Ellison to Publish Memoir

After ample exposure to the media, the woman who gave an inspiring speech on Class Day last spring will now be generating some media of her own.

During the summer, Brooke M. Ellison '00, one of the first quadriplegic students to graduate from the College, signed a contract with Hyperion Books for publication of her autobiography, which an editor said she has already begun to write.

The book is tentatively scheduled to be published in November of 2001, and to be in bookstores during the Christmas season.

"We want it to be inspirational, kind of like a Tuesdays with Morrie thing," said Jennifer Lang, Ellison's acquiring editor at Hyperion Books, referring to Mitch Albom's 1997 memoir. The book tells the story of a young man's meetings with his dying former college professor.

Even before Ellison's agent approached her, Lang had noticed Ellison and her story.

"It was very cool because I read an article about her in The New York Times and I was really intrigued by her story," Lang said. "Quite coincidentally, a week later, an agent that I like sent me a proposal."

A car accident at the age of 11 left Ellison in a three-day coma and fractured her skull and spine.

Ellison relies on a ventilator and a motorized wheelchair operated with a tongue-sensitive device on the roof of her mouth. Her mother, Jean Ellison, lived in Harvard dorms with her and attended all her classes.

Brooke Ellison graduated magna cum laude on June 7. At the Commencement ceremony, Ellison delivered one of the three student orations.

The memoirs will document the aftermath of the accident, with a particular focus on her undergraduate years at Harvard.

"She'll talk about the accident a bit and kind of her trials and tribulations going to junior high," Lang said. "The crux is going to be her enrolling in Harvard."

More than an inspirational story, Hyperion also sees in Ellison's story a portrait of family courage and a tremendous mother-daughter relationship, Lang said.

Jean Ellison, who received an honorary degree in "virtual studies" from the University at last year's Commencement ceremony, will also be contributing pieces to the book, Lang said.

"A large part of the story is Brooke and her mom," she said. "Brooke and her mom may be switching narratives throughout the book. We want to get the dad involved too. He may write a forward. It's really a great family."

Lang said the book will also include excerpts from Ellison's senior thesis on Flannery O'Connor.

Ellison, who could not be reached for comment, is currently working on the book at her home in Stony Brook, N.Y.

Staff writer Keramet A. Reiter contributed to the reporting of this story.