We Are All Welcome Here (2006)

Poignantly, Elizabeth Berg's latest tome was inspired by a fan whose mother gave birth to her while entombed in an iron lung (which she'd started using after contracting polio at a young age). Her central character is 13-year-old Diana, born to a sanguine polio victim named Paige who is totally incapable of taking care of herself. We Are All Welcome Here not only highlights the extraordinary power that a mother — paralyzed or not — has over her daughter, but offers a unique perspective on polio's cruel legacy.