Gov. Newsom Writes Kids' Book Based on His Challenges with Dyslexia: 'I Learned Persistence'

Philomel Books Gov. Gavin Newsom

When Gov. Gavin Newsom was a child, having dyslexia was "shameful" and needed to be kept secret.

Now, with his new kids' book Ben and Emma's Big Hit, the California governor hopes to show his own children and young readers that it's natural to struggle — and that difficulties can be a source of personal discovery.

"I got the idea for a children's book about kids with dyslexia when my kids were learning to read. They, like me, really struggled," explains Newsom, 54, in an email interview with PEOPLE. "I started to look for a book that would help, and I couldn't find any. I remembered my own frustration, and now as a parent, I had a new appreciation for my mom's perseverance to help me in that situation."

"I wanted a book to read with them and say, 'This is what daddy has. It's ok,' " he continues. "And that's what we created — a book for parents, kids, mentors to understand that differences or challenges we face can make us stronger."

Ben and Emma's Big Hit follows a young baseball lover named Ben, who is sometimes held back in school because of his dyslexia. With the support of his friend Emma and his teacher Ms. Kim, he's able to find solutions and discover where he excels.

The children's book is illustrated by Alexandra Thompson. It features text printed in OpenDyslexic font, a typeface created to help with some symptoms of dyslexia, so readers with the learning disorder can navigate the story more easily. (All proceeds from book sales will go to the International Dyslexia Association.)

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While the book may feature fictional characters, it's very much Newsom's story.

"My kids will tell you, I hate giving up. But before I understood my dyslexia as a kid, the dread that overwhelmed [me] in the classroom every day led me to consistently want to give up," Newsom writes. "I was the student in the back of the class. Every answer to every question, I just guessed. In the book, Ben panics when he speaks in front of the class. He cries in the hallway when he gets overwhelmed by school. That was me."

The governor explains that he was 10 years old when his mom took him to a specialist, who gave the diagnosis. Understanding why his brain worked differently than his classmates' was a "relief," Newsom writes.

"I finally understood why I couldn't coast through my homework like my sister," he explains. "I finally understood that I was smart, just as smart as any of my speed-reading classmates, but that my brain worked differently from people without dyslexia. So I worked hard at strategies to overcompensate for it. I got things wrong all the time. I didn't win any spelling bee. But the experience gave me resilience. I learned persistence."

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Playing baseball also helped build up his confidence, he writes.

"At school, I learned I would have to work a hundred times harder, and use a million strategies and techniques that people with non-dyslexic brains don't even have to consider," Newsom explains. "I had to learn to read 'the way an athlete pushes himself beyond where it is comfortable to go,' as the poet Philip Schultz wrote about his dyslexia."

Eventually, the future politician realized there were benefits to his dyslexia. "Over time, I realized that challenging my brain this intensely actually helped me in ways I never expected. My brain had to leap, jump, and zigzag to decode every word, which sparked my creativity," Newsom writes. "Just like Emma in the book, I memorized entire chapter books by heart so I didn't have to rely upon seeing the words on the page. I had to overcome the dread of potential embarrassment, which made me more bold and have less fear."

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Newsom continues to employ similar techniques to this day.

"I have to set aside big blocks of time to take in documents. I print them out, read a page multiple times, underline, scribble notes and transpose key sections into separate notebooks that I keep in my files and organize by topic," he tells PEOPLE. "It takes a long time, but once I do that, I own the information. It's all in my brain — like the cloud. I recall the material nearly word for word weeks later — all without having to read it on a page."

The governor hopes his story will inspire his young readers. "It's realizing that the challenges we all face — in my case dyslexia — can also be a gift," Newsom writes. "Yes, you will make mistakes — who doesn't?"

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He also has a special message for other kids who struggle with dyslexia.

"If you have dyslexia, reading will probably always be tough — it still is for me. But those challenges are also your strengths," Newsom explains. "You think differently, and the world needs your creative problem-solving. You know frustration, and the world needs your caring, kindness, and patience for others who are struggling."

He adds: "You know how to try really hard, and the world needs your effort and skills to make it a better place. YOU are the very type of leader our world needs, and I can't wait to see where your talents will take you!"

Ben and Emma's Big Hit is on sale now.