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Learning to Stutter
Kenneth Kocher seems to have it all - a good heart, a sense of humor, decent looks, and lots of money. What he doesn't have is something most of us take for granted - freedom of speech. Kenneth lives with a severe stutter which has wreaked havoc with his life since childhood.
After much embarrassment, pain and soul-searching, Kenneth realizes that to free his inner self he must accept the fact that he cannot be cured, and that he must learn to stutter with grace. Along the way he meets another stutterer and a young widow who are both dealing with the stumbling blocks in their own lives.
Using an experimental syntax to portray the neurological component of the syndrome, the novel gives the reader a unique view of stuttering from the inside out.
After much embarrassment, pain and soul-searching, Kenneth realizes that to free his inner self he must accept the fact that he cannot be cured, and that he must learn to stutter with grace. Along the way he meets another stutterer and a young widow who are both dealing with the stumbling blocks in their own lives.
Using an experimental syntax to portray the neurological component of the syndrome, the novel gives the reader a unique view of stuttering from the inside out.
382 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2013
1 person is currently reading
17 people want to read
About the author
Sherm Davis
4 books14 followersDavid Howard Sherman (Davis) is a writer, musician and international educator who has lived and taught in five countries on four continents. Born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised on Long Island, he currently teaches music in Vienna, Austria. Learning to Stutter is his first novel, and a bilingual (English/Spanish) collection of short stories is on the way shortly.
His journalism, poetry, and prose have appeared in the United States, Canada, Guatemala, and online.
His novel "Learning to Stutter" deals with graceful disfluency and the art of self-acceptance, and was completed by Lake Atitlán in Guatemala.
His journalism, poetry, and prose have appeared in the United States, Canada, Guatemala, and online.
His novel "Learning to Stutter" deals with graceful disfluency and the art of self-acceptance, and was completed by Lake Atitlán in Guatemala.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 11, 2016
Abandonment, illness, handicaps, and death leave indelible scars for those who seem the most vulnerable, especially adults (thirty-somethings) who have their lives ahead of them. For Ilene Halberstam, experiencing the intense and unexpected loss of her endearing husband, Brian, sends her into a pit of grief that is almost insurmountable. For Kenneth Kocher (“KK”), a successful computer programmer, attempts to shed the weight of insecurities anchored in stuttering which exacerbates his ability to confidently communicate and impedes his pursuit of healthy relationships. For Donny Schwartz, a personable and talented ex-actor, walking a tightrope of a balancing act between living his own life and addressing the obligations of caring for his ill parents begins to fray some edges.
Author Sherm Davis takes the reader to ground zero of facing life through the eyes of lifelong stutterers and is able to magnify these figuratively across the inner workings of all of his characters. He spares no detail in holding readers’ hands through every breath, every pause, and every calculated syllable a fearful speaker must understand and practice. The reader can feel each painstaking word and inwardly applauds each uttered sentence of his characters. The writer takes the same care in developing even minor characters with their fragile reactions to their evolving worlds and gives equal billing to them. An elderly grandmother, Lottie Kocher, contends with life and death in a nursing home; a divorced older woman left to raise three children, Janet Halberstam moves on with her life after her husband cheats on her; a frustrated husband and father, Jonathan Kocher, desperately trying to save his marriage and do right by his son, seeks dramatic change in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Learning to Shutter captures the isolation of the human heart in its darkest spaces and reveals that it is the most universal fears and inadequacies that bring people together. Davis threads some of life’s most challenging emotions through a host of characters and exposes a rich yet raw realism to what all humans face on many levels: loneliness, insecurity, and isolation. A touching self-journey, “learning to stutter” translates to facing your fears head-on before moving forward on varied roads to recovery, compassion, and love.
Author Sherm Davis takes the reader to ground zero of facing life through the eyes of lifelong stutterers and is able to magnify these figuratively across the inner workings of all of his characters. He spares no detail in holding readers’ hands through every breath, every pause, and every calculated syllable a fearful speaker must understand and practice. The reader can feel each painstaking word and inwardly applauds each uttered sentence of his characters. The writer takes the same care in developing even minor characters with their fragile reactions to their evolving worlds and gives equal billing to them. An elderly grandmother, Lottie Kocher, contends with life and death in a nursing home; a divorced older woman left to raise three children, Janet Halberstam moves on with her life after her husband cheats on her; a frustrated husband and father, Jonathan Kocher, desperately trying to save his marriage and do right by his son, seeks dramatic change in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Learning to Shutter captures the isolation of the human heart in its darkest spaces and reveals that it is the most universal fears and inadequacies that bring people together. Davis threads some of life’s most challenging emotions through a host of characters and exposes a rich yet raw realism to what all humans face on many levels: loneliness, insecurity, and isolation. A touching self-journey, “learning to stutter” translates to facing your fears head-on before moving forward on varied roads to recovery, compassion, and love.
February 26, 2016
Book Review: “Learning to Stutter” by Sherm Davis
Although main character Kenneth Kocher’s conversations are often anything but graceful, author Sherm Davis’ ability to articulate a stutterer’s daily struggles with dysfluency is incredibly eloquent. “Learning to Stutter” allows the reader more than a glimpse into the neurological syndrome of stuttering, which is far more difficult to “overcome” than most non-stutterers realize. His invented lexicon of symbols skillfully translates the many physiological manifestations of stuttering into text. The overall effect of embedding this experimental syntax into a work of semi-autobiographical fiction is compelling.
The concept of “stuttering with grace” is a message that needs to be heard, and naturally lends itself to realizing the need for tolerance and acceptance in today’s society as a whole. The underlying themes of perseverance, as well as discovering and accepting one’s path to self-expression are inspirational not only to those who stutter, but to anyone who strives to overcome a personal obstacle. In addition to those who struggle with dysfluency and their friends and family, I highly recommend this novel to educators and speech pathologists to ensure their understanding of the multi-faceted impact that this neurological syndrome can have on one’s identity.
S. Mayerson, MS, CCC-SLP
Although main character Kenneth Kocher’s conversations are often anything but graceful, author Sherm Davis’ ability to articulate a stutterer’s daily struggles with dysfluency is incredibly eloquent. “Learning to Stutter” allows the reader more than a glimpse into the neurological syndrome of stuttering, which is far more difficult to “overcome” than most non-stutterers realize. His invented lexicon of symbols skillfully translates the many physiological manifestations of stuttering into text. The overall effect of embedding this experimental syntax into a work of semi-autobiographical fiction is compelling.
The concept of “stuttering with grace” is a message that needs to be heard, and naturally lends itself to realizing the need for tolerance and acceptance in today’s society as a whole. The underlying themes of perseverance, as well as discovering and accepting one’s path to self-expression are inspirational not only to those who stutter, but to anyone who strives to overcome a personal obstacle. In addition to those who struggle with dysfluency and their friends and family, I highly recommend this novel to educators and speech pathologists to ensure their understanding of the multi-faceted impact that this neurological syndrome can have on one’s identity.
S. Mayerson, MS, CCC-SLP
July 22, 2017
"Learning to Stutter" is an intriguing read, at once a book I didn't want to put down while at the same time one that caused me to pause for reflection. Some slightly hidden deeper life lessons are expertly woven into the fabric of the novel. This book allows us to connect into a stutterers' life in a very personal manner. Written with unbounded humanity and sympathy for his characters, the author has penned a remarkable first novel.
RF - Australia
RF - Australia
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews