Despite the many stories journalists report, they rarely write one that genuinely changes their life. But that’s what happened to The Atlantic's John Hendrickson, whose 2020 piece about then-presidential candidate Joe Biden’s struggle with stuttering drew an enormous public response. Hendrickson went on to write Life on Delay about how his own stutter has shaped his life and relationships. The book is both a deeply personal account and an investigative exploration that includes interviews with Hendrickson’s family, former teachers, and therapists as well as with fellow stutterers and doctors who study speech disorders. It conveys the pain, terror, and shame the author has felt at times because of his impeded speech, and it gives welcome attention to a neurological disorder that affects an estimated 70 million people globally.
