The Man Who Forgot How to Read

Howard Engel, author of the Benny Cooperman detective novels, has just published a memoir titled "The Man Who Forgot How to Read". This memoir describes his personal journey of having to re-learn how to read. The loss of his ability to read was a major blow to this author of private investigator stories, as he had loved to read ever since he was a child, and pursued a career as an author.

While he slept one night, Engel suffered a stroke which caused a rare condition called alexia sine agraphia. This stroke affected the part of the brain that handles the ability to read, but oddly, not the ability to write. After that night, he could no longer read a newspaper, or even street signs. However, this affliction did not stop the author from continuing his career. Through incredible effort and professional help, he was able to publish his latest novel in the Benny Cooperman series, and later this memoir which describes his writing process and how he coped with his inability to read.

Here is an excerpt from The Man Who Forgot How to Read at NPR.

Sources: HarperCollins.ca, NPR