MOVING VIOLATIONS: War Zones, Wheelchairs, and Declarations...

MOVING VIOLATIONS: War Zones, Wheelchairs, and Declarations of Independence by John Hockenberry (Hyperion: $14.95; 370 pp.) In 1976, an auto accident left the future National Public Radio/ABC newscaster paralyzed from mid-chest down. After rehabilitation, he attempted to build a life within the limits imposed by his damaged body and an often callous society. Although he became a respected reporter, traveling to Iran, Israel and Somalia in a wheelchair, Hockenberry has no desire to pose as the poster boy for his disability. The battle he waged against lowered expectations, limited access and casual mistreatment became the central fact of his life: “In a life of breaking chains and surmounting obstacles I had only bound myself more tightly to the idea of fighting for my freedom.” Hockenberry succeeded through a combination of resilience, stubbornness and irreverent humor.