Description

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“A success story . . . proof that one can rise above the disease and defy its so-called limitations on the brain.”—Daily Beast

Despite winning the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 2008, Philip Schultz could never shake the feeling of being exiled to the "dummy class" in school, where he was largely ignored by his teachers and peers and not expected to succeed. Not until many years later, when his oldest son was diagnosed with dyslexia, did Schultz realize that he suffered from the same condition.



In his moving memoir, Schultz traces his difficult childhood and his new understanding of his early years. In doing so, he shows how a boy who did not learn to read until he was eleven went on to become a prize-winning poet by sheer force of determination. His balancing act—life as a member of a family with not one but two dyslexics, countered by his intellectual and creative successes as a writer—reveals an inspiring story of the strengths of the human mind.

About the Author

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Philip Schultz is the author of eight poetry collections, including Luxury and the Pulitzer Prize–winning Failure. The founder of The Writers Studio, he has been teaching creative writing since 1971. He lives in East Hampton, New York.

Praise For…

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Will illuminate and inspire not just dyslexics and poets, but anyone struggling, in any hour, with his or her own body or mind’s seeming indifference to human volition, creativity, and desire.


— Chronicle of Higher Education

I can certainly relate to [Schultz’s] self-doubt, as must the multitude of dyslexics reading his thoughtful memoir. . . . But this is not a self-pitying book, or one filled with dry dyslexia facts. The condition has shaped Schultz into the man he is today, and he’s glad it did.
— Cleveland Plain Dealer

Under the rubric of 'inspirationally instructive,' Schultz offers a compact book. Yet, writing with a focused mind, he dilates at length on the struggle within that mind.
— Kirkus

A must-read, a true gift for all those who have experienced dyslexia close up or who care deeply about a child or an adult who is dyslexic.
— Sally Shawitz, MD, author of Overcoming Dyslexia

Starred review. [Schultz's] affecting prose will inspire compassion and leave readers with an understanding not only of dyslexia, but of the lifelong challenges that someone with disabilities may face.
— Publishers Weekly

This beautifully written and compact memoir chronicles the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet's journey through life as a dyslexic. ...His story will resonate with any young adult who may be dealing with a learning disability, and it will promote understanding and perhaps compassion in others.
— Vicki Emery - School Library Journal