The World I Fell Into: What Breaking My Neck Taught Me about Life

A moving and frank memoir about living with a disability after a tragic accident.

Melanie Reid was fifty-two years old when she fell from her horse, breaking her neck and fracturing her lower back. Paralyzed from the chest down, she spent nearly one year in the hospital working toward gaining as much movement in her body as possible, and learning to navigate her way through a world that had previously been invisible to her. As a journalist, she had always turned to words. She may be in a hospital bed, but her mind was still working: she could speak, record her voice, and use a laptop with one finger. Writing would be her lifeline.

Unflinchingly honest, detailed, and beautifully written, The World I Fell Into recounts Melanie's year in the hospital and adjusting to life as a person with quadriplegia. Melanie writes about disability, recovery, trauma, and love with both a generous spirit and an irreverent sense of humor. Above all, she offers an authentic message of hope. The World I Fell Into reminds us to practice gratitude for what we have, right now, for the world can change in a moment's notice