Ackerman chronicles her novelist husband Paul West's heroic battle to reclaim words and mobility and her tailoring of West's speech therapy to match his spectacular vocabulary and unique intelligence.

Everyone who cherishes the gift of language will cherish this exquisitely written love story that combines science, inspiration, wisdom, and heart. Diane Ackerman's husband Paul West, a gifted wordsmith and intellectual, was afflicted with aphasia after a stroke. When standard therapies failed, Diane harnessed their deep knowledge of each other and her understanding of the brain and language to guide Paul back to the world of words.