About the Author

Haben Girma advocates for equal opportunities for people with disabilities. President Obama named her a White House Champion of Change. She received the Helen Keller Achievement Award, and a spot on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. President Bill Clinton, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Chancellor Angela Merkel have all honored Haben. Her work has been featured in the Financial Times, BBC, Washington Post, NPR, and more.

Reviews

"A stirring memoir of love and resilience. Haben proves there are no limits for living joyously in the world. A fierce, glorious advocate for equal opportunity, she demonstrates that accessibility for all benefits all. Her memoir is a soul-inspiring gift."--Jewell Parker Rhodes, New York Times bestselling author of Ghost Boys

"Extraordinary...Haben's is a story of inspiration-and new American patriotism. She gives all of us fresh strength and hope."
--Lorene Cary, author of Black Ice and founder of Art Sanctuary

"Gently powerful...vivid...This really is just the beginning of what is likely to be a long and fascinating story."--Forbes

"Girma...is a talented narrator who captures defining moments in her life in a series of lyrical cameos. She writes with remarkable assurance and yet with a lightness of touch when tackling difficult issues. [A] profoundly important memoir."--The Times

"Inspiring."--The New York Times

"Reading Haben's story moved me in a way I didn't think was possible. She's a gifted writer, and her story will teach you about strength, perseverance, and determination. This is a strong reminder to embrace the unknown, to stand up for yourself, and to never give up."--Mashal Waqar, co-founder and COO, The Tempest

"Riveting...[an] often hilarious and utterly inspiring memoir."--BookPage (starred review)

"This autobiography by a millennial Helen Keller teems with grace and grit."--O Magazine

"Warmhearted and optimistic, [HABEN] celebrates personal courage and triumph as well as the unlimited potential of those whose real disability is living in a society that too often does not make accommodations for their physical impairments. An inspiring and illuminating memoir."--Kirkus

"What makes Haben's prodigious story even more remarkable is that she's not satisfied with being inspiring. Because she knows that achievement only happens when there is more than the support of individual extraordinary people, she pushes institutions and leaders in the academy, the government, and in big tech to widen the corridors of power and opportunity. Her intersectional approach to her work as an advocate for the disabled and as a Deafblind daughter of refugees refuses tokenization and demands true inclusion."--p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 9.0px 0.0px; text-align: center; line-height: 11.1px; font: 11.0px Times}dream hampton, award-winning filmmaker, writer, and organizer

"With wit and passion, Haben, a disability rights lawyer, public speaker, and the first Deafblind person to graduate from Harvard Law, takes readers through her often unaccommodating world...This is a heartwarming memoir of a woman who champions access and dignity for all."--Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)