Philip Schultz

By almost every available measure, poet Philip Schultz has led a successful life with words. A lover of books and a winner of the Pulitzer Prize, he has pursued from a young age his dream of being a writer. Yet Schultz has always had to work hard to compensate for his hidden disability, dyslexia. This disorder is commonly known as an inability to read, but Schultz points out that it causes difficulties with processing both written and auditory language. He carries with him painful memories of being stuck in the "Dummy Class" at school, and of being beaten by bullies because of his supposed stupidity. Even as a successful adult poet and educator, he still finds that the disorder causes him great anxiety and gets in the way of his spiritual life, as he is a Jew who can't learn Hebrew.

This slender volume (I read it in an evening) provides a moving look at life with an often misunderstood disability. Highly recommended, especially to the friends and family of those with dyslexia.… (mer)