Overview

On the morning of July 29, 1995, Robert McCrum — 42 years old, just two weeks newly married, at the top of his profession as one of British publishing's most admired editors, in what he thought was the full bloom of health — awoke to find himself totally paralyzed on the left side, the victim of a stroke brought on by a massive cerebral hemorrhage. After a nightmarish day struggling to reach a phone, he finally summoned help. In the weeks to come, he would have to face the reality that his life had irrevocably changed and that medical science, maddeningly, could neither pinpoint the cause of the stroke nor offer any guarantee of recovery. What ensued was a battle beset by frustration and depression but equally marked by small victories, the help of dedicated physicians and therapists, and, first and last, the support of his new wife, whose love proved equal to their dismaying circumstances. My Year Off is an eloquent story of hope, written with the sort of candor and detail that the author believes has been missing in the literature of strokes up to this time. It is as well a grown-up love story of the most realistic — and hence, inspiring — kind.

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9780767904001

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Reviews

A meticulous and highly literate account, written by a good storyteller--.A book difficult to lay aside until its final sentence has been reached. <br>--Sherwin B. Nuland (author of How We Die), The New York Times <br> Elevating the health-book genre to art is My Year Off. Here's proof a book can delight as it heals <br>-- The Wall Street Journal <br> Lucid, heartfelt . . . a testament to the parallel trials and the courage of the family members of stroke victims. <br>--Abraham Verghese, The New York Times Book Review <br> Good reading for anyone who thinks about or has an illness . . . or who ponders change and the meaning of a meaningful life. <br>-- USA Today <br> McCrum eloquently recounts the year of rage, depression, and small victories that has finally left him facing the future with determination and grace. <br>-- Seattle Times

A meticulous and highly literate account, written by a good storyteller--.A book difficult to lay aside until its final sentence has been reached. <br>--Sherwin B. Nuland (author of How We Die), The New York Times <br><br> Elevating the health-book genre to art is My Year Off. Here's proof a book can delight as it heals <br>-- The Wall Street Journal <br><br> Lucid, heartfelt . . . a testament to the parallel trials and the courage of the family members of stroke victims. <br>--Abraham Verghese, The New York Times Book Review <br><br> Good reading for anyone who thinks about or has an illness . . . or who ponders change and the meaning of a meaningful life. <br>-- USA Today <br><br> McCrum eloquently recounts the year of rage, depression, and small victories that has finally left him facing the future with determination and grace. <br>-- Seattle Times

A meticulous and highly literate account, written by a good storyteller--.A book difficult to lay aside until its final sentence has been reached. --Sherwin B. Nuland (author of How We Die), The New York Times Elevating the health-book genre to art is My Year Off. Here's proof a book can delight as it heals -- The Wall Street Journal Lucid, heartfelt . . . a testament to the parallel trials and the courage of the family members of stroke victims. --Abraham Verghese, The New York Times Book Review Good reading for anyone who thinks about or has an illness . . . or who ponders change and the meaning of a meaningful life. -- USA Today McCrum eloquently recounts the year of rage, depression, and small victories that has finally left him facing the future with determination and grace. -- Seattle Times

Author Information

"Robert McCrum, now literary editor of London's ""Observer, "" was the editor-in-chief of the publishing firm Faber & Faber in London for nearly twenty years. He has authored six highly acclaimed novels and is the coauthor of the bestselling The Story of English. McCrum lives in London with his wife, Sarah Lyall, and their daughter."

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