In this narrated prologue, author Lois Letchford recounts the tense, seven‑hour wait as she anxiously watches from her upstate New York home for news of her son Nicholas’s doctoral viva at Oxford. She describes the high‑stakes nature of the oral examination—cross‑examination by three experts, the possibility of failure, and her own spiraling worries about his auditory processing disorder. A text from Nicholas’s girlfriend Lakshmi heightens the tension before the eventual Skype call confirming Nicholas’s successful defense. The relief culminates in an emotional outburst, a hug across the screen, and the affirmation that the memoir’s story is complete. Lois notes that the memoir, titled Reversed: A Memoir, was published in March 2018 and that Nicholas received his PhD in May 2018, and she ends by announcing the audio version’s upcoming release on YouTube.
Chapters
Good morning, I'm Lois Letchford. I'm the author of Reversed: A Memoir, and I thought in these days of isolation and quarantine, it's time for you to enjoy my book from the comforts of your home. Reversed: A Memoir, coming out on audio soon. I begin the prologue. Pacing the carpeted floor of my home in upstate New York, I await an email, a message, a Skype call, anything. I think Nicholas should have contacted me by now. I know my son had walked into his oral examination, known as a viva, at the same time I woke up. It was noon at his university in Oxford, 7 AM in the States. I had anticipated 3 hours of non-stop questions, defending experiments, assumptions, and analysis. Justifying to the experts in his field everything he has worked on for the past 4 years. Just the 3 of them. Cross-examination for hours on end. Has he done enough? Is he up to this monumental task? Today's the day we both find out. I'm more than mildly terrified. I need him to call me. I need him to say, I've done it. The clock ticks away painfully slow. A text message comes through from Nicholas's girlfriend Lakshmi, now living in India. Lois, I'm getting worried. It's been 4 hours, it reads. I believe in him, I write. He knows his work. There's nothing else to do But wait, another hour passes and another. Negative thoughts seep into my mind as even my faith starts to wane. Maybe he's not talking to us because he wandered off track despite his many hours of preparation. Maybe his examiners said, this thesis is not up to our standards. Maybe his auditory processing disorder And difficulty to comprehend the question, process the information, and spit out a coherent, intelligent response is just too great. I cannot go there. Finally, 7 hours since the start of his exam, I hear the Skype ringtone. Hello, Nicholas! I shout. It's over. I've done it. The examiners are happy with my oral exam. I've completed another step for my doctorate, he says, quiet relief resonating in his every word. He smiles despite the bags drooping under his blue eyes and expels one slow and long breath. I want to jump through the computer and give you an enormous hug! I cry, unashamed, knowing the incredible fight we've faced to reach this moment. Nicholas follows with a simple, thanks, Mum. Then softly and matter-of-factly, my thesis is completed. You can publish your book now. I glance over at the stack of pages behind my laptop. Our Story. And that's the start of my book, reversed a memoir, and this was published In March 2018. Nicholas was awarded his PhD in May 2018. Thank you. I'll put this on YouTube. Enjoy and look forward to hearing from you— from me again later this week. Bye. Bye.
