Book Description

“Every father of a special needs child should read” this memoir by the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Friday Night Lights (Temple Grandin). Buzz Bissinger’s twins were born just three minutes apart, yet life couldn’t have dealt them more different hands. Now grown, Gerry is a graduate student at Penn, preparing to become a teacher. His twin brother, Zach, has spent his life attending special schools. He’ll never drive a car, or kiss a girl, or live by himself. He is a savant, challenged by serious intellectual deficits but also blessed with rare talents: an astonishing memory, a dazzling knack for navigation, and a reflexive honesty that can make him both socially awkward and surprisingly wise. Buzz realized that while he’d been an attentive father, he didn’t fully understand what it was like to be Zach. So one summer night, the two hit the road to revisit all the places they had lived together in Zach’s twenty-four years. Zach revels in his memories, and Buzz hopes the experience will bring them closer and reveal to him the mysterious workings of his son’s mind and heart. The trip becomes a personal journey for Buzz, yielding revelations about his own parents, the price of ambition, and its effect on his twins. As father and son journey from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, they see the best and worst of America—and each other. Ultimately, Buzz gains a new and uplifting wisdom, and with the help of both of his twins, learns a vital lesson: Character transcends intellect.