society needed. It is a fluid read, and I recommend it to people of any age. (There is an adult version called Being Heumann as well.)
• 
  Beth

  This book is a quick and interesting read. The author became paralyzed by polio when she was just 18 months old. She had to navigate her New York City neighborhood and schools in the 1950s and 1960s. She became an advocate for disability rights and was involved with Section 504 accessibility and The Americans with Disabilities Act. I didn’t know anything about this slice of American history and enjoyed learning about it. The tone of the book is a bit strange-it’s written in a voice I would describe as an old school woman who has been teaching second grade for 30+ years and doesn’t suffer any nonsense. I thought that the tone was interesting to say the least.
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  Melina Sergent-Mouth

  This is just a shorter version of her Memoir written a year earlier. Many of the same stories are present and told the same or shortened. I loved her memoir more because it was more in depth. But if you're super short on time and want to read about the history of the disability rights movement told via storytelling, then I'd suggest this one. Or if you just want a recap of it after having read her Memoir. Otherwise I don't feel it was necessary.
  
  With that being said, it's still a gut wrenchingly beautiful story, and I am so thankful for all the work Judy Heumann did in advocating for herself and disabled people in the US and around the world.
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  Amy-Jo Conant

  Everyone should read this book!
  
  Amazing story
  Fantastic information - incredibly informative
  
  Kids and adults need to be reminded that persons with disability didn't have rights until 1990!!!
  
  The book does a great job explaining difficult legal idea, terms and concepts to a younger audience. a strong 3rd grader reader might even tackle this book. Probably best suited for 4th and up unless students were reading with an adult for support.
  
  Not much to say except exceptional nonfiction book.
• 
  Kimberly

  The true story of Judith who is in a wheelchair because of childhood polio. Judith’s road to disability activism starts when she is not allowed to go to school in kindergarten because of her disability. That starts a life mission of fighting for the rights of people with disabilities. That fight leads her to protests, sit-ins, the White House, and eventually around the world. An inspiring story that had me considering a new perspective- which is one of the strongest superpowers that comes from reading!
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  Halima Truesdail

  When I say this book gave me CHILLS! Judy is truly a spectacular woman. As someone who didn’t know much about the civil rights movement for the disabled, it was a life changing story. I couldn’t put this book down because I could feel the emotion and history just oozing out of the book. To think that only 30 years ago disabled people had zero rights was shell shocking. Judy was raised in a household that taught her independence and she ran with it. What an outstanding (lol disabled joke) woman :).
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  Mary Louise Sanchez

  We take ramps and even inclines on sidewalks for granted, but people with disabilities have dealt with problems of mobility and acceptance for many years. Thankfully they spoke up for their rights and started a revolution which I hope gets even more attention in this congress. Our laws need to benefit all citizens, and consider how our many senior citizens are starting to fit more and more into the ranks of the disabled.
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  Stephen Snyder

  This book is areal eye opener on the Disability Civil Rights Movement. Today's young adults need to know the history of the Disability Civil Rights Movement how far we have come and how much further we have to go, not just as a nation, but as the human family.
  
  Bravo Judith Heumann an Kristen Joiner on such a wonderful book, and thank you both for your service in obtaining and protecting the civil rights of people with disabilities .
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  Penny

  This memoir written for young adults was a very engaging story about how the American with Disabilities Act and other important disability legislation came to be and Judy's role in that. I read the book with my Granddaughter and think it's a good starting point to generate conversation around disabilities.
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  Carolina

  Written in a younger middle grade voice, but covers history and topics we all need to hear. Judith huemann is an internationally recognized leader in the disability rights movement.
  
  “I would appreciate it if you would stop nodding your head in agreement when I don’t think you have any idea what we are talking about!” - Judith huemann, p125 during the section 504 sit in
• 
  Mike

  It's a really powerful story of progress for disabled Americans through protests and legislative change. I do feel that the emphasis on policy and working to enact change is a topic that students might struggle to engage with. The opening chapters, though, are a great window into life before accessible accommodations were commonplace.
• 
  Sarah

  Judith Heumann is one of my favorite authors! She has humor and shares her story to further advance the importance of being an advocate and change in the world of disabilities. Great read and education for children!