Born Lucky

This book is so powerful and hopeful. I wasn’t familiar with Leland Vittert, but he is a pretty well-known journalist on NewsNation (prior to that, he was at Fox News). What I didn’t know is his life story and how hard he (and his father) have worked to get to that point. Leland grew up socially awkward, always different from other kids. His classmates (and teachers) labeled him weird, and he was bullied wherever he went. Even the teachers bullied him. His parents didn’t know what to do. Leland showed the signs of being autistic, but back then (the eighties and nineties), the diagnosis was rare. His father knew that the world wouldn’t change and that Leland would have to adapt. He devoted his life to coaching Leland, giving him the skills he would need to thrive later on and always telling him that the things that made him different and weird as a kid would benefit him as an adult. This is one of those books that will make you laugh and cry, but it made me feel very hopeful. It’s inspiring and a joy to read. I loved it so much. I listened to the audiobook and would recommend it, as Leland narrates!