Why I Called My Sister Harry
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What Has Been Said So Far…… “This is a well written life story providing comprehensive insights into how something like stuttering can consume one’s life.” Mark Irwin, Chairman International Stuttering Association “This book is an important contribution to the cause of helping those who stutter, their families and professionals.” Lee Reeves, Chairman of The National Stuttering Association of America “Michael O’Shea has given a detailed and revealing account of the evolution and impact of stuttering on his life as well as a deep understanding of his recovery. Nobody has documented the recovery process quite as clearly or as brilliantly. A must read for stutterers, therapists, family and friends.” John Harrison Author of “How to Conquer Your Fears of Speaking Before People” And Founder Member of the National Stuttering Association of America “Without doubt this book should be in every primary and secondary school. In fact it should be anywhere there might be children or young people who stutter” K Grant. School Principal and Teacher “I would have no hesitation in recommending this book to my clients.” Trudy Stewert, Senior Speech and Language Therapist “Being the daughter of a stutterer and a school teacher this book resonated with me on many different levels.” T. Maher, Primary School Teacher “It’s all there and it’s for everyone; for those who stutter, who live with people who stutter and for those who work with people who stutter. I found the book I would like to see on the big screen.” Anita S Bloom, Vice-Chair, ELSA (European League of Stuttering Association) Michael O’Shea has captured not only what it is to live the horrors of stuttering but the immense freedom once it is conquered. No book like this has ever been written. Brutally honest and concisely written, it is a story that people who stutter, friends and family of those who stutter can relate to. One of those books that you can’t put down until the end. I can only feel a sense of pride that the programme I found has inspired such a book.” David McGuire Founder of The McGuire Programme Freedoms Road
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About the Book
Why I Called My Sister Harry documents the life of Michael O’Shea, a man who lived with a severe stammer/stutter for over 40 years. The first part of the book is autobiographical, identifying the trigger for his stammer and the subsequent consequences of living with it from childhood, through adolescence and on into adulthood. Michael O’Shea shares his life, experience and family in a deeply moving account of what it is like to live in the debilitating clutches of not being able to speak freely and fluently. It also lets us see how it affects those in close contact with the stammerer/stutterer. In this book we read about his persistent quest to find a solution and the eventual triumph of recovery. Although pain and hurt punctuate throughout, Michael’s story is uplifting, hopeful and joyous. It is about overcoming obstacles, no matter how big, and achieving the life you want. Michael O’Shea has not only recovered from stammering/stuttering but has gone on to help countless others overcome this difficulty. His knowledge about the subject and the recovery process is expansive and he lays it out clearly and concisely in simple terms without any technical or medical jargon or complicated processes. This man speaks from experience, not theory, which inevitably produces an important, easy to read, insight into this complex speech difficulty. At the back of the book an invaluable Help section has been designed to signpost areas where stammerers/stutterers, and parents, siblings, teachers and friends of stammerers/stutterers can get help and find ways to help. As Michael O’Shea was born in 1955 and grew up in rural Ireland his story is also a wonderful social document on a unique country that has changed much in the past 50 years.
About the Author
Born in 1955, Michael O’Shea grew up in Ireland. He is happily married with three grown up children and several grandchildren. He is the founder and partner of a highly successful construction company in the South East of Ireland. Michael is deeply involved in helping other Stammerers/Stutterers find the path to recovery. He is a coach on the internationally acclaimed McGuire Programme and has spoken and lectured about stammering/stuttering all over the world. He is very well known and respected within the world of stammering/stuttering and his first book, Why I Called My Sister Harry, has been welcomed by recognised stammering/stuttering associations worldwide.