SACRAMENTO, Calif (AP) \u2014 California Gov. Gavin Newsom still can\u2019t spell the word \u201cdress.\u201d He can\u2019t read aloud from a piece of paper in public. That\u2019s why his speeches are long, mostly from memory and sprinkled with some awkward moments when his words bump into each other.<\/p>\n
Newsom accepts these challenges as part of his dyslexia \u2014 a common learning disability that makes it harder for him to read and do many things related to reading. He\u2019s had dyslexia for most of his life, but it came into sharper focus for him recently after watching some of his own children fall behind in reading.<\/p>\n
That prompted him to search for picture books about dyslexia to use with his kids. But he was surprised when he did not find many. So he wrote one.<\/p>\n
\u201cBen & Emma\u2019s Big Hit,\u201d published by Philomel books, comes out Tuesday. The book tells the story of a young boy named Ben who uses baseball to cope with his dyslexia, along with the help from a caring teacher and a friend.<\/p>\n
The book is presented as a bridge to help some children with dyslexia understand why it\u2019s harder for them to read. But beyond that, it\u2019s a semi-autobiographical account of Newsom\u2019s childhood that offers a glimpse of what shaped his personality and his politics.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t go away. I\u2019m dealing with this every day,\u201d Newsom said in an interview with The Associated Press. \u201cSo many folks (with dyslexia) do give up, and that has tragic consequences. And others that don\u2019t (give up) start to discover that this is the greatest gift in their life and they can\u2019t imagine a life without it. That\u2019s really been my experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
Newsom, a Democrat, left California on Monday to kick off a book tour in New York with interviews at national media outlets. He has pledged to donate all proceeds from the book to the International Dyslexia Association.<\/p>\n
Newsom said his dyslexia caused him to make a lot of mistakes in school that isolated him and made him feel anxious about reading. He said he often pretended to be sick to get out of reading in class.<\/p>\n
But over time, Newsom said making mistakes made him resilient, which he said has become a useful tool in the world of politics.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe problem is, we\u2019re in a racket, where anytime I make a mistake, man it\u2019s all over the AP. And that\u2019s hard, right? And that\u2019s why we\u2019re cautious. But in that caution, perhaps, is the biggest mistake in politics and why people can\u2019t stand (politicians) anymore,\u201d Newsom said. <\/p>\n
But Newsom said people with dyslexia are \u201cexperts in mistakes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re like, pros,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Newsom didn\u2019t learn he was dyslexic until he was 10, when he discovered some medical evaluations about him in his mother\u2019s room. His mother, who was single and worked multiple jobs to support him and his sister, had kept the diagnosis from him in an effort to protect him.<\/p>\n
But Newsom said learning that he had the disability was a relief because he realized why he had been struggling in school and that it had nothing to do with his intelligence. The discovery taught him to overcompensate for his flaws \u2014 something he says he still does.<\/p>\n
Newsom said he can\u2019t read and understand anything without making notes, including underlining, circling and putting stars next to words. <\/p>\n
But that makes it hard to read speeches in public, so he compensated by developing his memory. His annual news conference announcing his state budget proposal often lasts for more than two hours as Newsom, without notes, recites facts and figures he has painstakingly memorized.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could ask me any budget number from last year \u2014 public education, $123.9 billion,\u201d Newsom said. \u201cI have to be right because I have to overcompensate because I\u2019m so often wrong. And so you just you learn you have to do more. You have to be more, you have to work harder. You have to, in order to compete.\u201d<\/p>\n