Henry Winkler uses his own early struggles to help kids

Link: QCTimes.com - The Quad-City Times Newspaper.

Henry Winkler uses his own early struggles to help kids
By Los Angeles Times
HOLLYWOOD — Believers in karma might say that Henry Winkler’s midlife rewards are a payback for emerging from a difficult childhood as a very nice person. At 60, he has a key role in “Out of Practice,” the sly new CBS sitcom that’s been one of the few freshman shows to break the top 20; he also co-authors a series of critically acclaimed comic novels for schoolkids based on his experiences growing up. LOS ANGELES TIMES - Actor Henry Winkler has written nine books about dyslexic student Hank Zipzer, “the world’s greatest underachiever.” As painful as his early years were, Winkler can’t help but mine humor from his past and find a way for his sad back-story to benefit others. “ ‘Hilarious’ must be a fourth-grade word, because I get lots of letters from kids who tell me, ‘Your books are hilarious,’ ” he says.