California Governor Gavin Newsom still can’t spell the word “dress.” He cannot read aloud from a piece of paper in public. This is why his speeches are long, mostly from memory and littered with difficult moments when his words collide. Newsom accepts these challenges as part of his dyslexia – a common learning disability that makes it harder to read and do many reading-related things. He suffered from dyslexia for most of his life, but it became clearer to him recently after seeing some of his own children falling behind in reading. This prompted him to research dyslexia picture books to use with his children. But he was surprised when he didn’t find many. So he wrote one. “Ben & Emma’s Big Hit,” published by Philomel Books, comes out Tuesday. The book tells the story of a young boy named Ben who uses baseball to cope with his dyslexia, with the help of a caring teacher. and a friend. The book is presented as a bridge to help some dyslexic children understand why it is more difficult for them to read. But beyond that, it’s a semi-autobiographical account of Newsom’s childhood that offers insight into what shaped his personality and politics. “It doesn’t go away. I deal with this every day,” Newsom said in an interview with The Associated Press. “So many people (with dyslexia) give up, and it has tragic consequences. And others who don’t (give up) start to find that it’s the greatest gift of their life and that they can’t imagine. a life without. It’s really my experience. ”Newsom, a Democrat, left California on Monday to kick off a book tour in New York with national media interviews. He pledged to donate all profits from the book to the International Dyslexia Association. Newsom said his dyslexia caused him to make many mistakes in school that isolated him and made him anxious to read. He said he often pretended to be sick so he could no longer read in class. in a racket, where every time I make a mistake, man, it’s all over the AP. And it’s hard, isn’t it? And that is why we are careful. But in this caution lies perhaps the biggest mistake in politics and why people can’t stand (politicians) anymore, ”Newsom said. But Newsom said people with dyslexia are “experts at errors.” “We’re like pros,” he said. His mother, who was single and had multiple jobs to support him and his sister, had kept the diagnosis from him in an attempt to protect him. struggling at school and it had nothing to do with his intelligence. The discovery taught him to overcompensate for his faults – something he says he always does. Newsom said he can’t read and understand anything without taking notes, including underlining, putting stars next to the words. But that made it difficult to read the speeches in public, so he compensated by developing his memory. His annual press conference announcing his state budget proposal often lasts over two hours as Newsom, without notes, recites facts and figures he has carefully memorized. “You can ask me for any budget number from last year – public education, $ 123.9 billion,” Newsom said. “I have to be right because I have to overcompensate because I am so often wrong. And so, you have just learned that you need to do more. You have to be more, you have to work harder. You have to do it to compete. ”The book – printed in a special font designed to help people with dyslexia read it more easily – has a baseball theme because as a child Newsom said his self-esteem had boosted on the baseball field, where he saw the playing field better than words written on pages. Newsom was good enough to get a partial baseball scholarship to Santa Clara University. He didn’t play a lot, but it got him allowed him to graduate for four years, which Newsom changed his life. After graduation he founded a winery which expanded to include a number of restaurants, wineries and shops. detail before entering politics. gave her a greater appreciation for her mother, Tessa Newsom. She died in 2002 and there is a subtle tribute to her in the book. A scene takes place in the hallway of the school. Above the door is the room number “5902”, which corresponds to May 9, 2002, the d. Ay Newsom’s mother is deceased. “You know that’s the one thing I never got to express to her, it’s a deep appreciation for what she’s done for me and for everything she’s sacrificed and how much it has. must have been hard on her, ”he said. . “This is what this book is about. It is a question of authenticity. It’s about going your own way. It’s about making mistakes. It’s about not being afraid of failure. ”
California Governor Gavin Newsom still can’t spell the word “dress.” He cannot read aloud from a piece of paper in public. This is why his speeches are long, mostly from memory and interspersed with a few awkward moments when his words collide.
Newsom accepts these challenges as part of his dyslexia – a common learning disability that makes it more difficult to read and do many reading-related things. He suffered from dyslexia for most of his life, but it became clearer to him recently after seeing some of his own children falling behind in reading.
This prompted him to research dyslexia picture books to use with his children. But he was surprised when he didn’t find many. So he wrote one.
“Ben & Emma’s Big Hit,” published by Philomel Books, comes out Tuesday. The book tells the story of a young boy named Ben who uses baseball to cope with his dyslexia, with the help of a caring teacher and a friend.
The book is presented as a bridge to help some dyslexic children understand why it is more difficult for them to read. But beyond that, it’s a semi-autobiographical account of Newsom’s childhood that offers insight into what shaped his personality and politics.
“It’s not going away. I face this every day, ”Newsom said in an interview with The Associated Press. “So many people (who suffer from dyslexia) give up, and it has tragic consequences. And others who don’t give up begin to find that it’s the greatest gift of their life and that they can’t imagine a life without it. It really is my experience. “
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Newsom, a Democrat, left California on Monday to launch a New York book tour with national media interviews. He pledged to donate all profits from the book to the International Dyslexia Association.
Newsom said his dyslexia caused him to make a lot of mistakes in school that isolated him and made him anxious to read. He said he often pretended to be sick so as not to read in class.
But over time, Newsom said making mistakes has made him resilient, which he says has become a useful tool in the world of politics.
“Problem is we’re in a racket, where every time I make a mistake, man, it’s all over the PA. And it’s hard, isn’t it? And that is why we are careful. But in this caution lies perhaps the biggest mistake in politics and why people can’t stand (politicians) anymore, ”Newsom said.
But Newsom said people with dyslexia are “experts at errors.”
“We’re like the pros,” he said.
Newsom didn’t learn he was dyslexic until he was 10, when he discovered medical evaluations about him in his mother’s bedroom. His mother, who was single and had multiple jobs to support him and his sister, had kept the diagnosis from him in an attempt to protect him.
But Newsom said learning he had the disability was a relief because he realized why he struggled in school and it had nothing to do with his intelligence. The discovery taught him to overcompensate for his faults – something he always says he does.
Newsom said he couldn’t read and understand anything without taking notes, including underlining, circling and putting stars next to words.
But that made it difficult to read the speeches in public, so he compensated by developing his memory. His annual press conference announcing his state budget proposal often lasts over two hours as Newsom, without notes, recites facts and figures he has carefully memorized.
“You can ask me for any number from last year’s budget – public education, $ 123.9 billion,” Newsom said. “I have to be right because I have to overcompensate because I am so often wrong. And so, you have just learned that you need to do more. You have to be more, you have to work harder. You have to do it to compete. “
The book – printed in a special font designed to help people with dyslexia read it more easily – has a baseball theme because as a child Newsom said his self-esteem grew on the baseball field, where he saw it. the playing field better than words. written on pages.
Newsom was good enough to get a partial baseball scholarship to the University of Santa Clara. He didn’t play much, but it got him a four-year degree, which Newsom says was life-changing. After graduation he founded a winery that grew to include a number of restaurants, wineries and retail stores before entering politics.
Now 54 years old and four young children, Newsom said he sees dyslexia from a new parental perspective and it made him appreciate his mother, Tessa Newsom better.
She passed away in 2002 and there is a subtle tribute to her in the book. A scene takes place in the hallway of the school. Above the door is room number “5902”, which corresponds to May 9, 2002, the day Newsom’s mother died.
“You know that’s the one thing I never got to express to her, it’s a deep appreciation for what she did for me and how much she sacrificed and how hard it must have been for her. she, “he said. “This is what this book is about. It is a question of authenticity. It’s about going your own way. It’s about making mistakes. It’s about not being afraid of failure. “
