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My Left Foot

My Left Foot

Summary

Christy Brown was born a victim of cerebral palsy. But the hapless, lolling baby concealed the brilliantly imaginative and sensitive mind of a writer who would take his place among the giants of Irish literature.

This is Christy Brown's own story. He recounts his childhood struggle to learn to read, write, paint and finally type, with the toe of his left foot. In this manner he wrote his bestseller Down all the Days.

Reviews

  • Riveting, funny and inspiring
    Irish Times

About the author

Christy Brown

Christy Brown was born in 1932. He was one of 23 children born to a Dublin bricklayer. A victim of cerebral palsy, he could not control his speech or his movement, apart from his left foot. This enabled him to paint and type his autobiography My Left Foot. He later wrote an autobiographical novel, Down all the Days, which was very successful. His novels are A Promising Career, A Shadow on Summer and Wild Grow the Lilies, and he also published his poetry in Collected Poems. Christy Brown died in 1981.
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