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“A KNOCKOUT . . . A book that has the potential to change forever the conversation we are (or are not) having about what it means to be ‘disabled’ . . . In *Good Kings Bad Kings*, we have the rare opportunity to be awakened by hearing the truth delivered with beauty alongside agony, despair interwoven with possibility.” —*Los Angeles Review of Books * * * Bellwether Award winner Susan Nussbaum’s powerful novel invites us into the lives of a group of typical teenagers—alienated, funny, yearning for autonomy—except that they live in an institution for juveniles with disabilities. This unfamiliar, isolated landscape is much the same as the world outside: friendships are forged, trust is built, love affairs are kindled, and rules are broken. But those who call it home have little or no control over their fate. *Good Kings Bad Kings* challenges our definitions of what it means to be disabled in a story told with remarkable authenticity and in voices that resound with humor and spirit. “Nussbaum upholds the individuality and integrity of her characters . . . [Their] natural, discursive rhythms and moments of unvarnished honesty bring them rapidly to life.” —*The Wall Street Journal*** * * “[Nussbaum’s]novel is all fierce energy and wit, a celebration of strength, dignity, and the catharticpleasure of telling it like it is.” —Rosellen Brown “[She] eviscerates the stereotypes by being, in a word, hilarious—her dark, humanistic humor flies off the page.” —*Chicago Reader* * * “Not only shines a light on a segment of society often ignored, in art as well as life, but also is a really great read.” —*The Washington Post* * * “Unquestionably an authentic, galvanizing, and righteous novel.” *—Booklist*, starred and boxed review “This is a world as foreign to most as another planet. That Nussbaum is able to make it as real and as painful and joyful and alive as she does is a spectacular accomplishment . . . A joy for readers.” *—Chicago Tribune* Read More