Schuyler's Monster by Robert Rummel-Hudson

The monster in this heartfelt memoir is polymicrogyria, an extremely rare brain malformation that, in the case of Rummel-Hudson's daughter Schuyler, has completely impaired her ability to speak. Schuyler can now communicate through assistive technology, and continues to be the source of her father's inspiration, literary and otherwise. Ultimately, it is the tale of a little girl who silently teaches a man filled with self-doubt how to be the father she needs. It is a story that has equal measure of laughter and tears. It is the story of a family seeking answers to a child's dilemma, but it is also a chronicle of their unique relationships, formed without traditional language against the expectations of a doubting world. It is the story of the relationship between a unique and ethereal little girl floating through the world without words, and her earthbound father who struggles with whether or not he is the right dad for the job. Schuyler's Monster is more than the memoir of a parent dealing with a child's disability.

They didn't know that Schuyler was going to teach them a thing or two about fearlessness, tenacity, and joy. Once they knew why she couldn't speak, they needed to determine how to help her learn. When she was diagnosed with Bilateral perisylvian polymicrogyria (an extremely rare neurological disorder caused by a malformation of the brain.), her parents were given a name for the monster that had been stalking them from doctor visit to doctor visit and throughout the search for the correct answer to Schuyler's mystery. When Schuyler was 18 months old, a question about her lack of speech by her pediatrician set in motion a journey that continues today. Schuyler's Monster is an honest, funny, and heart-wrenching story of a family, and particularly a little girl, who won't give up when faced with a monster that steals her voice but can't crush her spirit.

Schuyler's Monster by Robert Rummel-Hudson