Jim was a vibrant, energetic boy until, at age twelve, he suddenly became very ill. He awoke with headaches every morning, and his legs and feet did not cooperate in the most peculiar way.
After a series of doctor's visits and treatments that remedied the symptoms without delivering a cure, Jim was diagnosed with acute encephalitis in 1965. He was confined to a wheelchair, and his entire life changed from that moment on.
The second installment in a trilogy of memoirs recounting author James P. Herndon's life, Jack's Shop: The Long Road Back is the story of Jim's return home from the hospital after his diagnosis, and the struggles and opportunities he faced on his road to recovery.
Insightful and inspiring with every turn of the page, The Long Road Back tells a tale of triumph over tragedy that's sure to encourage and entertain readers facing physical or emotional challenges of their own. It shows how one man was able to turn his disability around and live a full life, and it delivers loads of laughter and hope along the way as Jim describes his boyhood pursuit of youthful indiscretions that every red-blooded American male enjoys while coming of age.
About the Author: James P. Herndon is the author of the Jack's Shop series of books, an autobiographical coming-of-age trilogy detailing his growth from a carefree child to a young man living with the lasting effects of a crippling disease.
The first published book in this series, Jack's Shop: Beyond the Front Porch, gave readers a glimpse of Herndon's youth and the rural environment in which he was raised. The recently released second installment in the series, Jack's Shop: The Long Road Back, continues Jim's journey as he returns from the hospital and discovers that he faces many challenges after being diagnosed with acute encephalitis.
Herndon is currently working on the third and final book in the trilogy. He resides in central Virginia and is presently employed as the ADA Compliance Coordinator for the City of Charlottesville. Married to his childhood sweetheart, he has three children and four grandchildren.
