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1% of the the adult population stutters, but we rarely see stuttering characters reflected in books and even more rarely as primary characters or subjects. Below are some books that have people who stutter front and center.
Riddance by Shelley Jackson
Riddance is a dark fantasy magic school story set in the early 20th century Massachusetts. A speech rehabilitation school, the Sybil Joines Vocational School, is a front for a students to be trained to communicate with the dead, stuttering being a key to connect with ghostly voices from beyond and become "mouthpieces" for the dead. Told from the perspectives of the founding headmistress and the a promising young student, with epistolary letters, diagrams, and newsprint in between, this slow-burn contemporary gothic novel centers stuttering with slowly revealed, chilling mysteries.
The King's Speech by Mark Logue
Famously adapted into an Academy Award winning film of the same name, The King's Speech chronicles the friendship between Australian elocutionist Lionel Logue (grandfather of the author) and the unexpected British King George VI, whose coronation after the surprise abdication of his older brother and in the runup to World War II felt ill-prepared to lead in the radio-age as someone who stutters. Together, they worked to build the confidence and of the new monarch to speak more comfortably to the people of Britain during the devastating war years.
It by Stephen King
Stephen King's iconic It is about seven childhood friends in late 1950s Derry, Maine who are terrorized and eventually try to destroy a malevolent entity that takes different forms. Learning that they did not succeed as children, the entity returns twenty-seven years later where the friends return to defeat "It" once and for all. The unofficial leader of the the "Losers Club," what the friends call themselves, is Bill, a boy who stutters.
The Boy Toy by Nicola Marsh
The Boy Toy is romance with a stuttering lead! Samira Broderick is a dialogue coach in LA, avoiding a return home to Australia due to conflicts with her family. However, a new job back in Melbourne eventually takes her back, her path intersecting with stuntman Rory Radcliffe. Rory has been offered an audition fir ab amazing opportunity to host a reality show, but has been avoiding speaking gigs due his stuttering. Coming to Nicola to help prepare for the audition, Nicola and Rory have to wrestle with their professional relationship and burgeoning romantic one as they both deal with their new stressors.
Black Swan Green by David Mitchell
Black Swan Green is a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age novel following the life of 13-year-old Jason Taylor in a sleepy town in 1982 England. Jason's life seems like one problem leading to another, with each resolution unfolding a new issue. Problems with his family, bullies at school, and even the instability of the nation all make for precarious living and decision-making for Jason. Author David Mitchel has noted that writing the book allowed him to be more open about being a person who stutters, and many stutterers strongly identify with Jason and the feelings he experiences as a boy who stutters.
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About the Author
Jeffrey G is a Library Associate at the Northeast Neighborhood Library. He likes to read about ancient history, contemporary ethnographies, and lots of speculative fiction. When not reading, he can be found visiting DC’s many museums, bowling, or seeing a new theatre productions. He also facilitates the “Page to Stage Book Club” where we read books that have inspired musicals, enriching our understanding and appreciation of both.