Life on delay making peace with a stutter

"An intimate and revealing memoir of a lifelong struggle to speak"--

Main Author: Hendrickson, John (Atlantic senior editor) (Author)
Format: Books Print Book
Language: English
Published: New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2023.
Edition: First edition.
Subjects:
Summary: "An intimate and revealing memoir of a lifelong struggle to speak"--
In the fall of 2019, John Hendrickson wrote a groundbreaking story for The Atlantic about Joe Biden's decades-long journey with stuttering, as well as his own. The article went viral, reaching readers around the world and altering the course of Hendrickson's life. Overnight, he was forced to publicly confront an element of himself that still caused him great pain. He soon learned he wasn't alone with his feelings: strangers who stutter began sending him their own personal stories, something that continues to this day. Now, in this reported memoir, Hendrickson takes us deep inside the mind and heart of a stutterer as he sets out to answer lingering questions about himself and his condition that he was often too afraid to ask. In Life on Delay, Hendrickson writes candidly about bullying, substance abuse, depression, isolation, and other issues stutterers like him face daily. He explores the intricate family dynamics surrounding his own stutter and revisits key people from his past in unguarded interviews. Readers get an over-the-shoulder view of his childhood; his career as a journalist, which once seemed impossible; and his search for a romantic partner. Along the way, Hendrickson guides us through the evolution of speech therapy, the controversial quest for a "magic pill" to end stuttering, and the burgeoning self-help movement within the stuttering community. Beyond his own experiences, he shares portraits of fellow stutterers who have changed his life, and he writes about a pioneering doctor who is upending the field of speech therapy.
Item Description: "This is a Borzoi book." -- title page verso.
Physical Description: x, 255 pages ; 22 cm
Bibliography: Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN: 9780593319130
0593319133
Author Notes: JOHN HENDRICKSON is a staff writer at The Atlantic . He previously wrote and edited for Rolling Stone , Esquire , and The Denver Post. His Atlantic feature "What Joe Biden Can't Bring Himself to Say" was named one of the best stories of 2019 by Longform . He lives in New York City with his wife.