Hugo House welcomes author John Whittier Treat as he launches his new novel, First Consonants, the story of a boy who grows up a stutterer in the Pacific Northwest. Using his fists whenever words fail him, Brian’s acts of violence are exacerbated by the abuse he suffers as a teenager at the hands of his parish priest and by others close to him. As an adult, he cannot shake the uncontrollable rage that he feels towards his family and the rest of speaking society. Ready to finish his life in isolation, Brian moves to Alaska. Here, he is confronted with the chance to redeem not just himself but the world.
Part reading and part discussion, John Whittier Treat will take us on a journey about stuttering in literature and its impact on conversations about disability. He will be joined in conversation with fellow author Felice Picano.
