A few years ago, I was gifted a copy of Fish in A Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. I was told, “You’ll really like it.” I opened the book around 9 p.m. to start reading, and every time I tried to put it down, I couldn’t. It was the first time since my son’s identification that I felt someone else knew exactly what was happening to him in the classroom. I was being transported into his day, understanding school based, and life based scenarios that were shaping his self concept. I was given a greater sense of why knowing about dyslexia was so important, and how not knowing contributed to his angst. He was being completely misunderstood by all those he was trying so desperately to please and fit in with.
As we have read this as a community, I have heard from so many how emotional the process was of reading Fish in a Tree. That is what makes it so magnificent. It speaks to the heart, and for some every fiber of their being. It validates for some. It comes too close for comfort for others. Regardless, it meets those on this journey of dyslexia at their most vulnerable.
Guilt, shame, respite, dread, joy, relief, hope, crisis, helplessness, anger, victory, peace…all realities of this journey, all so eloquently and lovingly addressed in these pages.
Celebrate Dyslexia invites you to join us for a conversation with Lunda Mullaly Hunt Thursday, April 29, 2021 at 7 p.m. to learn more about Fish in a Tree.
