The Story

Area Zero: One Woman's Journey through Psychological and Spiritual Transformation, is a poignant, firsthand account of an undiagnosed dyslexic child's descent into desperation and her long, but successful, climb back to a normal and fulfilling adulthood.

Five-year-old Margaret enters school in 1961. An intelligent girl, her teachers and parents do not understand why she writes her words and letters backwards and will not read when called upon. Unable to diagnose her problem, the school decides she is a "troubled" child who is only seeking attention.

Margaret will not begin to read or write until fourth grade when her mother stumbles on information about dyslexia. Realizing that her daughter has a treatable learning disability, Betty Waldron devotes her evenings to teaching her child to read and write.

But the dyslexia and the misdiagnosis have created emotional scars that will plague Margaret for years. Because of her inability to read - or to live up to adult expectations about her reading abilities - she has developed low self-esteem and isolated herself socially. Because they did not know how to help her, she feels rejected by teachers and parents.

Margaret ultimately questions her own value as a human being. By age fourteen, she is depressed and in danger of suicide. She undergoes months of counseling that leads to her placement in a new public school for students with special needs - one of the first in the United States - the Mark Twain School in Montgomery County, Maryland.

Area Zero is Margaret A. Rudt's poignant, firsthand account of her journey through psychological and spiritual growth and transformation. The author skillfully leads her readers through an inspiring story of self-doubt, struggle, epiphany, and success in overcoming adversity.

Troubling and touching, disturbing and joyful - Area Zero recounts the lessons Margaret learned in counseling and the supportive environment of a special needs school. The author then takes the reader on a remarkable, inner spiritual journey that leads her back to the school - years later - as a teacher.

That spiritual journey, facilitated by the practice of Siddha Yoga meditation, allows the author to examine the depths of her psyche and spirit and face the new challenges of teaching and guiding severely emotionally disturbed adolescents. Through Siddha Yoga meditation, she gains peace and clarity of mind, and comes to realize that each of us can look within, connect to our own spirit, and make life into whatever we wish to make it.

Area Zero's fascinating story line unfolds through insightful narrative and strong dialogue between multi-faceted "characters" who happen to be real people.

Rudt describes events and experiences in captivating detail. From Chapter One, when Area Zero draws the reader in with the startling realization that the teenage protagonist is in danger of committing suicide, to the bittersweet ending of the book, the author keeps the reader totally engaged.

Area Zero is a book with very broad appeal. Educators, mental health professionals and parents will find themselves absorbed by the author's honest account of her experiences as a student with special needs and teacher of special needs children. In addition, the book contains universal themes that appeal to a broader audience. Who among us has not dealt with self-doubt or poor self-esteem at some point in our lives? How many have turned to counseling? How many have sought answers through spirituality? Rudt's exploration, through meditation, of the positive power within, should prove inspiring to all who read Area Zero.