The ability to communicate is an important part of human interaction. In this book, a glimpse into the lived realities of 37 adults and 3 children with communication disorders is offered in humorous and heartbreaking detail. The patients’ struggle to be understood is often matched by their listeners, who struggle to understand.

 

Dr. Boone recounts stories of patients treated in medical settings for such problems as aphasia, dementia, Parkinson’s disease (PD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other central nervous system diseases, apraxia, and head trauma. Other stories look at people who were treated in university clinics for such disorders as cerebral palsy and stuttering. The last few stories look at speech/voice treatment for a transgender woman, the loss of voice in a young man in a state penitentiary, and finally a humorous story of a pilot with left hemiplegia flying the author.

 

This work provides a sensitive look at the various disorders people have, their attempts to overcome them, the treatments that might be available, and the actions listeners can take in making communication easier and more productive.