Dyslexic : My Journey

Dyslexic: My Journey offers a wealth of information and hope for parents of learning-disabled children.

Dyslexic is the remarkable story of Mike Balzano, an undiagnosed learning-disabled child of working class immigrants whose antisocial behavior earned him the name “Crazy Mikey.” Failing at everything, he became a garbage collector until crippled by a back injury. He then entered an optical apprenticeship that turned his life around. He earned a high school diploma, graduated from a university magna cum laude, and earned a PhD with distinction from Georgetown University. 

Balzano believes that the apprenticeship gave him the discipline and self-confidence to begin his journey. He urges parents, teachers, school counselors, and superintendents to expand their current focus of promoting college careers to include promoting careers that require apprenticeships.

Dyslexic includes the testimonies of parents who chose different approaches to address the learning disabilities of their children, and appendices where parents can find help. Balzano’s story illustrates that with the appropriate education or training, young people can capture the American Dream.