#1 International Bestseller · 2026
The Words Are Backwards, You're Not
Dyslexia Is Your Superpower
Part memoir, part workbook. The story of going from reading at a fifth-grade level in high school to a hedge-fund desk at twenty-four. No college degree. Just a plan and the willingness to execute it.
Written for the kid sitting in the small classes right now wondering if they'll ever graduate. For the parent who doesn't know how to help. For anyone who's ever been told they're not good enough.
Opening · From the book
Dear Reader
Let me guess. You're reading this because someone told you that you're not good enough. Or maybe you've told yourself that so many times you've started to believe it. You work twice as hard as everyone around you and still get half the results. You sit in class feeling stupid while everyone else seems to just get it.
I know. Because I was that kid. I was adopted from a Russian orphanage at age three. I was misdiagnosed with ADHD and put on medications that made me feel like I had bugs crawling under my skin. I couldn't read until I was sixteen years old. I was in the small classes — the ones everyone knew were for the "stupid kids." I had teachers who looked at me like I'd never graduate.
And I almost didn't. But here's what I figured out, and here's what I'm spending the rest of my life telling rooms full of kids who feel exactly the way I did:
The words are backwards. You're not.
This book is for you if
You stopped believing what they said about you. Or you're ready to.
- 01
You have dyslexia, ADHD, or any learning disability and you're tired of feeling like it's holding you back.
- 02
You're a parent or educator who wants to help a struggling student but doesn't know where to start.
- 03
You've ever been called stupid, slow, or told you'll never amount to anything.
- 04
You want proof that someone who started where you are can build the life you're dreaming about.
By the end you will
Four things you'll walk away with.
Know
You're not stupid. You never were. Your brain works differently — and that's an advantage.
Have
A clear path forward. The exact steps Dylan took, written down, in order.
Drop
The ego and the excuses. Work for free. Show up early. Do whatever it takes.
Learn
Showing up is everything. Not when convenient. Every single day.
The line that started everything
“The words are backwards. You're not.”
The Words Are Backwards, You're Not — 2026
A few more lines
“I'm not chasing a paycheck. I'm chasing a career.”
“Show up. Always. No matter what. That's what we do.”
“Life is about improving on yourself, not proving yourself.”
“Once you learn how to learn, everything changes.”
“Work for an opportunity, not a paycheck. The paycheck comes later — and it's bigger than you ever imagined.”
“Small wins accumulate into massive transformations.”
“Most people quit right before the breakthrough. Don't be that person.”
“Give everybody two years. Time will promote them or expose them.”
“You're closer than you think.”
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