Release Date: January 31, 2023
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-57869-122-7
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-57869-123-4
Library of Congress Control Number: 2022915853
eBook: 978-1-57869-124-1: Order Here or on Amazon.
Booksellers and Libraries: Order Here or in Ingram.

Synopsis

Jim Barry had it all: professional success, a great family, good health. Then, on a season-ending mountain bike excursion, he crashed, fracturing his skull and suffering a cerebral hemorrhage. After spending months in hospitals and rehab centers, he came home to more rehab on an outpatient basis. His lasting disabilities from his traumatic brain injury include limited vision, reduced hearing, lack of balance—necessitating a wheelchair—and weakness on one side. 

This book tells the story of his journey to healing through the medical world and then at home forging a new life, even cycling and skiing again using adaptive equipment. Barry’s story is a hopeful tale of persistence, resilience, and pushing forward. 

Praise

“Cracked is a no-nonsense story of a single-minded, tenacious man surviving a life-altering experience and eventually thriving again, thanks to the help of his wife, family, and health professionals. I have known Jim for over forty years. His bicycle accident was a shock to many of us, and we wished him well from a distance. But we never fully appreciated the extraordinary struggles he went through for rehabilitation, both physical and mental. This book is a captivating testimony to his focused effort to move forward. It serves as an inspiration to us all on how never to give up.”

—Michael L. Corradini, Wisconsin distinguished professor

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“Cracked chronicles Jim Barry’s story of survival following a traumatic brain injury. This detailed account takes the reader through the experience of the accident, rehab, and day-to-day life now, years after. It gives the reader an opportunity to look behind the first impression of disability. Jim’s investment in this new life, very different from his past, speaks to his resilience, tenacity, and commitment to leading a good life.”

—Jill Gravink, director of Northeast Passage

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“Jim’s book is a moving and heartfelt account of his life post-injury. He delves into the hard work and struggles of recovery, as well as his adaptation to a new and challenging lifestyle. Having known Jim for twenty-five years, I knew that he would persevere and make the best of an extremely difficult situation. However, his book gave me a real sense of what he and Mary have been through. His accomplishments after the injury are truly inspiring!”

—David B. Kynor, lecturer at Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College

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"An engineer's insight into how to navigate a life-changing incident." 

—Avery Demond, PhD

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“Cracked is an inspirational journey of resilience and moving forward in spite of the physical and mental uncertainties ahead after a severe traumatic brain injury. Jim’s writing is insightful and in some ways therapeutic, while filled with a renewed self-awareness after the injury. The sharing of his experiences through this book may support others to thrive when confronted with similar life-changing circumstances.”

–Camilo E. Fadul, MD, professor of neurology at University of Virginia

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“The journey of Jim Barry’s Cracked is heartbreaking as well as heart lifting. It is hard to believe the trauma he endured, with its minute details that puts the reader in the thick of it. He kept track of his suffering with a spreadsheet (he is an engineer after all!) which informed the book’s emotional backbone. He is quite funny in the telling although the reader can see the misery behind the mask. It is a story like no other. We can follow the emotional traces of our own injuries from the tracks of Jim’s trail.”

–Thomas G. Broussard, Jr., PhD, president & founder of Aphasia Nation, Inc.

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"Cracked gives the audience insight into the life of author Jim Barry after a mountain biking accident in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont Through his lens, Jim recounts the moments leading up to the accident, first discovering the extent of his injuries, and the long road ahead as he navigates life's new challenges living with a traumatic brain injury. Jim's ability to clearly articulate a mixture of frustration, gratitude, disappointment, and finding the silver linings is an impressive illustration of what day-to-day life is like for him. Through his perseverance and the support of his family, Jim shifts the common narrative of disability, proving to the reader that he is still able to access a very full and adventurous life."

–Carly Bascom (she/her/hers), executive director of New England Healing Sports Association

Reviews & In the News

Movement for Life Cioffredi & Associates Newsletter, January 2024: A Source of Joy

My Odyssey Podcast, October 11, 2023: (Episode 9) Four Body Odysseys On Two & Three Wheels: Cycling The 20th Maine Lighthouse Ride

Storycomic Podcast, March 17, 2023: (Episode 249): Jim Barry, Author of ‘Cracked’

Kirkus Reviews, December 5, 2022: An illuminating look at the impact of a life-changing diagnosis.

Meet the Author