Alan Samry

Stump the Librarian Alan Samry

Stump the Librarian: A Writer's Book of Legs is a diverse collection of creative writing that explores Alan Samry's life as a congenital below-knee amputee and a public librarian. Alan's cross-genre writing in creative nonfiction, poetry, essays, satire, scholarship, and experimental writing weaves fascinating mythical, historical, and literary figures into his own absorbing story of being a "born amputee." In the book, with chapters organized as though the reader were exploring a public library, Alan writes about his experiences in an open, insightful, and humorous way. In his search for other leg amputees, Alan finds a new way of seeing himself, and the world around him. "Alan Samry takes readers on his personal journey of curiosity, humor and exploration. In an unlikely narrative, readers learn about Alan's life as a congenital below-knee amputee. In a very delightful and provocative manner, Alan relates his personal memoirs and shares historical and imagined characters who are like-amputees. Alan's writing style is fascinatingly varied, and insightful into his own self-discovery. He shares intimate details that enable readers to appreciate his story and perspective. This book is a celebration of Alan - his person, determination, and his insatiable desire for truth."Tamara Dean, Director, Fairhope Public LibraryAlan Samry's "Stump the Librarian" is a deeply felt, extensively researched, and emotionally engaging work. The seemingly ordinary story of a librarian with a prosthetic leg becomes, in Samry's honest and eloquent telling, a remarkable journey through memoir, history, and literature. Journey along with this learned, soul-searching author. Roy Hoffman, author of "Alabama Afternoons," an essay collection, and "Come Landfall," a novel