i finished this book on the flight back from new zealand. a stewardess stopped by and asked if i were enjoying it and i said i was. she said she had recently seen the movie and was having a hard time believing that anyone could grow up in such unusual circumstances and go on to become a successful author.

my life history is somewhat colorful and while i may not be a successful author i’d claim some degree of success, so i told her i was pretty confident you didn’t have to stretch your imagination too far to believe this story.

from the author: sometimes i wonder if his life would have been easier if my parents had taken him to a doctor instead of just assuming he was cold and emotionally blocked. but then i remind myself that my parents had very questionable taste when it came to choosing medical professionals. with this in mind, i like to think that my brother wasn’t so much overlooked as he was inadvertently protected.