Enjoy International Left-Handers Day!

To celebrate International Left-Handers Day tomorrow, August 13, we’ve created a list of books by famous left-handed authors, biographies of famous left-handers, and a few fiction titles that have left-handed characters.

Did you know?

  • Only about 12% of the population is left-handed.
  • Left handers are called southpaws.
  • Left handers use the right side of the brain more; this side is known for creativity and imagination as well as music and art

Left-Handed Authors

Many authors, artists, and musicians were (or are) left-handed. A few well-known southpaw authors include:

Mark Twain

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Tom Sawyer

 

Lewis Carroll

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass

Lewis Carroll

Hans Christian Andersen

The Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen

 

Biographies of Left-Handers

The list of famous left-handers is long and includes presidents, sports figures, actors, and many others. Here are a few well-known lefties:

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Who Is Ruth Bader Ginsburg?

By Patricia Brennan Demuth; illustrated by Jake Murray

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

 

Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey

By Tamra B. Orr

Oprah

 

Bill Gates

Bill Gates: Microsoft Founder and Philanthropist

By Marylou Morano Kjelle

Bill Gates

 

Barack Obama

Barack Obama

By Stephen Krensky

Barack Obama

 

Helen Keller

Who Was Helen Keller?

By Gare Thompson; illustrated by Nancy Harrison

Helen Keller

 

Left-Handed Characters

Books don’t always mention whether the character is right-handed or left-handed, but here are two that do:

The Case of the Left-Handed Lady

By Nancy Springer

This mystery features a left-handed lady.

Case of the Left-Handed Lady

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

By A Akira Himekawa kira Himekawa

The main character, Link, is left-handed in this graphic novel.

Zelda

There are many more books by and about left-handers. Be sure to add any of the ones you know and love in the comments below.

Laurie J. Edwards
Laurie J. Edwards planned to run away when she was nine. She didn’t get far before she realized she’d miss her pet parakeet, so she slept on the back patio. That started her on a life of travel that has led to many interesting adventures, including stepping on a lizard in Africa, climbing a Korean mountain in flip-flops, strolling the streets of Venice in a cat costume, and eating deep-fried water beetles (yum!) in China. You can find out more about her and her books at her website.