Double Take

Book excerpt: “Charming . . . Connolly recounts growing up a scrappy Montana kid—one who happened to be born without legs. . . . an empowering read.” —People Kevin Connolly has been an object of curiosity since the day he was born without legs. Growing up in rural Montana, he was raised like any other kid (except, that is, for his father’s MacGyver-like contraptions such as the “butt boot”). As a college student, Kevin traveled to seventeen countries on his skateboard, including Bosnia, China, Ukraine, and Japan. In an attempt to capture the stares of others, he took more than 30,000 photographs of people staring at him. In this dazzling memoir, Kevin Connolly casts the lens inward to explore how we view ourselves and what it is to truly see another person. From the home of his family in Helena, Montana, to the streets of Tokyo and Kuala Lumpur, Kevin’s remarkable journey will change the way you look at others, and the way you see yourself. “This deeply affecting memoir will place him in the company of Jeanette Walls and Augusten Burroughs.” —Sara Gruen, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Water for Elephants “A courageous, immensely rewarding chronicle expressed in arresting words and pictures.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review “Beautiful, revealing, and stimulating . . . [Connolly] is a good storyteller . . . whether describing his first high school wrestling match, the path from novice to champion skier or what it’s like to travel around the world on a skateboard.” —Publishers Weekly ,starred review “An inspiring read. . . . [Kevin Connolly] is a lucky man, sharing his bounty with us.” —Sacramento Book Review