She dreaded being called on during class for fear of the embarrassment of not being able to answer questions others seemed to understand with little effort. Never understanding why she worked twice as hard as other students with little improvement in math, Abeel had always been considered among the smartest in her class. Samantha Abeel uses her strong writing ability, discovered and nurtured by caring teachers in school, to tell of her struggle to come to grips with a long-undiagnosed learning disability. 'Sometimes a challenge can be an inspiration.' So reads the cover on this touching, honest sharing of a life misunderstood for so long. My thirteenth winter, a memoir.' Retrieved from My thirteenth winter, a memoir.' The Free Library. My only regret would be that, like Sam Abeel, I never understood I was not alone and could overcome the challenge of learning. It is also helpful for those who provide psychiatric services, because it helps children struggling with learning disabilities to understand that they are not the only ones who have them. The book speaks for all of us and gives a great message. I would absolutely recommend this book, both to someone who has a learning disability and also to someone who doesn't know much about the toll it takes on a child's life. It comforted me to know that I was not the only one who had gone through these problems, and reading the book made me comfortable with myself. I could identify feelings that the character talked about and could remember when I was going through a similar situation. I found myself getting excited-finally someone had written about what I had felt for a long time, struggling with my own learning disability.

The book teaches a lesson to everyone: how to overcome an obstacle and make the best out of the person you are. Her style of writing makes the reader feel like the author and reader are friends and that she is speaking to only the reader. Even people who don't have a learning disability can read the book and find it meaningful.

The book also provides insight into the girl's life and her growing up. She talks about the struggle that she has and the challenges that come with the disorder. A terrific book called My Thirteenth Winter tells the story of a girl who grows up with a learning disability in math, time, and sequencing called dyscalculia.

My Thirteenth Winter by Samantha Abeel