The Dyslexic Advantage by Brock & Fernette Eide *****

The Dyslexic Advantage by Brock & Fernette Eide

Research has shown that dyslexia comes with advantages, such as visualizing 3D spaces and objects, recognizing novel connections, creating stories, and predicting the future. If you are dyslexic or care about someone who is dyslexic, read this book now.

Reading challenges are the most well-known characteristics of dyslexia. These challenges range from not recognizing letters and not being able to decode words to not understanding or retaining what has been read. For example, I misread words, read slowly, and have difficulty understanding or retaining what I’ve read. Despite these challenges, I had a successful career in high technology and now write novels in my retirement. This book explains the connection between my challenges and successes.

The first piece of good news is that reading difficulties lessen with time. “However, the lessons from these meta-analyses must certainly rank as one of the most important messages of this book for young dyslexic individuals: Don’t lose hope when you begin to feel that you are the last tree in the garden to blossom. Your day is coming. Time really is on your side.”

“These four MIND strengths are Material reasoning, Interconnected reasoning, Narrative reasoning, and Dynamic reasoning.”

Material reasoning has to do with understanding 3D objects and spaces. This may involve a sense of direction or the design of mechanical systems. For example, when I moved from Massachusetts to Utah, as a poor college student, I rented a van and figured out how to pack the contents of my apartment into it. On moving day, everything fitted into the van exactly as planned.

Interconnected reasoning is the ability to find unexpected connections. For example, my PhD dissertation was a novel way to design electronic circuits. The seed of my solution came from an algorithm invented for computer graphics.

Narrative reason is about combining knowledge into stories. Like many dyslexics, rote memorization doesn’t work for me. When required to memorize formulas for math classes, I chose instead to learn the derivations (stories) of the formulas. I could learn not formulas (rote memorization), but I could learn the stories (derivations).

Dynamic learning. I can construct a model of a process and simulate that model into the future. These skills made me an engineering vice president with a reputation for completing projects on time.

This book helped me understand my different behaviors. In college, I never missed a lecture, but also rarely completed the reading. I do not fear failures but look at them as opportunities to improve. I am addicted to novelty. All of these are part of the dyslexic advantage.

A must-read book for anyone living with dyslexia.

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The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman ****

The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman

Four pensioners (ex-spy Elizabeth, former trade union organizer Ron, psychiatrist Ibrahim, retired nurse Joyce) search for £350 million in bitcoins co-owned by Nick Silver and Holly Lewis. Nick disappears. Holly is blown up by a car bomb. Cozy mystery.

Elizabeth’s daughter, Joanna, marries Paul Brett. Paul’s best man is Nick Silver. Holly Lewis doesn’t attend the wedding. Ron’s daughter, Suzi, is married to Danny Lloyd. He is abusive, and she sends him away at gunpoint. Their son, Kendrick, stays with his mother’s family. Drug dealer Connie takes juvenile delinquent Tai under her wing.

Nick Silver and Holly Lewis are business partners in The Compound, an underground high-security storage facility for offline storage (aka safety deposit boxes). This is where they store the key for the £350 million in bitcoins. The storage unit requires a 12-digit code. Nick knows six digits, and Holly knows the other six. If either of them dies, a solicitor delivers that code to the other one. Unfortunately, Holly has been blown up by a car bomb, Nick has disappeared, and no one can locate the solicitor.

Some quotes:

“A bit worried, yeah,” says Ron, looking at the gun. “If you kill Ron, I kill you,” says Bogdan. “With what?” says Davey. “Bare hands,” says Bogdan. “Yes, please, what a way to go,” says Davey. “And if I kill you?” “Then Elizabeth will kill you,” says Bogdan. “Who’s Elizabeth?” “You don’t want to find out,” says Bogdan.

Clever people, by which I mean Ibrahim or Elizabeth, are happiest when something is unusual, or unexpected, or not at all what you think, but normal people, me and Ron, that sort of person, like it when a tree is a tree and a shoe is a shoe, and a drug dealer is a murderer.

A wild ride with a satisfying ending.

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Rest and Be Thankful by Emma Glass ****

Rest and Be Thankful by Emma Glass

Rest and Be Thankful by Emma Glass leads with its message as the title. Once the story begins, Laura's life is depressing, death and disappointment. Powerfully, she survives with brief moments of gratitude and self-care. A subtle reminder to rest and be thankful.

Laura is a pediatric nurse in a halfway unit for newborns. Babies with the most severe issues go to intensive care. Those who strengthen and thrive go home. Laura’s infants have three paths: NICU, home, and death. Laura also cares for the parents. In her personal life, she loves her boyfriend, but he is not good for her. How does she survive? Rest and be thankful.

Laura starts her day with gratitude. I try to love this part of the day because I won’t see daylight for the next twelve hours. I try to love London but London doesn’t love me, doesn’t love itself. I love this morning light but I can’t love the grime, the concrete, the dead pigeon. … Poor Pigeon does get a little bit of my love, but I must keep some in reserve.

Once at the hospital, Laura tries gratitude again. Not sweaty. But not fresh. I feel grim. I hate starting the day this way. I dig into the pockets for surprises. My name badge, a pen (bonus), a crumpled hand towel with a phone number scrawled on it (X-ray), a handful of saline ampoules (shit, thank goodness I didn’t take home actual medication) and a single piece of chewing gum with a little coat of dust. I wipe the dust off and pop the gum in my mouth and let my teeth sink in. Glorious saliva pours, the tingle of strong mint floods my tongue. A small spurt of joy.

Laura cares for the babies and the parents. Our baby is back in oxygen, but the cannula is rubbing the skin under his nose, it’s so sore, I’ve kept him uncovered, he has cried all night. The doctor upped his morphine, fentanyl is going in, he desperately needs a pain review today. They want to do a scan but he’s probably not safe for transfer. They should take him down to intensive care but intensive care won’t take him because he’s managing his airway, just. Mum has been awake with me most of the night.

The hospital tries to comfort the parents of dead babies. Someone has put milk in the milk jug. Someone has arranged the teacups on saucers with handles all pointing in the same direction. There are fucking biscuits. The china is bone white with blood-red flowers running over the rims, dripping down the sides. This is the death china. This is brought out for families when their children die.

Laura’s boyfriend is self-centered and not supportive. Your eyes are on me. I tear the bread and dip it in the soup. I chew slowly, quietly, the butter melts on my tongue, rich and delicious. You tell me that if you’d known I was going to cook you wouldn’t have eaten so much crap. Your eyes are big and watery, you are gruff and slurring a little from sleep and booze. ‘If I had known I would have to cook, I would’ve stopped for something on the way home. I am starving, I didn’t have a lunch break today,’ I tell you.

The nurses support each other. They are barely hanging on. I help Amir with the drugs. I check his and he checks mine, we correct each other’s mistakes.

Optimism. I rock him and I feel like singing. In this holding, I am healing, he is dreaming and I feel content. This is where I’m supposed to be. This is why I’m here. A sick baby on his way to being well. On his way to being well because of surgery, medication, holding, sleeping, something. I wish I knew which one it was because then we could do more. Save more babies. Sometimes none of it works. I think about this all of the time.

Rest and be thankful.

 Check out https://amazon.com/shop/influencer-20171115075 for Omega Cats Press books and book recommendations.