Half-Life: Reflections from Jerusalem on a Broken Neck

by Joshua Prager

"Am I paralyzed? Am I going to die?" Those were the questions Joshua Prager asked a paramedic on May 16, 1990, after the minibus he'd been traveling in during a visit to Israel was blindsided by a runaway truck. At the start of that day, he had been an exuberant, athletic nineteen-year-old, an aspiring doctor and an all-star baseball player who loved the Yankees. A golden future seemed assured. The accident, in which Prager suffered a broken neck, instantly turned his life from "before" to "after."

In Half-Life: Reflections from Jerusalem on a Broken Neck, Prager, an award-winning journalist, delivers an often agonizing, frequently comic, and always soulful account of a young man's attempt to survive a near fatal injury and recover his formerly carefree existence, only to discover that it is gone forever. Prager's determination to make a new life for himself fully bears comparison with Jean-Dominique Bauby's The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, in which a man trapped in his own motionless body overcomes his limitations with a mind and heart free to travel anywhere.

But Prager is no meek paragon of sickroom virtue. He spares no one in his account—not insensitive doctors, not irritable nurses, and not himself. On a trip from the hospital to his childhood home, he struggles to crawl up the steps, despite doctors' orders to stay away from stairs. He threatens to sue Columbia University to make it more accessible to the disabled. Eager to date, he must find a way to fend off the pity of potential girlfriends. And yet he is not too proud to make use of the disabled section in order to attend a sold-out Bruce Springsteen concert. To celebrate his "half-life," he wants nothing more than to play a game of catch with his father.

The columnist George Will has lauded Prager for his "exemplary journalistic sleuthing," skills that the now forty-one-year-old writer has applied to recording the highs and lows of his life so far. Rich in literary allusion and bursting with heart, Half-Life is, in the end, less about the loss of physical powers and more about the growth of a mind and an indomitable will.

Genres: Memoir

132 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 25, 2013

About the author

Joshua Prager writes for publications including Vanity Fair, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal, where he was a senior writer for eight years. George Will has described his work as "exemplary journalistic sleuthing."
--from the author's website

Reviews

[Joanna Chen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this book for Prager's insights into why lives change and what it can teach. Read this book in order to get a glimpse into how other people feel and how trauma changes a person. Read this book for perceptions on memory, on how we invent memories in order to make sense of our lives. Joshua Prager is an accomplished writer and he has good material honed from his own life in this moving memoir.

[Andrea James · Rating 2 out of 5]

I came across the author via his TED talk (like many of the other people who have reviewed his book it seems). Joshua Prager comes across as a thoughtful guy with a lot of self-reflection and as such I wanted to give this book a higher rating. It felt almost mean spirited to do otherwise. Prager says in the book that he wants his writing to be judged for what it is and not have the writing be criticised or be given credit because of his disability. is writing should stand in its own. And therefore likewise, disability aside, I should probably also not give extra credit because I feel that he is likeable.

It's hard to pinpoint exactly what did not quite appeal to me about the writing. Was it the numerous Melville quotes? Or the short diary-like sentences which one would have thought would make it more personal jarring slightly with the slightly detached/observational reflection and narration?

I think his point about Abed's unexamined life was moving and it's worth watching his talk just to absorb and ponder that notion.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was drawn to this book after seeing Joshua Prager's TED talk about his accident and his return to its scene. Joshua Prager's story is very compelling and he's very likable. His resilience in the face of a truly life-altering event is admirable. I liked the book but I think it would have benefited from better editing. Josh bounces around in time too much and it is nearly impossible for the user to keep track at each point of whether Josh is talking about the time of the accident, a return visit to Israel a little after the accident or now. As a result, the user is always a little off balance.

Still, Joshua Prager's story is an interesting one and I enjoyed hearing it told in more detail.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read. Joshua Prager reflects on his life as two halves being divided by an unfortunate accident that left him physically injured for life yet mentally strong and quite resilient. Even with his physical limitations he continues on to live a fulfilled life while searching for answers and yearnings that we as humans seek fruition. His story is poignant and personal, and yet has more quotes from others than I found necessary to make it complete would be my only negative critique.

[PJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I too, read this book after I watched the author's TED talk. I wish him well.

[Carol Zollars · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story but quite a lot of jumping between the past and present day. But it demonstrates the healing power of human body and the emotional power of forgiveness.