Moving Violations: War Zones, Wheelchairs, and Declarations of Independence - Softcover

Hockenberry, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0786881623 ISBN 13: 9780786881628

Publisher: Hachette Books, 1996

Synopsis

John Hockenberry's Moving Violations is one of the most entertaining, provocative, unexpected, outspoken, and occasionally outrageous books in recent memory. It is a story of obstacles--physical, emotional, and psychic--overcome again, and again, and again. Whether riding a mule up a hillside in Iraq surrounded by mud-stained Kurdish refugees, navigating his wheelchair through intractable stretches of Middle Eastern sand, or auditioning to be the first journalist in space, John Hockenberry, ace reporter, is determined not only to bring back the story, but also to prove that nothing can hold him back from death-defying exploits.

However, he will never be a poster boy for a Jerry Lewis telethon. A paraplegic since an auto accident at age nineteen, Hockenberry holds nothing back in this achingly honest, often hilarious chronicle that ranges from the Ayatollah's funeral (where his wheelchair is pushed by a friendly Iranian chanting "Death to all Americans"), to the problems of crip sex and the inaccessibility of the New York City subway system.

In this immensely moving chronicle--so filled with marvelous storytelling that it reads like a novel--John Hockenberry finds that the most difficult journey is the one that begins at home, as he confronts the memories of his beloved one-armed grandfather, and finally meets his institutionalized Uncle Peter, whose very existence was long a secret buried in the family history.

Moving Violations is a sometimes harrowing but ultimately joyful ride.

About this title

About the Author:

A two-time Peabody Award winner, John Hockenberry spent more than a decade with National Public Radio as a general assignment reporter, Middle East correspondent, and program host. He is now a correspondent for ABC's news magazine show Day One, for which he received an Emmy. He lives in New York City.

From Booklist:

Whether he was covering the tragically violent conflict in the Middle East or hosting his engaging arts program, Heat, Hockenberry was a strong presence on National Public Radio. The fact that he is a paraplegic has made his accomplishments all the more remarkable. What courage he had to travel to war-torn Beirut in a wheelchair: how did he manage? Hockenberry answers this question and many more less obvious ones in his searing, brilliantly told memoir, a riveting and unforgettable account of his struggle to be free within the confines of paralysis. At age 19, Hockenberry survived a car crash that severed his spinal cord. Not only did he have to acquire new physical skills, he also had to recast his orientation to the human race. As he relates one blunt, eye-popping anecdote after another--some hilarious, others full of fury--Hockenberry unmasks the fear and ignorance underlying discrimination against the disabled and explains how his disability became an impetus for achievement. Clearly, his aggressively intelligent and determined approach to this potentially overwhelming experience made Hockenberry, currently on ABC-TV's Day One newsmagazine, a superb reporter and political analyst. He is also a masterly writer. Donna Seaman

About this edition

• Publisher: Hachette Books
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0786881623
• ISBN 13: 9780786881628
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 416