My Dyslexia

By: Philip Schultz

Narrated by: William Hughes

An inspiring memoir of a Pulitzer Prize winner’s triumph over disability.

Despite being a winner of 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 this 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 prizewinning 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.

©2011 Philip Schultz (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Touching…Schultz paints a precise and compelling picture of how his brain works, how he sees himself, and how he thinks others have seen him throughout his life…From its impact on family members, to difficulties in school that may or may not be resolved with diagnosis, to its effect on social interactions and relationships, Schultz describes how dyslexia touches all areas of life. His 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)

Really uplifting read for the parent of a dyslexic child

It was a really eye opening read for me as the parent of a dyslexic child to hear the story from the perspective of a dyslexic person. I loved the part at the end where he spoke about dyslexia being a strength and not a weakness, because it truly is. My daughter is destined for great things not despite of her dyslexia but because of it just as this author and his son are.

Great perspective from another's life

Would you consider the audio edition of My Dyslexia to be better than the print version?

Didn't read it only listened.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No, but it was very introspective for my student and myself.

Any additional comments?

Might not be appropriate until a student is in middle school due to some life circumstances of the author. Great biography of a writer's struggle with dyslexia. Highly recommend.

Beacon of hope for dyslexic people

Fell less alone and encourage that things are getting better And encouraged by the growing knowledge of this disorder

My life story, told much better than I could

For anyone who has suffered dyslexia or any language based learning disability this is a very interesting read as it's a perspective from outside the community, as well as from inside the community.

Enjoyable

Being dyslexic, I enjoyed listening to similar internal dialogue that occur in my dyslexic brain. The narrator was clear which made listening enjoyable.

Interesting

My daughter was diagnosed with dyslexia about two years ago, so it was interesting to hear this author's story about himself and his son's experiences.

So encouraging

I cried at some many chapters in this book. This is my story. I learned I was dyslexia when I took my son for testing. The tech I think knew at my age i could also be dyslexic. Low and behold all the answer’s to my life learning struggles were revealed. This book helped me forgive myself and teachers who wrote me off. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

excellent autobiography

as someone who's had to grow up and live with dyslexia I can empathize with Phillip Shultz and and feel a little less alone, even if you're not dyslexic or know someone who is, I strongly recommend everyone read it. this disability isn't mentioned nearly enough even though 20% of people have some degree of dyslexia and have to deal with self and social abuse on a daily basis. we're not stupid and we're not lazy we have a disconnect between visual and audio learning and the more people that understand and respect our struggle the less anxiety and depression we feel.

Extremely relatable!!!

This is such a short and sweet, relatable story. I grew up with a love for learning but struggling to keep up in every class; I have dropped out of college twice and was disappointed and frustrated with my inability to understand even the topics I loved and was interested in. I grew up bilingual and struggled in both when it came to grammar. In my personal life, my pattern of thinking constantly was a source of constant stress since I didn't know that I was dyslexic (actually, I didn't even know about dyslexia). I felt like my anxiety in life and failure in school reflected the fact that I am not smart. Listing to his story, I felt like I was listing to my own story and felt hopeful with the next stage of my life.

Dyslexia blessing.

Enjoyed hearing another dyslexic confirm the difficulties related to the learning disability yet the blessings that come with the struggle and difference in the brain.