High School Dropout to Harvard: My Life with Dyslexia - Paperback

by John D. Rodrigues (Author)

School was a struggle for John D. Rodrigues. He knew he was smart, but teachers and classmates didn't believe him. All they saw was a kid who wore freakish orthopedic shoes, couldn't sit still in class, and struggled miserably with reading. At age sixteen, John had had enough. He dropped out, certain he'd never return to school.

Thanks to a chance encounter, John discovered ice sculpting. Here, finally, was something the young man was good at, and he took to it passionately. His talent for releasing beauty from massive blocks of ice led to jobs working in famous hotels and on cruise ships. He was happy, but his failure to graduate tugged at the back of his mind.

The failure, as it turned out, wasn't John's. It was the fault of the school system that had never diagnosed his dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Armed with strategies that played to his strengths, John passed remedial classes in community college and then went on to study at Harvard and the University of California, Berkeley.

In High School Dropout to Harvard, John candidly recounts his inspirational journey and dispenses hard-won, practical advice for other readers who may be facing similar challenges.

Author Biography

REVIEWS

Brock & Fernette Eide, authors of The Dyslexic Advantage

"John Rodrigues has written an inspiring and empowering story about his personal dyslexic journey. Young people who have dropped out of school or others who are thinking about returning to school will be encouraged by his honest recounting, light hearted tone, and perceptive insights about his thinking style and advantages. I particularly liked what he shared about approaching classes strategically and figuring out how to get through his degree program."

"Well written. He covers many of the issues faced by dyslexics and offers a tremendous amount of hope to students." Regina G. Richards, International Dyslexia Association