Synopses & Reviews
Deprived of oxygen for two hours at birth, Christopher Nolan almost died, but he lived to write, at age twenty-one, this award-winning autobiography, told as the story of one Joseph Meehan. Nolans birth injuries left him quadriplegic and completely unable to communicate, so for years no one suspected that his mind, though imprisoned in an inert body, was burning to express his inner-most thoughts and ideas to not only his family but the world.
Whether he is fighting with the authorities for the right to go to an ordinary school, or going on a "normal" vacation for the first time, Nolans story has a touching, often breathtaking intensity. Nolan recounts his ultimate triumph of finally being able to share with others the insight and whimsy of his inner world, unlocking the inventive wordsmith and gifted storyteller within. The result is astonishingly lyrical, filled with powerful description, touching moments of triumph, sadness, and anger, and above all disarming wit.
Review
"[A] book of sheer wonder." Daily Express (London)
Review
"Joycean wordplay marks this memoir by a writer who defies his extreme physical disabilities." Chicago Tribune
Review
"A moving, sad, and, yes, joyous account of triumph over adversity." Nancy Pearl, Library Journal
Synopsis
The stirring, and inspiring, autobiography of a young man who almost died at birth but survivedthough unable to speak or moveto write this powerful testimony of one young mans indomitable will. He wrote the book, using a "unicorn stick" attached to his head, letter by painful letter. The result is astonishingly lyrical, filled with powerful description, touching moments of triumph and humiliation, and, above all, disarming wit. Winner of the Whitbread Book of the year award.