Ghost Boy

The Miraculous Escape of a Misdiagnosed Boy Trapped Inside His Own Body

By: Martin Pistorius

Narrated by: Simon Bubb

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Martin Pistorius's miraculous journey back from life on the brink will inspire you to celebrate life and fight for those around you.

When you lose your voice, who will speak for you? When it all seems hopeless, how do you get through each day? In the New York Times bestseller Ghost Boy, Martin Pistorius tells the harrowing story of his return to life through the healing power of love and faith.

In January 1988, a happy, healthy twelve-year-old Martin Pistorius came home from school with a sore throat. Soon, he was sleeping all day, refusing meals, and starting to lose his voice.

His doctors were mystified. Within eighteen months, his voice fell silent and his developing mind became trapped inside a body he couldn't control. Martin's parents were told that the unknown degenerative disease he was struggling with would mean that he had less than two years to live. He felt invisible--like a ghost of himself.

The stress and heartache shook his family to the core, bringing his parents to the brink of separation. Their boy was gone--or so they thought. Martin started to come back to life. He couldn't make a sign or a sound, but he'd become aware of the world around him again and was finally finding his way back to himself.

In these pages, you'll hear the highs and lows of Martin's journey from his own perspective, including:

• A family's resilience in the face of hardship
• The consequences of misdiagnosis
• The gift of a wild imagination

Ghost Boy shares the beautiful, heart-wrenching story of a life reclaimed, a business created, a family transformed, and a new love that's blossomed. Martin's emergence from his own darkness invites us to celebrate our own lives and fight for a better life for those around us.

What an awesome book.

If you could sum up Ghost Boy in three words, what would they be?

Interesting, captivating and moving.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the Ghost Boy as a whole. The story flowed from beginning to end. When the last line of the book was spoken I yelled, NO! I wanted to hear more. The story was so good that I didn't want it to end. If I had to say, I guess what I liked most about the story was about how he triumphed from a tormenting situation to communicating with his family and friends once again. How he overcame in the face of adversity.

What about Simon Bubb’s performance did you like?

The performance of the reader was excellent. He knew just when to act the part. He was very smooth.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I was moved through out the book because the boy suffered so much that it was hard not to be moved but, when the boy told about his sexual abuse at one Country Center for the mentally Challenged I felt anger. There was another situation of abuse that also made me angry. Some people in this world are so mean.

Any additional comments?

The story was about a boy that all of a sudden became ill and became coma like. He came out of the coma in two years but then he was in like a vegetable state. Everyone thought he was brain damaged but he wasn't. He was trapped inside a body that wouldn't move and was paralyzed. He was treated like a brain dead patient. The story tells of his suffering in a world where people didn't know he was in there screaming to get out. He had feeling throughout his body and ached at times to be turned. He could taste and hated the same food day in and day out. They played Barney on the TV every day and he hated Barney. He longed for the end of the day every day when his father would come and take him out of the care facility to the comfort of his home. The story goes on to tell his story as he progresses through life and becomes able to communicate. You will not be able to think of a person in a coma in the same way as you used to think of them. The book has a surprising and beautiful end. I didn't want the story to end because it flowed so beautifully. I wasn't ready to stop hearing about his life. I laughed, I cried twice and I listened to the whole book in one setting. I just couldn't put it down. I'd say a lot more but I don't want to give the book away.

What an incredible and inspiring story!

I am so deeply touched by this true story of one man’s incredible journey in such never before trodden territory. His faith, stamina, insight courage and love give me a new appreciation of life and how we all touch and affect other’s lives in either positive or negative ways. It makes me reflect on my own purpose in life and how God does truly have a plan and a purpose for EVERYONE!

Words aren’t sufficient...

This story is so amazing on so many levels. I am truly changed by knowing it. My heart aches for Martin, but also rejoices. Thank you so much for sharing your story.

Such an encouragement

What an amazingly encouraging book. Thank you for sharing this with all of us, Martin. I have been blessed while listening

Love, love, love his story!

God gave him a gift I am so glad he shared it with the world.