Description

Reflecting upon thirty-two years of experience treating patients with devastating brain and spinal cord injuries, James Turner, M.D. has traveled a remarkable path. Upon entering 1st grade in 1953, he didn't meet the readin', writin' & 'rithmatic developmental milestones regarded as acceptable by school administrators. This earned him the label "minimal brain dysfunction," a euphemism which had recently replaced the term "retarded" in educator's discussions with parents. In a series of humorous and moving vignettes, the author recounts some of the misadventures of his K-12 educational gauntlet, an abrupt pivot into the US Army at the height of the war in Vietnam, and his eventual path to the doors of Northwestern University Medical School. These escapades, the product of a youngster possessing insatiable curiosity and a remarkable capacity for activity, include some hair-raising tales; from a graveyard in Mexico to snipers on the roof of the White House. Throughout the narrative, the author weaves together stories about unlikely sources of encouragement and hope, the power of perseverance, the remarkable kindness of strangers, and the enormous influence individuals can have on the success and well-being of others.