Book review: The Stuttering Stoic

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Volunteer reviewer and speech & language therapist Amanda Ortiz-Alvarez shares her thoughts on The Stuttering Stoic: How an Ancient Philosophy Helped Me Find My Voice by Vince Vawter.

The Stuttering Stoic is a new book that 'reflects on a life shaped by stuttering and guided by the ancient wisdom of Stoicism'.

Through his artful approach to writing, akin to engaging in deep conversation (the life-altering kind where time fades into irrelevancy, and you are riveted for hours on end as you experience another person's universe), author Vince Vawter explains how he turned to the philosophy of the Stoics to help him with stammering. The Stoics being the ancient Greeks and Romans who championed resilience and accepting the things you cannot control.

As he weaves in and out of his experiences of life with a stammer — through humorous quips interspersed with moments of poignant introspection — Vawter's insightful callouts to various Stoics, primarily via 'notelets' written by Marcus Aurelius, allow the reader to draw intuitive connections between aspects of stammering and Stoic philosophy in an accessible way.

Though I am not myself a person who stutters, I could draw parallels as someone who is autistic ADHD (AuDHD), as Vawter explores the power and potential that can come from freedom of choice; challenging 'dominant' perspectives and misconceptions; and communicating on one's terms.

"Stuttering is what it is. It's what we make of it in our minds that should be of importance to us."

He allows the reader to enrich their knowledge and worldview, with a heap of practical and Stoic wisdom presented in accessible language. As a reader and casual Stoic myself (without realising, my first encounter of Stoicism was way back in 2014 when a glorious meme colloquially known as 'This is Fine' made its rounds online and continues to terrorise the internet to this day with its timeless relevance), I ended up with dozens of notes and reminders to revisit the pages where the reader can reframe stammering and 'put things in perspective' while honouring their personal values, beliefs and autonomy.

"Each of us has a unique voice. We have created our own personal stutters."

Each of the philosophical works that Vawter references — from the ponderings of Friedrich Nietzsche to Seneca the Young — are integral to his stammering journey and can readily extend to readers' endeavors to carve out their own path(s) in meaningful, well-examined ways. To that end, I wholeheartedly feel that there is so much to gain from this book, regardless of how/when/why you come across it. To such an extent that, if you are anything like me, you will appreciate how, as each experiential tableau unfolds and situates you in Vawter's perspective, in vividly rich and at times, visceral detail — you absolutely will not be the same person you were whenever you start your reading journey. 

Any 'paradigm shifts' incurred (both new and familiar) will stay with me well beyond that final page and inform my ways forward with a nuanced, holistic and wholly renewed perspective. 

"If you are a PWS or know somebody who is, do not look upon my journey as a roadmap. I am merely a fellow traveler on my own unique route."

Without exaggeration, at less than 100 words in The Stuttering Stoic rose to the top of my niche list of 'books that I cannot have imagined not reading'. I feel thrilled knowing that I will continue to revisit the abundance of insights and resources presented within/across each chapter, as someone who is presently navigating my own journey(s) of self-discovery and transformation. But it could also appeal to my family, friends, students/colleagues, and anyone asking themselves how they could go about learning more about stammering. While believers of a 'singular, objective scientific reality' may call this 'bias', I remain true to my stance — integrating knowledge derived from lived experience as opportunities arise is paramount, all of which I plan on doing throughout my career, and for the rest of my days.

All in all, The Stuttering Stoic is a prolific contribution to the stammering literature.

The Stuttering Stoic: How an Ancient Philosophy Helped Me Find My Voice by Vince Vawter is out now to buy on paperback and Kindle from Amazon. 

Thank you to Amanda for reviewing this book for STAMMA.

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