This is an emotional, beautiful, and heart achingly tough read. The situation that Hanif Kureishi went through is one that would break most people, but the dedication and grit that is shown in this story is one that every person should read about.

In the end I had to get a copy from some other place as the way the pages were set out truly had an effect on the way it was read.
It was better when it was set out in the individual days as each of these were a journey.
What the guy went through was just crazy and he has my sympathies.
The fight and the passion to push on through and record all the details of his recovery - a recovery that will be lifelong now - is amazing to read about and truly humbling.

I imagine being upright one moment and the next, a dip in blood pressure and falling on my head. Hanif kureishi did just that and awakened to find he Couldn't move his legs or hands. This is the story of his first year with this condition. He dictated these entries to his son At times lyrical and at others raw. Several different characters maKe an appearance. Read at a steady pace for an interesting snapshot of disability.

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

A while back, I read a novel by Hanif Kureishi titled The Last Word. It was not his most successful book in terms of sales, but I was gob-smacked by his cleverness, and so when I saw that he had a memoir coming out, I felt compelled to read it, even though it was likely going to be sad, since it is, at least in part, a memoir of what it’s like to be almost completely paralyzed.

My thanks go to Harper Collins and NetGalley for the review copy. This book is for sale now.

Kureishi is a seasoned writer and journalist, and as he writes about this horrifying event alternately with the earlier parts of his life, we see happier times as well. I thought it would be a narrative that I would need to take in small bursts because of its tragic nature, but that I would nevertheless appreciate it for its brilliance. What a surprise; I can read about his accident, hospitalization, and the experiences he has as a disabled person without a lot of difficulty, but I am drawn up short by the numerous passages about his sexuality.

You see, I am of the old school that believes that just because a thing is true, that doesn’t necessarily mean that its many details belong in a memoir. For example, sometime during nearly everyone’s life, we have digestive difficulties brought on by a case of the flu or some other thing. Has it happened? Yes. Do we need a detailed description of the writer’s vomit and bowel movements? Perhaps not. And this is the way I feel about his fondness for porn, for explorations of his own sexuality with various partners and all by himself (ew!) and even his fondness for street drugs and booze. Why would I want to read about any of this?

Sadly, Kureishi says that he no longer enjoys reading or writing fiction, and since that is the part of his work that I admire, I think we’re done here.

To be clear, he is a capable wordsmith, and those that are curious about what a disability might be like can get a taste of that here, which is why there are three stars and not fewer. I cringe when I read about his plane flight, with people shoving past him, even as they glance pityingly down at him. But like many Boomers, I have tasted a less extreme aspect of this myself, and so Kureishi’s version of it feels to this reviewer like a busman’s holiday.

This book is recommended to those of his readers that have appreciated his earlier nonfiction work, and to those with an interest in the lives of paraplegics and quadriplegics. For others, there are numerous online reviews that include large excerpts, and I recommend reading those before you invest in this book.

My thanks to NetGalley and Ecco for an advance copy of this memoir about the year that changed everything for a writer, how is life will never be the same, and the observations he makes about himself, the new life he has, and more importantly, about the people around him.

One always hears that statement that life can change in an instant. A glance away from a busy highway, a glance to the left, but not the right before stepping out into traffic. Getting shot going to school, church, the mall, or just for being in America. Also being human we don't like to think that bad things happen to us. Others yes, to us no. So we make no plans, worry about taxes and cut funding to something that we will never need. Vote in elections to lower the price of eggs, and not to keep a nurse from leaving the medical profession for a more secure job as prison guard. These are some of the stories that arise from this book, about a writer who through not fault of his own, found his life changed forever, in an instant, from a freak happening. And what happened after. Shattered: A Memoir by novelist, critic and screenwriter Hanif Kureishi are tales of what happens when the worst has happened, how life goes on, and how life might not get better.

Hanif Kureishi was sitting at a desk in Rome, enjoying time with his girlfriend, when he felt a little dizzy. Kureishi came to on the floor, seconds later with the knowledge that something was wrong, and only through the intervention of his girlfriend was his life saved. Somehow in passing out Kureishi had hyperextended his neck, causing paralysis from the top of his chest down. The book is a series of articles, essays, observations, thoughts, feelings, rants and apologies to people written by Kureishi with help from friends and family. Kureishi spent months in two hospitals in Rome, learning that his body was not his own anymore. Kureishi had to be raised up, cleaned, feed, plugged up, freed up, and occasionally put back in his bed after being ignored for a time. Returning to England, Kureishi found austerity the word of the day, and getting treatment became difficult. Things were manageable, but Kureishi writings show the reality of many trapped in a system they did not see coming, from a moment that really was unavoidable.

Hanif Kureishi is a fantastic writer, as one can attest from his previous novels and film scripts. Kureishi is also honest, made more so by the fact that he needs help for almost everything he needs to do now. This lack of shame, his loss of body autonomy gives his writing an strength and a passions that is devastating in many ways. Kureishi loved to write, read, take drugs, watch movies, smoke, talk and walk and garden. This is all gone now. Kureishi sees this reflected on the face of people he loves and cares for, and sometimes he will admit, that he is not that nice too. There are times when Kureishi is not one's favorite character, but one still reads to find out what happens. When does the magic moment happen, one that we are taught always happens to people in bad situations. Kureishi is proof that life can change in seconds, but that we as a people have no idea what to do about this. Kureishi discusses the care he gets, the indignities, and even the bright moments. However expecting a life lesson, or as I said previously a magic moment like in a movie, well one like Kureishi will be kept waiting.

One of the best things I have read about life after a tragedy. One that I recommend for a variety of reasons. To show that the world has to do better for people who need help, no matter the price of gasoline or eggs. There is a lot asked of readers in this book, and one can learn alot about what they take away. I spent most of the Christmas holiday thinking about moments from Kureishi's new life. Moments I hope I never have to experience. Nor anyone else.