Right-Hearted: Finding What's Right With a Wrong-Sided Heart - Daniel Wallock

Right-Hearted: Finding What is Right with a Wrong-Sided Heart is the raw emotional experience of teen boy who finds a similar soul in the last place he expects. The book is free on Smashwords and Amazon.


About the book:
Title/Author: Right-Hearted: Finding What is Right with a Wrong-Sided Heart / Michael Wallock
Genre: Non- Fiction / Memoir
Publisher: Smashwords
Date of publish: May 2014
Pages: 50
Book Links: Amazon / Goodreads Smashwords / Riffle


 

Excerpt:


 

67e25d4dddade1cdd8eb9a92050b1dbf3ca29d6cthumb twOnce again, I stood alone on a hill under a full moon. The moon drifted peacefully upward into the sky. Besides my thoughts and the slightly chilling breeze, nothing was tangible to me in that moment. Anything life-changing, beautiful, or unpredictable happen today? Nothing. In the sixteen years I have experienced so far, each time I have noticed a full moon something life-altering has happened. The moon rested right above the mountains, a place I call home. When I tried to take a picture, my camera was unable to capture the image. Should have known you can’t depend on technology to capture beauty and emotion. The scar on my chest, the beating of my heart, and the mountains that fostered my appreciation for the cold, hard, natural world— these were the few things that mattered. Standing before the sky, I had little idea my next two weeks would be overwhelmed with wild love, lust, confusion, and tears.

Wallock, Daniel (2014-05-14). Right-Hearted: Finding What’s Right With a Wrong-Sided Heart (pp. 1-2). This Very Breath Publishing. Kindle Edition. .

 


What Others Are Saying:


Right-Hearted is a wonder. Daniel Wallock captures the pain and beauty of adolescence, of first love, of encountering death too young, but surviving. His maturity is astounding. I cannot wait to see what this talented young writer does next.
—Susannah Cahalan, Writer at New York Post and New York Times Bestselling author of Brain on Fire

***

In the vein of the seminal debut memoirs of Jim Carroll and Tobias Wolff, Right-Hearted is an intensely visceral and deeply sincere account of the physical and emotional struggles of a nascent writer transitioning from adolescence to young adulthood. Wallock’s life story is innately compelling—against all odds, he survived a slew of surgeries for multiple congenital heart conditions—but it is his unique voice that makes Right-Hearted such an impressive debut.

Wallock’s authorial voice contains all of the hallmarks of a visionary poet, especially his vivid descriptions of transcendent experiences in the natural world. And his story is grounded in the solid themes of life transitions, the loss of the innocence of youth, spiritual transformation, and the role of trauma in shaping our worldviews. The underlying question, which Wallock addresses with nuance and maturity, revolves around whether it is possible to maintain a sense of excitement and wonder about the world after experiencing life-altering trauma. This memoir makes a solid case for remaining optimistic.
—Scott Alexander Jones, author of elsewhere and Carpe Demons

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Daniel Wallock’s honesty and sincerity in trying to capture youth in a jar like fireflies will take readers straight back to days long gone. You’ll be sixteen again, if only for the span of a few pages…
—Jamie Mason, New York Times Best Seller & Library Journal Best Book of 2013.

***

Daniel Wallock’s book Right-Hearted is a trip down memory lane to the heady, passionate days of first love. But Wallock writes of it while the freshness and frustration of the awkward encounters are still damp with sweat. He is Holden Caulfield, if Salinger had written Catcher In the Rye while he was still living it.
—Dwier Brown, actor and author of If You Build It.

***

‘Hi, my name’s Daniel. I’m learning social skills!’ I wish we were all this brave. Daniel is open handed with his latest offering – Right-Hearted, giving us glimpses of his beating heart in a style… that only Daniel can pull off. Please keep writing, Daniel!
—Amie Longmire, Editor-in-Chief at Wild Quarterly


About The Book:


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From Goodreads: Right-Hearted: Finding What’s Right With A Wrong Sided Heart, is a short memoir about my life-threatening heart conditions and an unforgettable girl. I was born with a broken heart. Literally. My heart is on the right side instead of the left. I was also born with 6 other random congenital heart defects, which have demanded that I undergo dangerous open-heart surgeries since my birth 16 years ago. After my last operation 3 years ago, at barely 14, I was sent away to live so that I would not kill myself. I spent 2 years learning to accept my heart conditions and learning to appreciate my beating heart. The blurry ambulance rides, countless surgeries, metal machines and two years in a Montana therapy school have all contributed to the unique teenager I am today.

