cover image Interabled: True Stories About Love and Disability from Squirmy & Grubs and Other Interabled Couples

Interabled: True Stories About Love and Disability from Squirmy & Grubs and Other Interabled Couples

Shane and Hannah Burcaw. Roaring Brook, $19.99 (288p) ISBN 978-1-250-62071-2

Married collaborators and disability advocates Shane Burcaw (Strangers Assume My Girlfriend Is My Nurse) and Hannah Burcaw, a debut author, present a heartfelt collection of 22 interviews interspersed with the couples’ own personal narratives to showcase interabled romantic relationships across a spectrum of cultures, sexualities, ethnicities, and disability experiences. The creators—who post videos on their YouTube channel Squirmy and Grubs—balance seriousness and emotional vulnerability with cheeky banter, particularly when addressing their own experiences with dating and marriage: “Every story from our relationship has two perspectives. There’s Shane’s memories of events, which is inevitably tainted by fantastical exaggerations that he’s added throughout the years. Then there’s Hannah’s perspective: clear, accurate, refined.” Centering adult perspectives, each included interview tackles issues surrounding sex and intimacy, discrimination, and balancing caregiving with a romantic partnership, alongside funny and endearing recollections. The Burcaws’ approach to storytelling is transparent and genuine, often including parenthetical asides with further context or extensive quotes. It’s a sophisticated and necessary compilation that sheds light on the normalcy of interabled romance and how frequently it’s ignored, misunderstood, or dismissed. Ages 12–up. Agent: Anthony Mattero, Creative Artists Agency. (Jan.)