Why I Called My Sister Harry

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.