Synopsis

This memoir was written to honor my youngest brother’s influence over my life, the good, the bad, and the ugly of living with a Down Syndrome sibling. It tells the story of the children in my family, despite our parents’ frailties, remaining committed to each other through life’s many changes and separations. Who I am today is directly related to the who I needed to become.

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Praise

“As the intertwined life stories of the author and her brother Bruce emerge, the story takes on a new tone. Bitterness and rancor are replaced with a gentle kind of mellowness and a roaring-fire-on-a-cold-winter-day kind of warmth. This is underscored when the author writes that her plans for Bruce were “to open and enrich his world.” In the end, however, she realizes how being with Bruce “accomplished so much more.” She realizes how this “sweet small man” and “Bruce’s” capacity to love and to “just go on because there was no other choice” profoundly influenced her life. And how Bruce opened and enriched her world.

Oh, and the title? You’ll have to read the book for yourself to figure that one out. Flavored with gentle humor and tongue-in-cheek wit, Listen to Me isn’t a long read. At about 30,000 words, you can finish it in an afternoon. But the reflections and insights will reverberate much longer.”- Kristine, Pages and Paws

“This book is a touching story about the unconditional love between an older sister and her brother, Bruce. The prose is uplifting and inspirational, without the traces of ableism that can be found in other such works. The overall message is a plea to see people for who they are, not their diagnosis and aims to increase disability awareness.”- Laura Quinn, Laura Quinn Writes

“This memoir is exactly what I needed. It made me laugh and cry and helped me appreciate the people in my life even more than I already did. Bruce’s love for his family, friends, and favorite rock ‘n’ roll idols lives on through this book. His larger-than-life personality left such an impression on me; I can honestly say that I feel like I know him without ever having met him. I think about him from time to time and his essence inspires hope in me, showing me how precious it is to have an innocent view of life at any age.

This book means so much to me. Lynne Podrat is a true artist with her words and the life she created around the people she loves. Her tenacity and devotion to her family—and herself—is unparalleled. She is a badass. If I could just accomplish half of what she has, I would be happy.”-Sandi, Proof Reader Sandi 

Guest Review from Gud Reader

Not so often do you get a memoir so immaculately written and touching on a sensitive issue like Down syndrome. Listen to me: how my down syndrome brother saved my life is just that book that fits this bill. The book revolves around two siblings Lynne and her brother Bruce who was born with Down syndrome. Just like the guardian angel she is, Lynne ensures that her baby brother is included in part of the family while also vowing to always protect him at all times.

Throughout the read, we get to know the powerful and persuasive character of Lynne and how her brother fuels her motivation to fight for the motivation of the family. Unlike the norm of sibling rivalry, these siblings learn to stick and look out for each other thus cementing some unwavering commitment to each other.

Lynne Podrat does a marvelous job of cramming the book with practical advice, resources, and also some indispensable information with some uplifting personal stories woven in. On her part, the author struck the right balance to entertain and also inform while keeping the reader engaged to learn more about how to enrich the lives of souls with Down Syndrome and also how they can reach their full potential. A story about braveness, finding your voice, and being encouraged to reach your best potential despite the hurdles. Really glad I read it!

Excerpt

Brucie’s Kids

Bruce’s involvement in Special Olympics and sports in general continued to dwindle while waiting for his final diagnosis of kidney disease. He lost his love of swimming and running. The energy needed for these sports was just not there. It was so sad as he had earned many a gold medal for running in Special Olympics. However, one sport he was willing to learn was soccer. Why? Randy played soccer and during Sunday visits to my home, along with my parents, everyone would attend Randy’s games.

I use the term learn loosely. Bruce’s education began with volleys back and forth in the street in front of our house. Randy would gently kick the ball to his uncle, who finally figured out he needed to kick the ball back, not pick it up and throw it. We would listen to their conversation from the driveway. “Okay, Uncle Bruce. I will kick the ball and you kick it back, like this. No, no. Don’t catch it. Just kick it back, like football.”

