Yep, the impossible has happened, two posts in two days. I’m on a roll, baby!
This will most likely not happen again.
I finished the book that I mentioned in my previous post, the one that I was almost finished with.
Now, here’s the thing, when I finish a book I generally wait a day or two before posting something. You know, to let the story ruminate, soak into my brain, so on and so forth, before I commit something to paper. But, I seriously could not wait for this one; I finished it and I immediately wanted to post something.
Trust me, it’s that good.
This book, another rare non-fiction choice of mine, is astonishing and beautiful, heartbreaking and hopeful, and so unflinchingly honest.
The first 12 years of Martin’s life were rather normal, until one day he came home from school complaining of a sore throat. He never went back. Over the next two years he deteriorated due to an unexplained brain infection; he lost the ability to speak, to control his limbs, to comprehend what was happening around him. By his fourteenth birthday, he had gone into a vegetative state, spending his days at a care center, staring blankly at the world.
And then his mind woke up.
Gradually, over the course of a few years, he became more and more aware, more and more able to understand things. But he was still trapped inside an uncooperative body, unable to speak, unable even to make a sign that he understood, that he was there. He stayed trapped like this for almost a decade.
And then, finally, one day one of his caretakers saw recognition in his eyes.
This book, written by Martin himself, tells the story of his struggle and triumph as he relearned how to read, write, communicate. It details the struggles he saw his parents endure when he was helpless, it tells in appalling honesty of his experiences in various care homes, and it ultimately ends happy and hopeful.
This book is beautifully written; throughout the narrative, I could feel Martin’s frustration at not being able to communicate, I became angry at everything he witnessed and suffered through, I laughed with him at his little mishaps when trying to learn how to navigate the world, and in the end, I cried because I was so incredibly proud and happy for him. Somehow, Martin managed to put me right in the middle of everything he lived through and forced me to feel it. And finally, this book reminded me to never, ever underestimate what someone is capable of.
So, definitely get this book. No, seriously, get up from your desk or the couch or wherever it is you’re sitting and go buy this book. Trust me, it’s worth it.
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