A Different Life: Growing Up Learning Disabled and Other Adventures - Hardcover

Bradlee, Quinn

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1586481894 ISBN 13: 9781586481896

Publisher: PublicAffairs, 2009

Synopsis

Born with a hole in his heart that required invasive surgery when he was only three months old, Quinn Bradlee suffered from a battery of illnesses—seizures, migraines, fevers—from an early age. But it wasn't until he was fourteen that Bradlee was correctly diagnosed with Velo-Cardio-Facial Syndrome (VCFS), a widespread, little-understood disorder that is expressed through a wide range of physical ailments and learning disabilities.

Ten percent of the population is affected by a learning disability, but few of us understand what being learning disabled (LD) is really like. In this funny, moving, and often irreverent book, Bradlee tells his own inspirational story of growing up as an LD kid—and of doing so as the child of larger-than-life, formidably accomplished parents: long-time Washington Post executive editor Ben Bradlee and bestselling author Sally Quinn. From his difficulties reading social cues, to his cringe-worthy loss of sexual innocence, Bradlee describes the challenges and joys of living “a different life” with disarming candor and humor. By the end of A Different Life he will have become, if not your best friend, one of your favorite people.

About this title

About the Author

Quinn Bradlee attended Landmark College, American University, and the New York Film Academy. He has made a series of short documentary films about children with learning disabilities and rare genetic syndromes, and he has launched a website to create a community for LD kids and their families. He lives in Washington, D.C.

www.friendsofquinn.com

Jeff Himmelman assisted Bob Woodward on Maestro and Tim Russert on Big Russ and Me. He has worked on other book projects as an editor and author. His reporting and writing with Woodward helped The Washington Post win the Pulitzer Prize for its post-9/11 coverage. He lives in Washington, D.C.

Reviews

From The Washington Post's Book World/washingtonpost.com Reviewed by Kate Tuttle Memoirs of a childhood in the shadow of famous parents are legion, but most center on some conflict. Quinn Bradlee, son of former Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee and writer Sally Quinn, instead tells a story in which his parents are tough, loving and supportive. They needed to be. From open-heart surgery in infancy to a litany of health and developmental problems, Bradlee's childhood combined privilege with serious challenges. When he was 14, he and his parents finally got a diagnosis explaining everything from the hole in his heart to his difficulties with speech, memory and social interactions: cardio-velo-facial syndrome, a genetic condition affecting one in 2,000. Bradlee's book brings a bracing honesty to the tough stuff he has faced, and a sweet enthusiasm for the things that make him happy, from surfing to his childhood dog. He doesn't sugarcoat how difficult difference can be, but there's no pity here, and no complaint.
Copyright 2009, The Washington Post. All Rights Reserved.

Edition details

• Publisher: PublicAffairs
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1586481894
• ISBN 13: 9781586481896
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240