READERS: For parents and educators of special needs kids as well as teens and young adults. This is an uplifting memoir from a leading motivational speaker and disability advocate whose story can inspire us to dream, achieve, and succeed.

Have you wondered why dreams seem to be running away from you and into the arms of someone else? An illness, injury, disability, divorce. or other traumatic experience can force us to re-evaluate our future as we walk an uncertain path, and during those times, we often find ourselves asking, "Why me?" How do we overcome the darkness and feelings of fear, doubt, and anxiety?

Paul Wichansky has cerebral palsy and a hearing loss. Conquering these challenges to lead a confident, productive life, he shows, by example, how we can transform such obstacles into opportunities for growth. His disabilities have not only inspired him to rise above tremendous adversity, but also achieve beyond what others believed he could do.

The stories within each chapter are categorized according to a specific principle of self-improvement, such as self-love, positive attitude, support group, self-esteem, perseverance, resilience, and empathy, which he embeds in captivating anecdotes. For instance, the chapter on positive attitude recalls moments of optimism and laughter that have helped him reject the effects of his disabilities by developing complete confidence in his abilities. Though written from a first-person point-of-view, he switches to the second-person narrative near the end of each chapter to offer readers strategies to adopt that guiding principle into their lives.

A master storyteller whose anecdotes combine character, optimism, and heart, he shows his readers, by example, how to face adversity and become the Heroes we all know they can be. Only then can we become the epic version of ourselves.

Let this book be a worthy addition to your home or school library. For shining your light is spreading your love.