I never knew anybody who completely understood my unique struggles until that night under the full moon.

Standing before the sky I had little idea my next two weeks would be overwhelmed with wild love, lust, confusion, tears and a beautiful girl. She and I would share the stories of our hearts…our right-sided hearts. Right-Hearted: Finding What’s Right With A Wrong Sided Heart is the story of two lustful teenagers who together confront their life-threatening conditions and learn to embrace their broken hearts.


More  Praise for Right-Hearted…


Born with several congenital heart defects including having his heart on the right side of his chest, Daniel Wallock never thought he’d find somebody who’d understand all he’d been through in his 16 years… until a whirlwind two-week romance opened his eyes. This memoir from this Santa Barbara resident will touch your heart.
—Ted Mills, Santa Barbara News Press

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There is a beautiful duality in Daniel Wallock’s writing: On one hand, a delicate teenage heart rupturing with new experience; on the other, a heart born broken that refuses to quit. Here is a voice, and story, you will remember.
–– Rich Walls, Founder of One Page Love Story

***

Right-Hearted’ is a 16-year-old’s account of something between falling in love and becoming deeply infatuated. The charms of this essay go beyond the articulate and eloquent telling of a misguided infatuation. The voice is earnest and authentic and what comes through is a respectful regard for the sometimes crushing nature of giving and receiving love. Life can feel looming and unresolved, but in the hands of a good writer it’s also inspiring.
–– JustKindleBooks.com

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“Crescent” is a contemplative, existential short story about a young heart surgeon, Dr. George Ash, who is surrounded by death, struggling to find balance in his mostly solitary life. His irregular sleeping patterns lend a dreamlike atmosphere to his daily life, as he shifts from providing emotional support for his patients at the hospital to volunteering for a suicide hotline to seeking catharsis through literature, through his nascent endeavors as a writer, and through the solitude of what little nature he can find outside Los Angeles. This story finds its heart in the down-to-earth advice Dr. Ash gives to a young man struggling with suicide: “We live, we die, and we do some shit in between. Just do things you like to do.”
—Scott Alexander Jones, author of elsewhere and Carpe Demons

***

Wallock’s poetry is elliptical in nature, incorporating both a soft, steady pace and a great economy of words. His thoughtful writing conjures images and emotions that are not soon forgotten.
—Ariana Lyriotakis, Editor of Agave Literary Magazine


About The Author:


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Daniel Wallock is a college student living in New York and the author of three books, which have been downloaded over 20,000 times across 25 countries. His poetry and prose have appeared in 20 publications including Burningword, Wild Quarterly, ExFic, The Vending Machine Press, Agave Magazine, VAYAVYA Poetry, Whistling Shade Journal, and The Bolt Magazine. Daniel has received numerous writing awards including 1st place in San Jose State University’s Nonfiction Short Story Contest. In addition to pursing a literary career Daniel spends time speaking for nonprofit organizations, doing marketing and media consulting, and designing websites.
“We were honored to have had Daniel Wallock as the keynote student speaker at our organization’s annual fundraising breakfast in October. Daniel spoke passionately about his life story, weaving a beautiful tapestry through his words and emotion. As a young writer, he has captured the essence of his story on paper beautifully, and also has the ability to translate it inspirationally from the podium. Daniel was articulate, engaging, and riveting, our guests were captivated and moved. Daniel has an amazing gift, you would be lucky to hear him speak!”
—Rochelle Bochner, Co-Founder and Executive Director ~ Sky’s the Limit Fund

Source: http://ireadwhatyouwrite.wordpress.com/2016/02/29/book-spotlight-right-hearted-finding-what-is-right-with-a-wrong-sided-heart