Rendered voiceless by a childhood speech disability, Spencer Thomas’ love for the written word became a conduit for expressing his authentic self as he found his path through adolescence into adulthood. “When I was growing up, I really struggled with the act of communication, of being able to express myself because I was never really great with my words,” said the 21-year-old from Redding, California, the United States. “I had the capability of speaking, I knew what I wanted to say, but I couldn’t convey it because of speech disabilities that got in the way of getting my point across.
“As I got older, I did learn how to speak and I gained the ability to talk about myself through writing. It was ultimately writing that really became my voice when I did not have one.” Thomas captures the struggles and triumphs of growing up in his book, exploring the challenges of communication and the transition to adulthood.
Thomas, who overcame his speech disability around 11, used his experiences in navigating isolation, communication and the end of childhood as the inspiration for his first book Goodbye to Boyhood, which he self-published earlier this year. Goodbye to Boyhood is a collection of 10 fictional short stories written to capture moments from early childhood into adulthood, from navigating isolation, conformity and sexuality to first love, grief, gender expression and the beginning of adulthood. A rising senior studying journalism and English at New York University .