Eleven Seconds (Tyler Beaudry)

Title: Eleven Seconds
Where did you find the book? Public library
Brief summary: This is a book of a young hockey player by the name of Travis Roy. He practiced his entire life to get into a notable college team. He went to private schools and other high quality areas. He did get into a good college call Boston University. He didn’t play that much but he did get in a game. He was excited and in the very first eleven seconds he was checked head first into the boards and became paralyzed. For then on he couldn’t feel from the neck down and the rest of the book is the story of how he was able to deal with this tragedy.
Who is the audience for this book? This book is an easier read but I think most people would find this book enjoyable.
What is the author’s style? He is very educational in the writing. When he talks about his experience right after the accident in the hospital you can picture him with all of these machines. Example: “To help patients get accustomed to the feeling of being upright, Shepard used reclining wheelchairs. I’d start out at something like a 45 degree angle, and they would elevate me little by little until I told them to stop. “pg 97
3 passages:
1) “The phones started ringing at 5:45, before the morning commute, and kept ringing with such persistence that it was more than 15 hours later – at 9 P.M.- that the radio station finally closed shop.”
2) “The way I look at it, I’ve passed my first year as a quadriplegic. I’ve learned as entirely new way of living, and have gone through the first round of lessons. But I haven’t graduated yet, and now I’m excited to tackle year two.”
3) “What I could see, though, troubled me. I hit the endboards with my helmet, and when I was falling, my body was out of control. It was going which ever way it wanted, like a stuffed scarecrow someone had tossed onto the ice
Relate: I related to the book because I play sports and I know how into a sport you can get. So when he got it all taken away I knew that that had to very devastating. Other than this I can not relate to his story and hopefully have nothing bad ever happen to me or the others around me.