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A Memoir of Learning How to Read and Write
Ballantine
July 2015
On Sale: July 14, 2015
272 pages
ISBN: 0345506162
EAN: 9780345506160
Kindle: B00ONUYDRY
Hardcover / e-Book
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Non-Fiction Memoir
In this powerful memoir, former bicycle messenger and
acclaimed author of The Immortal Class recounts his
difficult journey to literacy.
A Comedy
& A Tragedy is the story of one young man’s effort
to teach himself to read. Complex and many-leveled, this
book is also a manifesto about the acquisition of
intellectual independence. It is a plea for better
understanding of the impact of dysfunctional family
dynamics in education, and a passionate indictment of a
broken school system that lets so-called problem kids slip
through the cracks.
When Travis Hugh Culley moves
with his family to Miami in the spring of 1980, the bright
six-year-old hopes things will be easier for him. Instead,
he is dubbed “Birdbrain” by his older brother and classified
by his new teachers as a discipline problem. Travis fakes
his way through tests and homework assignments, mimicking
his fellow students and pretending to know how to read. When
his music teacher suggests that he audition for an acting
program, Travis begins an unlikely path toward
literacy.
The moment Travis begins to perform, he is
confronted by his angry father, who is threatened by the
transformation in his son. Unsure of how to make sense of
what has happened, Travis grabs a pen and writes his
experience down. Suddenly, everything can be seen in a new
light. Having written, he begins to understand in a new way
the relationship between words and actions.
When his
parents separate and his grades fall, Travis clings to a
journal in which he notes the details of his changing life.
Having no place else to turn to process his emotions, Travis
lays claim to the project of his own emancipation. This
troubled student runs away from home but does not drop out
of school. With pen in hand, he commits to an education in
the theater and begins to fully realize the power and
importance of literacy. Travis discovers that only through
the mastery of writing can he determine his place in the
world. Eventually, he will become an accomplished
author—with a triumphant story to tell.
A Comedy
& A Tragedy is an important and inspired memoir that
will touch the hearts of parents, teachers, students, and
anyone who has struggled with traumatic experiences in
education. It is a work of love, of friendship, and of
confidence in one young scholar’s infinite belief in language.
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