My Degeneration

They say, “It is better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness.” Peter Dunlap-Shohl counters, “Why not do both?

At the age of forty-three, former Anchorage Daily News staff cartoonist Dunlap-Shohl was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a disorder that, among other things, can rob a person of their ability to speak or write and degrades their ability to deal with complexity. In My Degeneration, Dunlap-Shohl recounts his attempt to come to grips with the “malicious whimsy” of this chronic, progressive, and disabling disorder with his characteristic humor and passion.

This graphic novel tracks the author’s journey through depression, juggling medications and weathering their side effects, the impact of the diagnosis on his personal relationships, and the raft of mental and physical changes wrought by the disease.

But My Degeneration is more than a memoir—Dunlap-Shohl gives the person newly diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease the information necessary to cope with it on a day-to-day basis. He chronicles the changes that life with the disorder can bring to the way one sees the world and the way one is seen by the wider community. Above all, Dunlap-Shohl imparts a realistic basis for hope—hope not only to carry on but to enjoy a decent quality of life.