Spellbound
My Life as a Dyslexic Wordsmith
by Phil Hanley
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Pub Date Mar 18 2025 | Archive Date Apr 18 2025
Henry Holt & Company | Henry Holt and Co.
Description
The A-list comedian tells the story of his unlikely path to success while struggling with severe dyslexia.
When Phil Hanley entered first grade, he realized something that would forever set him apart from his peers: he couldn’t read. His teachers were ill-equipped to assist him and wrote him off as a hopeless case. Phil slipped through the school's cracks, year by year falling farther and farther behind his friends, only passing to each next grade because of his mother’s interventions. Finally, he was diagnosed with dyslexia, a learning disability that would shape the rest of his life.
In Spellbound, Phil Hanley shares his experience living with debilitating dyslexia. Unable to pursue college or a traditional job, Phil was thrust into a life to be defined by unconventional twists. He moved to Europe and became a successful runway model, a job that suitably kept him away from pens and paper. In search of fulfillment that couldn’t be found posing for a Docker’s ad, Phil retreated home to Vancouver where, desperate to manage the mental health issues connected to living with dyslexia, he turned to an all-consuming obsession with Transcendental Meditation. Finally, he found himself on a stage with a microphone, a spotlight, and five minutes of jokes. Stand-up became the first pursuit that the more Phil put into it, the more he got out, and something that he compellingly argues, saved his life. Spellbound is a story of humor and also of struggle and heartbreak, of constantly living in a world that sees things differently than you, and of triumph over adversity.
Phil shows us that dyslexia can be a huge challenge, but having it does not spell certain condemnation (nor can he). Just the opposite: dyslexia has been more than a blessing in his life–it’s been his north star.
Advance Praise
“Phil Hanley is the hilarious and authentic voice of dyslexia we all need right now.”
—Amy Schumer, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo
“Phil Hanley’s Spellbound tackles dyslexia in a style full of both humor and hope. Read this book!”
—Aziz Ansari, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Modern Love
“Brilliant, funny, poignant, raw, honest, and full of heart, Phil Hanley’s Spellbound is the voice of a movement. He shares wisdom of what it's like to be dyslexic, but most importantly, he sets the record straight on what is right with the dyslexic mind and how we can all find our path and voice in the world.”
—David Flink, Founder of Eye to Eye and 2021 CNN Hero
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781250860156 |
| PRICE | $28.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 272 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Reviewer 1087751
I became a fan and an admirer of Phil Hanley and his comedy from following his crowd work clips on Instagram. He's somehow both sweet and snarky at the same time and now after reading SPELLBOUND, I'm convinced he's a wizard and casts a spell, for I am even more enamored and charmed by him... and seeing his big heart of pure gold. There were several times throughout the book that I was moved emotionally and sometimes just one sentence could bring me tears. And of course, it's filled with his laugh-out-loud and wickedly sharp humor. He truly is a wordsmith.
I respected his attitude, of looking at the positive of even the difficult things that happened to me while still being honest with how much he struggled. Even though I'm not dyslexic, I still found myself connecting and relating to him in several ways including feeling directionless in life and dealing with self-doubt. It also made me realize how much I take reading and writing for granted and how much it can affect someone's day to day if they struggle in that avenue, and especially one's self-esteem and mental health.
I absolutely loved and adored his family and friends who have supported him from day one, and especially his mother. An incredible person and parent she is and reading Phil's story I'm so glad he has for his mom. She never once wavered her support and belief in her son, always gave him the patience, space and freedom he needed, and the encouragement to purse comedy. It was really cool to learn about all the connections he made along the way that would all help propel him further to his goal starting from his friend brining him to his first open-mic to a comedian connecting him with the booker of the legendary Comedy Cellar.
Reading about his path and all that it took for him (including all the challenging school years) to be where he is now, making people laugh all around the world is just incredible and inspiring. The last chapter really got to me. It was so fascinating to learn how he has created his own way of writing. His own language in which no one else is smart enough to understand. And also his effect on people, particularly students with learning disabilities. I look forward to the privileged chance of seeing him perform live one day.
Much, much gratitude to Henry Holt & Company and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.
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