Synopses & Reviews
Born with a hole in his heart that required invasive surgery when he was only three months old, Quinn Bradlee suffered from a battery of illnessesseizures, migraines, feversfrom an early age. But it wasnt until he was fourteen that Bradlee was correctly diagnosed with Velo-Cardio-Facial Syndrome (VCFS), a widespread, little-understood disorder that is expressed through a wide range of physical ailments and learning disabilities.
Ten percent of the population is affected by a learning disability, but few of us understand what being learning disabled (LD) is really like. In this funny, moving, and often irreverent book, Bradlee tells his own inspirational story of growing up as an LD kidand of doing so as the child of larger-than-life, formidably accomplished parents: long-time Washington Post executive editor Ben Bradlee and bestselling author Sally Quinn. From his difficulties reading social cues, to his cringe-worthy loss of sexual innocence, Bradlee describes the challenges and joys of living a different life” with disarming candor and humor. By the end of A Different Life he will have become, if not your best friend, one of your favorite people.
Review
Kate and Jim Lehrer“A Different Life is a marvel--a stunning rocket of honesty about growing up learning disabled. As Quinn explains his frustrations, dreams, set-back and triumphs, he also explores with humor and sensitivity the difficulties in even a loving family's dynamic of dealing with their son. The portrait that unfolds is not so unlike that of many a family -- his father loving but firm and wanting to fit him for the world and a mother who does everything in her power to protect him from the emotional and physical suffering he often endures. Yet through the heartbreak shines Quinn's hopefulness and kindness and spills onto us all. This book is for everyone.”
Review
Kate and Jim Lehrer “A Different Life is a marvel--a stunning rocket of honesty about growing up learning disabled. As Quinn explains his frustrations, dreams, set-back and triumphs, he also explores with humor and sensitivity the difficulties in even a loving family's dynamic of dealing with their son. The portrait that unfolds is not so unlike that of many a family -- his father loving but firm and wanting to fit him for the world and a mother who does everything in her power to protect him from the emotional and physical suffering he often endures. Yet through the heartbreak shines Quinn's hopefulness and kindness and spills onto us all. This book is for everyone.”
Barbara Kantrowitz, The Daily Beast, 3/31
“Bradlee is, at times, funny, mordant, surprisingly perceptive and disturbingly naïve…. it’s clear that even enormous privilege did not protect him from the profound loneliness of being different.”
Liz Smith, www.Wowowow.com, 3/31
“You’ll be hearing the name Quinn Bradlee a lot now that this son of Sally Quinn and Ben Bradlee of Washington media fame has finished A Different Life: Growing Up Learning Disabled and Other Adventures.”
Kate Tuttle, Washington Post
“Bradlee's book brings a bracing honesty to the tough stuff he's faced, and a sweet enthusiasm toward the things that make him happy, from surfing to his childhood dog. He doesn't sugarcoat how difficult difference can be, but there's no pity here, and no complaint.”
ADDitutde Magazine
“A rare peek into the beliefs, feelings, and experiences of this young man with differing abilities, who just wants what the rest of us want out of life--work that he enjoys and is good at, and reciprocal relationships with a partner, good friends, and a wider social network.”
Synopsis
Bradlee offers this frank, funny, inspiring memoir of growing up with developmental and learning disabilities as well as his famously accomplished parents--a "Washington Post" editor and bestselling author. Illustrations throughout.
Synopsis
A frank, funny, inspiring memoir of growing up with developmental and learning disabilitiesand famously accomplished parents
About the Author
Quinn Bradlee attended Landmark College, American University, and the New York Film Academy. He has made a series of short documentary films about children with learning disabilities and rare genetic syndromes, and he has launched a website to create a community for LD kids and their families. He lives in Washington, D.C.
www.friendsofquinn.com
Jeff Himmelman assisted Bob Woodward on Maestro and Tim Russert on Big Russ and Me. He has worked on other book projects as an editor and author. His reporting and writing with Woodward helped The Washington Post win the Pulitzer Prize for its post-9/11 coverage. He lives in Washington, D.C.