Sagmiller was diagnosed as mentally retarded in elementary school. He describes in heart rendering terms the night a parent-teacher conference changed the lives of his family forever. Although his teaches recommended institutionalization, Sagmiller's mother refused to comply. His mother's tears and his father's rejections still haunt his memory. Later a more accurate diagnoses was made of dyslexia, which affects speech, reading, time perception, and can slow learning ins some subjects.

As a dyslexic myself, I found Sagmiller's account fascinating and I confess to learning a lot about myself while reading his narrative. I had never understood the two types of dyslexia, and how to discern between them. In addition, I couldn't help but chuckle in sympathy while reading his difficulty with standardized tests. I could easily empathize with the blows to the self-esteem as well as the feelings of stupidity and ineptitude. Moreover, with a Master's degree in English, I am also encouraged to find someone else who did reach his dreams despite the challenges meted out by this learning disability. A must read for those with dyslexia as well as parents, educators and others touched by this learning disability. DYSLEXIA MY LIFE comes very highly recommended.

4 of 4 found the following review helpful:


Sad & Joyful  Feb 13, 2004 By Catherine Ann McGowan
This book brought tears to my eyes. I was saddened regarding the unhappy early life that Mr. Sagmiller went through, yet I was very happy for his success in his later life.

I have an adult son who is dylexic, and the ongoing pain he has gone thru, and continues to go throuh, has constantly torn at my heart. I have kept in touch with Mr Sagmiller and he has been very helpful and supportive. He seems to be a gem of a human being and I have been very fortunate to have communicated with him. I hope my son, and I, can meet with Mr. Sagmiller some day.

If you know of someone who is dear to your heart who has been thru the pain and the anguish of dyslexia, you might want to consider either giving them this book or getting the tapes of this book for them. The tapes can be purchased on Mr. Sagmiller's website. I highly recommend this book.

4 of 4 found the following review helpful:


Great Insight  Feb 24, 2000 By Susan Potter
Being a parent of a child with dyslexia I found this book a great insight into the difficulties of this disorder. Mr Saqmiller explained well how he dealt with his disabilites from childhood to adulthood. I learned alot from focusing in on strengths instead of weakness to being an advocate for my child. I thank him for a wonderful read.

1 of 1 found the following review helpful:


Courage to succeed  Aug 17, 2000 By william Eric Ferguson
This is the story of a guy with an invisable reading handicap and the struggle he experienced in learning to read and get educated. Along the way he tells about the teachers who helped him and inspired him to find himself as well as thoughs who failed to understand the problems of dyslexics.He tells of the success he experienced in drama and staging shows and plays. It was a very inspired story about a person who made it despite the odds being stacked against him. A book to inspire.


Very inspiring story... I highly recommend!  Jul 31, 2011 By Cayle S. Fuller
I really didn't know much about dyslexia prior to reading this book. As a parent I worried that some of my children had it when they began writing in school and started transposing letters or writing them backwards... I basically thought it was a common learning disability that was easily diagnosed and easy to overcome. This book really showed me how complex this learning disability is and home many different areas of life, throughout childhood and onto adulthood dyslexia can affect... it is not only a learning disability, but also an intricate way of thinking. Mr. Sagmiller gave a very open, and honest account of what his life had been like growing up with a disability and shows that with persistence and perseverance, any obstacle can be overcome. More importantly, as a parent, he showed how vital it is to love and support our children no matter what package they come in, and no matter what gifts they bring to our lives. It is a very inspiring story... a very good read!

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