One More Theory About Happiness: A Memoir (2010) - Plot & Excerpts
Paul Guest brings a poet's perspective to his story of living with quadriplegia, the result of a bicycle accident when he was in middle school. He describes what it is like to be in his particular, non-cooperating body with precision and matter-of-factness; we think of paralysis as the absence of feeling, but especially in the months after his accident, it is hot, nauseating and confounding. And then it's okay, sort of. The on-the-cusp age at which he was injured seems key to the story. Paul, as narrator, is old enough to know what he lost and to grieve it, but also young enough to adapt and learn to live a free life despite his dependence on others. It's probably not a coincidence that for most airline passengers, in a scene near the end of the book, a turbulent flight represents a terrifying lack of control. For Paul, it's truly flying, even though learning to fly doesn't come easy for anyone. Happiness as a subject fascinates me and I read quite a few books specifically on that subject. This is another inspiring story about a person who created his own world of happiness after great tragedy. At 12 years old, Paul was attending a party celebrating his 6th grade graduation with his classmates, all of whom had been in a gifted class together for many years. The party was hosted by his teacher. As she prepared the lunch, she suggested that Paul and another boy might like to ride the bikes which had been stored in her garage. Paul rode the unfamiliar 10-speed bike down a hill and discovered that the brakes were useless, thus he crashed into a ditch. While lying there, unable to move, one of the neighbors tried to pick him up and see if he could stand on his own, though Paul, (smart enough even at 12 to know better) begged the guy not to move him. The neighbor moved him anyhow and Paul flopped down sustaining a second fall. I mention all these details because at each instance, the reader is compelled to ask: what if? . . . what if he was wearing a helmet? what if the teacher had checked out the bikes first? etc., etc. Of course we make decisions every day that affect our lives, but each step leading to this tragedy seems heart-breakingly avoidable. In any event, the book details the anguish of the accident and Paul's subsequent ability to create a life for himself and find happiness. This book is really well-written. You can finish it in one evening. And Paul looks adorable in his book jacket picture. What's not to like?
What do You think about One More Theory About Happiness: A Memoir (2010)?
Not a great writer, but still eye-opening....a look into the world of a quadrapalegic. Horrifying.
—Dilini
Interested in seeing what his poetry is all about.
—amallard05
