Mirror Mind

by Tory Woollcott

Tory is a Canadian writer and artist based in Toronto. Her graphic novel Mirror Mind recounts her experiences growing up with dyslexia. She is now a graduate from the University of Toronto with an Honors BA in archeology and Near Eastern studies, and is working on her next book. Tory has since become an advocate for dyslexia awareness, and she has appeared on CBC Radio's Metro Morning, Ontario Morning, and Canada AM, alongside a feature story by the Toronto Star. She has spoken at several events including Word on the Street and Right to Read, as well as at the University of Toronto and a variety of public schools around the city.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Disability, Young Adult, Graphic Novels Comics, Canada, Mental Health

Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Tory Woollcott is a Canadian writer and artist based in Toronto.

Reviews

[Maggie Gordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mirror Mind is a short zine-style comic about Tory Woolcott's experiences with dyslexia as a child. For a person that does not have that condition, it's an interesting look into what a young person goes through in a system that isn't designed to adapt to people's differing needs. It was distressing to see the abuse a child goes through just because of a disability, particularly when there are so many ways of ensuring kids with dyslexia can succeed.

[CatholicBibliophagist · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can remember the exact moment when I learned to read and I stepped into the world of literacy. It was like a on/off switch being flipped in my brain. At one moment I was illiterate, in the next I was a reader. It was like one of those dreams where you're flying and it seems so easy and natural that you wonder why you've never done it before. So reading has always seemed rather magical to me. And I've always been fascinated by other people's accounts of how they learned to do it.

Tory Woollcott's memories are mostly about being unable to read and the increasingly difficult job of trying to fake it. Tory is dyslexic. Written in the form of a graphic novel, this book captures, both visually and in words, the frustration of being unable to achieve the "magic" which seems to come so easily to everyone else, the stress of trying to pass for normal, the pain of being ridiculed by classmates and the misery of being relegated to a Special Ed classroom run by a teacher who was both incompetent and cruel.

Tory kept her school experiences strictly secret from her parents, but they became concerned when she began to regress academically. So they decided to have her professionally evaluated. This led to weekly tutoring by a professional and a change to a new school with a teacher who understood dyslexia. So Tory learned to read in fifth grade. She was reading at grade level by the following year and also became a fan of comic books. (Later she graduated from the University of Toronto with an honors degree in Near and Middle Eastern Archeology.)

I seldom read graphic novels, but I found this one emotionally engaging. Not only because of the subject matter, but because the fusion of words and pictures was the most apt way to present this story.

In an afterword, the author gives advice to parents and teachers of dyslexic children and provides a list of tools and resources.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't remember not being able to read - but I do have lots of memories of crying over my math homework and how much I hated that one cardboard book with the movable clock face on it. I don't know what it was about telling analog time that stumped me but it was a struggle. This book is great because of how simple it is. This is just Tory's story, exactly how it went, with the everyday heroes and villains that we all face in our lives; teachers who really shouldn't be teachers, tutors with infinite patience, best friends, bullies.

[Ariel Caldwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

My brother's dyslexic and it was a significant part of our childhood. I appreciated how this book gives a really visual representation for people who are not dyslexic to see what things might look like (e.g. candy wrappers), and also how relationships flow around a diagnosis like this. I will be talking this up with groups of teens I see for work.

[Kylee Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know much about dyslexia and I feel like this book was a great place to start. My only complaints are that it didn't have pages numbers and there were some parts where I felt I had missed something because I didn't understand what the pictures were conveying, like when her teacher slapped one of her classmates. Eventually I figured it out but I wish it had been more clear.

[J & J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet Dude!!

[Matthew Archibald · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a wonderful memoir, in graphic novel form, of the author's early years and her struggles with dyslexia, and the teachers that didn't understand it (and those that did.)

[Alexia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

[Dolores · Rating 5 out of 5]

An inside look at learning to read by a young lady with dyslexia. Tory takes us through her journey from "random shapes on a page" to words. You can know what dyslexia is, but until you see it through the eyes of an insider, you can't really understand what it means to have it. Tory shows us the embarrassment and humiliation of being exposed and labeled.The feelings of inadequacy and the cruelties, and ultimately the triumph of breakthrough and success. She gives personal advice and lists professional resources. This is an excellent read for those who have dyslexia, the people who love them, or anyone who wants to understand. In fact, it's just an excellent read.

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tory Woollcott's memoir of childhood dyslexia and the stigma and maltreatment she suffered is all the more powerful for the simplicity of both the art and the style of her writing. Her representation of what words and letters look like to her is striking, bringing home the intensity of dyslexic confusion and the impossibility of getting help when you lack a framework to describe why you're having trouble.

[Sasha Boersma · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a graphic novel itself the title is 3-stars. But while this is in a graphic format, it has a specific goal: helping understand dyslexia. From a mental health narrative, aimed at kids/teens to help them not feel alone or stupid, this book a fantastic and thus, the 5-stars.

[Aaron Feldman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really engaging and informative look into a child's struggle with dyslexia, Mirror Mind is made all the more powerful by the way it recounts troubling experiences with an almost matter-of-fact approach. Well worth checking out!

[allysther · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting look into a dyslexic mind.