“Football?” Brucie would ask. “This is not a football,” Randy clarified. Even at a young age, Randy had great patience and respect for Bruce’s unique learning and physical capabilities, never getting frustrated with the repetition of instructions and coaxing his uncle who often did get frustrated. “Oh, come on,” Bruce would shake his head, his face crinkling up. “I can’t do this.” And he would walk away, Randy chasing him down to convince him back. The two had their own special bond. Though Bruce loved his nieces Arielle, Robyn, and Jerica, and his great-nieces, Randy’s daughters Maddie and Emily, his number one fan was Randy, whose comfort level with him was amazing. While growing up and now during Christmas visits back up north, watching them debate music, best artists, and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees acknowledges that I did a good job making sure my brother would be remembered as an integral part of this family, stamped on their hearts forever.

We set up trash cans, bicycles, and our large planters as borders so the ball would stay in bounds during play, allowing the space to grow along with Bruce’s developing ability. Eventually, my father, Big Bruce, and I created a goal post so a “real” game could be played, with my father as permanent goalie and Big Bruce and me taking turns as rotating teammate or opposing goalie. My mother, cheerleader for both sides, received Brucie’s infamous dirty looks if she wasn’t cheering for his side. “Oh no, you cheat!” Brucie would stalk off our court shaking his head and hand once someone other than Randy or himself scored. He would allow us to cajole him back to the game as we laughed and ran after him. He enjoyed this game just as much as the soccer game. By the time Jerica joined her soccer team, Brucie was a pro, insisting either Randy or Jerica be on his team. When asked why he wanted the kids, we were told, “They know how to play.” If Big Bruce and I scored, Brucie would then insist on both so he could beat us, still claiming we cheated and loving us to cajole him back. We had a soccer ball, baseball, and football at the house in a bag with his name, hung next to Randy and then Jerica’s bags for whenever and whatever he wanted to play. Their sports becoming Bruce’s sports. His enjoyment of playing with “his kids,” as he liked to call them. Wonderful to watch.

My only regret was not being able to teach him how to ride a bike. He could never master the balance no matter how much we supported his weight or modeled what to do. We ended up finally donating the small girl’s twenty-inch bike with training wheels to Goodwill. Of course, in true Brucie fashion, once the small bike was gone, he decided he needed to learn how to ride Randy’s 24-inch bike. I am five-feet-two-inches tall and weighed, at that time, ninety-eight pounds. Brucie, four-foot-ten inches, weighed one hundred and twenty pounds. Guess who he wanted to hold him as he tried to get on the bike? The scene was as ridiculous as you can imagine. Nonetheless, I had the bike leaned against me, trying to get Bruce to stand on the curb and swing his leg over the bar. When you look up the word klutz, bear this picture in mind. By the third time of falling over with my brother on top of me, with the family laughing too hard to help, I gave up. We couldn’t get Bruce or David to peddle a tricycle when they were younger, let alone now, so I finally conceded defeat. Not an easy task for me.

Bruce playing Soccer with his kids

About the Author

Lynne Podrat graduated from the Pennsylvania State University and then spent fifteen years in the Fashion Industry as an Assistant Buyer and Department Manager with Bloomingdales Department Store before returning to school to receive her educational degrees from Arcadia University and Gynedd Mercy.

A retired educator and Administrator from the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania School District, she taught English, literature, composition, and history in elementary and secondary schools.

She has secretly been a writer and poet her whole life but has only recently chosen to share those talents with the world. Lynne now lives with her husband in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, spending winters dragon boating where her heart races and summers hiking the Rockies in Vail, Colorado where her heart sings.

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Giveaway

This giveaway is for 3 print copies, one for each of 3 winners, and is open to the U.S. only.

This giveaway ends on April 15, 2022 midnight, pacific time.

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