My Forest Library

This review of One For All by Lillie Lainoff is for Disability Book Week 2023.

What age demographic is the book written for? Young Adults
Does the author self-identify as disabled? Yes
What disability is discussed in the book? POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome)
Does the book follow the APA Style Guide for disability language? Yes

I was eager to read One For All as soon as I could because I had heard that it was an #OwnVoices book about a fictional character who has POTS, a heart condition that I also have, and I had not previously heard of any fiction books that featured this disability. As I am also a fan of historical fiction AND retellings of classics, I was completely on board with the premise of the book, which is a retelling of The Three Musketeers, but from the perspective of young women musketeers.

The main character, Tania, is a great example of a young woman who is trying to live the life she wants while also dealing with the symptoms of her disability. Sometimes her disability overcomes her and she has to find ways to accommodate it, just as people like her (and like me) must do in real life when we are trying to pursue our dreams. I found this reassuring, and I suspect that if I had been able to read this book when I was a bed-bound teenager it would have made me feel seen and validated.

This book does not, however, center the protagonist’s disability and make it the main conflict of the story. At its core, this story is a tale of adventure, daring, and friendship between a group of young women. Tania’s disability is only one aspect of her multi-faceted personality.

I read this book in audiobook format, and I am glad that I did because this version has the added benefit of being narrated by Mara Wilson, who many will know from her titular role in Matilda (a book and movie that felt like strong disability representation when I saw it as a child in the 90s!). Wilson also has POTS, which adds yet another level to the #OwnVoices representation present in One For All.

Ultimately this book has just about everything I could ask for in a young adult novel. I hope there will be a sequel and, if so, that readers will get to learn more about the relationships between the girls that were formed in One For All. My only small complaint is that Wishbone wasn’t in the book, as he was in the original The Three Musketeers (kidding!).