Alex, who just finished his sophomore year at St. John’s College High School in the District, has dyslexia and co-wrote the book, “The Sword of Darrow, with his father Hal. They’ve agreed to contribute all royalties to the International Dyslexia Association. Alex and his father started writing the book in 2002, when Alex was just 8 years old and struggling with learning difficulties. How did the book idea come about?
Alex: Me and my dad — we used to play a game called “me-you” stories, where my dad and I took turns telling each other stories. After my dad read me “The Hobbit,” I wanted to write my own book.
What’s it about?
Alex: A young man named Darrow who overcomes a lot of adversity and leads his country on a revolution to defeat evil goblins.
What was the process like?
Hal: These [stories] became kind of an obsession by the time he was 7 or 8. We spent about a month working on the plot. Once we had that, we had an outline for 25 chapters. All the prose is actually mine — I’d read it to Alex, and he’d make suggestions. We’d come to an agreement.
Why did you choose to donate the proceeds to the International Dyslexia Association?
Hal: We felt like Alex’s story could be an inspiration for stories with certain kids with certain issues. We felt that giving to IDA we can make a connection within this community to help get Alex’s story out even more.
What do you hope others will get out of it?
Alex: I remember when I was younger and I was learning how to read, my dad would make me read books I didn’t want to read, and that was frustrating. I think that if someone sees that if someone else can power through, hopefully it can motivate them to keep reading and keep working hard in school.
– David Sherfinski
