Eugen Ehrenberg shares his experiences as a wheelchair-bound sufferer of multiple sclerosis in his memoir about persevering through disappointments and the quest to heal oneself.

In 1991, when Ehrenberg was diagnosed with encephalomyelitis disseminata—or multiple sclerosis (MS)—he recalls that “it didn’t concern me at all…Because I didn’t know of the disease, I didn’t feel threatened by it.” Ehrenberg carried on, until a fall in 2011 confined him to a wheelchair.

Here, Ehrenberg discusses how he relearned how to travel through Germany’s public transportation systems with his wheelchair and hand bike. From scheduling car services, fitting into taxis, buses and elevators and depending on trains and train station crews, he details the victories and struggles of regaining independence.

The core of his message centers on his methods and mindsets for developing perseverance and positivity. He admits that even as a child he has “always been very tenacious [and] persevered in spite of all obstacles.” Drawing from Indian philosophy, Hinduism, Buddhism, Leo Tolstoy, the writings of modern-day MS sufferers and more, Ehrenberg encourages readers to view setbacks and failure as “just training of a different kind—how to deal with such situations.” He explores stories and methods that have helped him.

Ehrenberg’s writing is often humorous as he laughs at his own mistakes and gives himself grace for being human. Some readers may find the narrative challenging, however, as it bogs down in his meticulous retelling of travel stories, including, for instance, extensive details about which elevators were out of order or too small, the lifting and lowering of train platforms, when he used a car service because a train was cancelled, etc. Some details are certainly helpful to those learning to travel with disabilities, but his narrative suffers due to their excess.

General readers will likely be deterred by this issue, but readers with MS will find Ehrenberg’s authentic positivity uplifting and may have more patience with the many details about his traveling obstacles.

Also available in hardcover and ebook.