OOTA Summer DEIJAB Book Club:
Out on a Limb: A Novel

This summer, OOTA invites you to slow down, pick up a great story, and connect with fellow OTs around something we don’t always make time for: a good book and a good conversation. Our DEIJAB Book Club is a low-pressure, high-connection way to build community while engaging with stories that deepen our understanding of disability, identity, and the lived experience of the people we serve.

Why Participate?

Reading fiction that centers disability and lived experience does something professional development alone can’t: it builds empathy from the inside out. As occupational therapy practitioners, we spend our careers helping people adapt, advocate for themselves, and find their own version of independence. Out on a Limb puts us on the other side of that story, following a character who has spent her whole life proving her capability to a world that keeps underestimating her. Walking alongside her gives us a richer, more human lens on the values we bring to practice every day: dignity, autonomy, and meeting people where they are.

It’s also just a wonderful way to spend part of your summer. No assigned essays, no quizzes, just a great book, a flexible reading pace, and a community of OTPs (old friends and new) who want to talk about it.

How It Works

Over four weeks, you’ll read Out on a Limb at your own pace, with built-in checkpoints to keep everyone moving together. In week five, we’ll come together for a fun, relaxed discussion to share reactions, favorite moments, and the connections we drew to our work in OT.

About the Book

Out on a Limb follows Winnifred “Win” McNulty, a fiercely independent woman born with 

a limb difference who has spent her life proving she doesn’t need to be coddled or underestimated. A one-night stand with the charming Bo, who has his own limb difference, leads to an unexpected pregnancy and an unlikely friendship that grows into something more. Praised as a beautiful love story full of joy, the novel is warm, funny, and refreshingly honest, exploring vulnerability, partnership, and what it means to ask for and accept support without losing your sense of self.

Why It Matters for OT

This book offers more than a charming love story; it offers a window into disability representation written with authenticity and care. Hannah Bonam-Young draws on her own experience with disability to portray her characters’ adaptations and challenges without making disability the sole focus of who they are. For OTP’s, that distinction is everything. Win’s journey toward asking for help, redefining independence, and being fully seen by another person mirrors conversations we have with clients every day. Reading her story is a chance to step back and remember why occupation-based, client-centered practice matters so deeply, and to recognize the quiet courage it takes for the people we serve to navigate a world not built with them in mind.

About the Author

Hannah Bonam-Young is an Amazon bestselling author from Ontario, Canada, who lives with her childhood-friend-turned-husband, two kids, and a bulldog near Niagara Falls. She writes romances featuring a cast of diverse, disabled, marginalized, and LGBTQIA+ characters, blending swoon-worthy storylines with the beautiful, messy, and challenging realities of life. Her other titles include Next of Kin, Next to You, Out of the Woods, and People Watching.

Our Book Club Platform: Fable

We’ll be using Fable, a social reading app designed to make book clubs easy and fun no matter where you are. There are no meetings or video calls required: anyone in the club can post a thought or question at any time, or comment on someone else’s post, as easy as texting. You can also annotate the book with highlights, notes, comments, and reactions right inside the app, and respond to discussion prompts along the way. It’s a relaxed, flexible way to stay connected with the group between check-ins, on your schedule.

Ready to Join?

Sign up by July 15 to claim your spot and kick off your summer of reading with old and new friends at OOTA. Grab your copy of Out on a Limb, download Fable, and get ready for four weeks of great reading and one really fun discussion.