Gov. Gavin Newsom.Photo: Philomel Books
When Gov. Gavin Newsom was a child, having dyslexia was “shameful” and needed to be kept secret.
Now, with his new kids' bookBen and Emma’s Big Hit, the California governor hopes to show his own children and young readers that it’s natural to struggle — and that difficulties can be a source of personal discovery.
“I got the idea for a children’s book about kids with dyslexia when my kids were learning to read. They, like me, really struggled,” explains Newsom, 54, in an email interview with PEOPLE. “I started to look for a book that would help, and I couldn’t find any. I remembered my own frustration, and now as a parent, I had a new appreciation for my mom’s perseverance to help me in that situation.”
“I wanted a book to read with them and say, ‘This is what daddy has. It’s ok,’ " he continues. “And that’s what we created — a book for parents, kids, mentors to understand that differences or challenges we face can make us stronger.”
Ben and Emma’s Big Hitfollows a young baseball lover named Ben, who is sometimes held back in school because of his dyslexia. With the support of his friend Emma and his teacher Ms. Kim, he’s able to find solutions and discover where he excels.
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Philomel Books
While the book may feature fictional characters, it’s very much Newsom’s story.
The governor explains that he was 10 years old when his mom took him to a specialist, who gave the diagnosis. Understanding why his brain worked differently than his classmates' was a “relief,” Newsom writes.
“I finally understood why I couldn’t coast through my homework like my sister,” he explains. “I finally understood that I was smart, just as smart as any of my speed-reading classmates, but that my brain worked differently from people without dyslexia. So I worked hard at strategies to overcompensate for it. I got things wrong all the time. I didn’t win any spelling bee. But the experience gave me resilience. I learned persistence.”
Playing baseball also helped build up his confidence, he writes.
“At school, I learned I would have to work a hundred times harder, and use a million strategies and techniques that people with non-dyslexic brains don’t even have to consider,” Newsom explains. “I had to learn to read ‘the way an athlete pushes himself beyond where it is comfortable to go,’ as the poet Philip Schultz wrote about his dyslexia.”
Newsom continues to employ similar techniques to this day.
The governor hopes his story will inspire his young readers. “It’s realizing that the challenges we all face — in my case dyslexia — can also be a gift,” Newsom writes. “Yes, you will make mistakes — who doesn’t?”
He also has a special message for other kids who struggle with dyslexia.
“If you have dyslexia, reading will probably always be tough — it still is for me. But those challenges are also your strengths,” Newsom explains. “You think differently, and the world needs your creative problem-solving. You know frustration, and the world needs your caring, kindness, and patience for others who are struggling.”
He adds: “You know how to try really hard, and the world needs your effort and skills to make it a better place. YOU are the very type of leader our world needs, and I can’t wait to see where your talents will take you!”
Ben and Emma’s Big Hitison salenow.
source: people.com
