Inspirational Quotes
... by famous people with learning disabilities or differences
Speech Impediment - David Sedaris
The following is an excerpt from David Sedaris'
much acclaimed,
best-selling novel
Me Talk Pretty One Day
. His wit is described as wicked, his writing compared
to that of Mark Twain, Woody Allen, Oscar Wilde, Dorothy Parker. This book made me howl and cry
with laughter ... and this was in a public place -
so if you're reading it for the first time, you might just want to do the more sensible thing
and read it in private. It's hilarious!
This excerpt concerns his childhood speech impediment and how it motivated him as a boy to
develop a very large vocabulary and make a career out of words.
Chapter Excerpt: Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
[excerpt - Copyright © 2000 by David Sedaris, Copyright 2004 by Time Warner Bookmark]
"At school, where every teacher was a potential spy, I tried to avoid an s ound whenever possible. "Yes," became
"correct," or a military "affirmative." "Please," became "with your kind permission,"
and questions were pleaded rather than
asked. After a few weeks of what she called "endless pestering" and what I called "repeated badgering,"
my mother bought me
a pocket thesaurus, which provided me with s-free alternatives to just about everything.
I consulted the book both at home in my room and at the daily learning academy other people called our school. Agent Samson
was not amused when I began referring to her as an articulation coach, but the majority of my teachers were delighted.
"What a nice vocabulary," they said. "My goodness, such big words!"
-- David Sedaris - Me Talk Pretty One Day
13 - Epilepsy »
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