Being Henry: The Fonz . . . and Beyond

Henry Winkler’s struggle with dyslexia is a central conflict in the book. Due to the lack of understanding of dyslexia during Winkler’s childhood, his condition went undiagnosed and untreated until he was an adult. In his childhood, it triggered animosity in his parents. They refused to understand why he struggled in school and dismissed him. They also yelled at and grounded him frequently due to his poor grades. The lack of understanding and support from them and teachers made Winkler develop strong insecurities and anxieties. He also craved external validation from people he saw as cooler and better than him.

Though he did well in his acting classes, Winkler’s struggles with reading continued to give him problems in college. Even with his success on Happy Days and in other shows, films, and plays, Winkler’s insecurities plagued him. He could not allow himself to be fully authentic in his acting. As he observes of his performance in the television movie A Child Is Missing: “I did everything I could to find myself inside of myself, but the real me was still locked away, sheathed in yards of concrete” (130). Here, Winkler uses a metaphor, comparing something to something else without using “like” or “as.” In this case, he compares his absence of authenticity with being in a prison.

Winkler’s eventual diagnosis of dyslexia in adulthood triggered an emotional outpouring. He realized that he had a condition beyond his control, and struggled with anger at his parents and teachers for not trying to understand his problem and help him. As he writes: “[A]ll the misery I’d gone through was for nothing” (153). However, he used his experience to help others. He decided that he would speak about his struggles so that no other dyslexic child would go unsupported, and he wrote the Hank Zipzer books with Lin Oliver. Dyslexia, he also writes, made him an underdog. This was one of the things that connected him to Adam Sandler and his movies. As he writes, “the theme of every Adam Sandler movie” is that his character “is an underdog, on the outside looking in” (154). Though dyslexia was challenging, it also informed who he was as a person and led to a great friendship.

Winkler advocated for those with learning disabilities like dyslexia and helped them to find support. One man told him that his books helped him “get through school” (154). In therapy, Winkler confronted the insecurities that stemmed from his parent’s lack of support, and helped him heal. In this way, the memoir suggests that it is important to confront the things that hurt you.