Running from the Mirror

A Memoir

As quickly as his face disappeared, so did his mother and father.

Just three days after he was born, Howard Shulman contracted an infection that attacked his face, devouring his nose, lips, lower right eyelid, tear ducts, and palate. Abandoned at the hospital by his parents, he became a ward of New Jersey under the care of a state-employed surgeon who experimentally rebuilt his face.

Running from the Mirror is a poignant story of one man's struggle to survive against staggering odds and create a meaningful life for himself. With unapologetic candor, Howard gives an unflinching account of growing up a bullied outcast, with no family to officially call his own. Relying on little more than street smarts and grit, he rises from dishwasher to successful entrepreneur. Along the way, a European actress, a schoolteacher, and a fiery Latina help transform his life.

Filled with heart-wrenching suffering as well as soul-lifting joy, Running from the Mirror is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit.

©2016 Howard Shulman (P)2023 Tantor

This memoir has it all.

I love memoir and have read too many to number and rarely write a review. This book made me laugh & cry, incredible moving story of resilience, searching for what’s missing and discovering what matters most in life. Also a wonderful story of letting go and forgiveness.