Dyslexia My Life:
One Man's Story of His Life With a Learning Disability.
By Girard J. Sagmiller.
(DT Publishing, Revised Edition, 2005)
Girard’s story will inspire people everywhere. In Dyslexia - My Life,
Girard
talks candidly about his struggles and the negative perception people
held
about him while growing up. He shares the story of how he rose up out
of
the shadows of being told he was mentally incapable of functioning in
school,
to receiving an a Master's Degree in Business Administration. Girard
shares
with the reader not only the deep personal pain of his life, but also
his
creative techniques and the skills he personally used in overcoming
this
disability and learning to live successfully
as a dyslexic.
Dyslexia: My Life One Man’s Story of his Life with a
Learning Disability
An Autobiography By Girard J. Sagmiller
As
reviewed by Ellen Tanner Marsh, a New York Times best-selling author
What does it mean to grow up with a disability that no one seems to
understand? For author Girard Sagmiller, it meant grappling with shame
and fear and his father’s stony disapproval. Girard Sagmiller has
dyslexia, a neurological learning disability where individuals
experience problems recognizing words (the letters are often
transposed) so that reading is difficult, if not impossible. More often
than not, dyslexics are erroneously considered slow or stupid.
With honesty and grace, Sagmiller tells the story of his own battle
with dyslexia and the many challenges he had to overcome. Growing up in
the 1960s, he faced uncaring teachers and worried, angry parents who
didn’t know any better in dealing with an affliction that we now know
affects one in five children. But Sagmiller never gave up, persevering
against considerable odds to attend college, get a job and find his
niche.
This extraordinary memoir tells his courageous story and also provides
helpful tips for managing dyslexia and ultimately succeeding in life.
Overcoming a disability doesn’t mean curing it, but as Sagmiller
writes, “other strengths will grow.”
This is an important book for anyone struggling with dyslexia, for
teachers of dyslexic students and for families with a dyslexic loved
one. The message here is clear: even dyslexics can flourish in school
and in everyday life and succeed in careers of choice.
Girard Sagmiller not only overcame his disability, he triumphed. And
here, in this wise and inspiring book, he shows an insightful path for
others to triumph as well.
Girard’s
autobiography
tells his story and shows how he over came dyslexia. Through speaking
engagements
and the Internet alone, Girard has sold over 5,000 copies of his
self-published
autobiography in just one year. Not one unhappy customer yet.
Almost
10% to 30%
of the total population in the United States are dyslexic.
Girard,
now 40+, travels internationally as a consultant for a worldwide
organization
speaking about learning and moonlights as a professional model for
companies such as Levi Jeans and
Anheuser-Busch Inc. He also offers classes through Universities, and
contributes
to other community services. Girard servers as board member
for Kansas/Western Missouri Branch of Internal Dyslexia
Association
and President of the board and co-founder for The Gifted Learning
Project both (501(3)c) organization.
DYSLEXIA
MY LIFE -
one man's story of his life with a learning disability. In elementary
school
Girard Sagmiller was diagnosed as mentally retarded by his teacher and
school administrators, who recommended that his family institutionalize
him. In reality he suffered from dyslexia, which can affect speech,
reading,
time perception, and can slow learning in some subjects. In his book,
DYSLEXIA
MY LIFE, Girard Sagmiller discusses his struggles to overcome the
ignorance
and prejudice of his friends, family and society in general, to succeed
in school (getting his MBA), business and life.
The
book DYSLEXIA
MY LIFE has fairly large-size print and is packed full of emotion,
drama,
helpful tips, surprise and inspiration. It is told in the
matter-of-fact
tone of someone who has lived through quite extraordinary events
without
realizing they are anything out of ordinary. Besides being an engaging
personal story, the book provides quite an education regarding the
profound
effects of dyslexia on a persons educational, social and emotional
experiences...
Visit Girard’s Internet sites at: www.dyslexiamylife.org
or e-mail Girard with your personal message, question, or book order: girardsag@yahoo.com
out of 5 stars!
