My Life, Deleted

July 11, 2011
Bolzan, who briefly played with the Cleveland Browns, tries to make sense of his life when, after an accidental slip, he suffered memory loss. His fluke brain injury meant that everything he knew about his previous 46 years was wiped clean, and he was left with unbearable headaches, a family he didn't know, a job he couldn't do, and more questions than a toddler. Writing with the help of his wife, Joan, and journalist-novelist Rother, this memoir perfectly captures Bolzan's desperation and confusion. Even as the writers do a good job keeping up the suspense as to whether Bolzan's memory will ever come back, the up-and-down relationship between husband and wife, who must find out if they can fall in love all over again while also trying to figure out how to pay the bills and handle their son's heroin addiction, is the emotional glue that holds this work together. What the book lacks is Joan's perspective on what it's like to be with a man who didn't remember marrying her.

July 15, 2011

Following a head injury, Bolzan, a former NFL player and successful executive, lost all recollection of his past life. His memoir traces his frightening struggle back from feeling completely lost and alone to building a new life with his family.

After slipping in his office restroom, the author suffered a concussion and had no recollection of who he might be, nor that the attractive woman at his bedside was his wife and the teenagers beside her, his children. His doctors advised him that his memory should return in a couple of weeks, but it didn't happen. He also suffered from debilitating headaches, severe depression and a short attention span. He lost part of his vision in one eye, had trouble retaining new information and understanding abstract concepts. Bolzan struggled to support his family and keep his business running, finally realizing it was impossible: "I wanted to scream, 'I'm not okay, and I'm scared!' " Despite what his doctors said, the author constantly battled his panic and feelings of isolation. The author constantly prodded his family for clues about his past life and personality; occasionally, what they told him caused embarrassment. With the help of his wife and daughter, the author slowly ventured back into the world, first on short neighborhood excursions to the grocery store. Bolzan began relating to his family in new ways. During an Internet search, the author located the Brain Injury Association of Arizona, and he soon began reaching out to others to share his story.

While tugging at your heart, this courageous recovery narrative should also be a useful reference for professionals working with individuals suffering from brain injuries.

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)