Revertigo: An Off-Kilter Memoir

Floyd Skloot's memoir explores his experiences with a rare form of vertigo that struck suddenly in his mid-fifties. The episodes left him struggling with severe dizziness and disorientation that disrupted his daily life. Through a series of connected essays, Skloot examines both his vertigo condition and other pivotal moments of imbalance and uncertainty from his past. The narrative moves between his medical journey and memories of his Brooklyn childhood, his early career as a business executive, and his eventual path to becoming a writer. His wife Beverly, daughter Rebecca, and various medical practitioners appear as key figures as Skloot navigates his condition. The Pacific Northwest setting, where Skloot lives in a rural area outside Portland, provides the backdrop for much of the present-day narrative. The memoir uses physical vertigo as a lens to consider larger questions about stability, adaptation, and how humans maintain equilibrium in both body and mind. Through precise observation and reflection, Skloot demonstrates how disorienting experiences can lead to new perspectives and understanding.

Multiple readers note Skloot's ability to find meaning and humor in his experience with vertigo, though some found parts of the memoir meandering. Readers appreciated: - Clear, engaging writing style - Balance of medical details with personal narrative - Connections drawn between physical and emotional balance - Thoughtful reflections on memory and perception Common criticisms: - Middle sections lose focus from main vertigo narrative - Some chapters feel disconnected from core theme - Occasional repetition of ideas Ratings: Goodreads: 3.8/5 (31 ratings) Amazon: 4.2/5 (12 reviews) One reader on Goodreads wrote: "His descriptions of vertigo episodes put me right there with him." An Amazon reviewer noted: "The baseball and music chapters felt like separate essays rather than part of the vertigo story." Several readers mentioned they came to the book after reading Skloot's earlier works and found this one less cohesive but still engaging.

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🌀 Floyd Skloot developed severe vertigo in 2009 after being spun around by his young grandson, leading him to explore the nature of balance and memory through this memoir. 🧠 The author previously wrote about his experience with neurological damage in "In the Shadow of Memory" (2003), which was caused by a virus that attacked his brain in 1988. 📖 The memoir weaves together episodes of physical vertigo with metaphorical moments of being "off-kilter," including his experiences as a young baseball player and his complex relationship with his mother. 🏆 Skloot has won three Pushcart Prizes and the PEN USA Literary Award for Creative Nonfiction, establishing himself as a respected voice in both poetry and memoir writing. 🎭 The book's structure mirrors its subject matter, moving between past and present in a deliberately disorienting way that helps readers experience the author's sense of displacement.