3 comments about Overcoming Asperger's: Personal Experience & Insight.

1. Every now and then you may be lucky enough to come across a work such as this. It's a very honest, sometimes painfully honest account of one man's struggle to live in a world that is almost too alien to bear. The insights in the journey of overcoming Asperger's Syndrome, sometimes sublime into the spirtual - to the very ordinary, are an inspiration. This is a must read! Whether your interest is professional or just understanding the human condition. You really do feel that you are walking with him, every step of the way.



2. This book is a rare gem and a recently discovered treasure. In addition to being well written, one can identify with much of what the author has chosen to share. It provides a much needed window with parted curtains into autism/Asperger's (a/A) perceptions and interpretations.
   
   It has been said and evidence appears to support the finding that people on the a/A spectrum learn empathy cognitively as opposed to intuitively. Seeing the view from another person's perspective is challenging for most people, but for those on the a/A spectrum it is all the more so.
   
   This book is one that commands respect; being able to disclose the level of information that is found in this book is nothing short of courageous. It is the voice of hope for those with any form of autism; for professionals and for those personally involved with people on the a/A spectrum. This is a book for everybody! Being able to share these insights and observations made me think of the song "Climb Every Mountain" from "The Sound of Music."
   
   Hats off to this book!



3. From a literary point of view, this is by far your best book yet. But from a subject matter point of view, it is just outstanding. It is written well enough that, as I read each of the episodes you relate, I agonized with you as you strove to deal with each. The book is a remarkable insight into the thoughts and personality, even the mind, of someone who looks at the world through a different set of lenses than most of us do.
   Cumulatively, the episodes and their outcomes gradually made me realize that something was missing in how you regarded the personnel in each event and how you assessed "blame" for the contretemps that often resulted. It eventually dawned on me that there was very little, if any, empathy for the views and feelings of others in the way you approached these situations. It seemed difficult for you to understand how the other guy or gal might feel about a particular situation. When I mentioned this to other professionals, they told me that the lack of empathy is a major symptom of Asperger's.
   However, the overriding feeling I experienced while reading your book was admiration. Time after time, I said to myself, "Man, that took a lot of guts to write that!" Although perhaps therapeutic, writing the book also must have been quite painful. But beyond whatever therapeutic value writing it had for you, think of how invaluable the insight you provide into what it is like to live with Asperger's and ultimately overcome it will be to others with the condition, to family and care-givers, and to medical and psychological professionals working to treat those with Asperger's. You have done a great service, undoubtedly at no small cost to yourself, to all who are involved in any way with this condition and they should be grateful.
   Congratulations on a job very well done!

No comments about Reflections: The Life and Writings of a Young Blind Woman in Post-Revolutionary France (The History of Disability D).

4 comments about Learning to Walk Again: How Guillain Barre Taught Me to Walk a Different Path.

1. I became engrossed with the book 'Learning to Walk Again' as soon as I began reading it. I read it in one sitting. I learned about the difficulty of getting a correct diagonosis when dealing with various doctors and hospitals.And how you have to be persistant. It was a nightmare for Ann because of the pain she felt, until a diagonosis was found.Patients must not be seduced in believing that they just need therapy, and that it's all in their head! This book is on the cutting edge when it comes to information about Guillain Barre disease. Ann's first hand experience with the disease will help patients and families struggling with similar issues. It will act like a road map for them. It will help them to push and ask questions of their doctors. The book is well-researched about this little-known disease.
   In addition to the excellent information this book shares, it also delves into the important relationship between family members and how supportive and helpful they were to each other. Caregivers carry a heavy burden, and this book discusses the give and take that is necessary between partners and other family members.
   I also liked the writing style. Although the topic was difficult, the writing style was easy and conversational and even touched on humor. I visualized many of the scenes, a great indication of a good book, which this certainly was.
   I recommend this book to anyone who has a family member or friend suffering with this disease or other challening body problems.



2. Ann's personal story is an an amazing meld of
   knowledge of Guillain Barre and the painful (and
   humorous)process of her Recovery. A good read
   for anyone seeking hope and progress through a
   chronic illness, whether patient or caregiver.



3. As a fellow GBS survivor, I was eager to read Ms. Brandt's account of her experience. This disease does not discriminate when it strikes, and every person has a different journey. I suppose when you've been struck with such a life-altering experience, from out of nowhere, you seek connection and explanation.

   The book touches upon the elementary aspects of GBS, and poses some important questions. Like Ms. Brandt, I spent a good deal of time while in my recovery stage trying to prevent what had happened to me from happening to others. She reaches out to others who are in the acute phase of the disease through patient visitation, to other survivors through meetings and symposiums, and to the medical community through this book.

   Why had we been promised that we'd "get it all back"? Why isn't post-rehabilitation fatigue addressed as a separate phase of the syndrome?

   This book asks some important questions, and I hope that its publication will serve as a catalyst to get them answered.




4. I am going through recovery from GBS. Reading this book has been a great experience for me; once a received it, I couldn't put it down until I finished it. Ann's experience is very similar to mine and her book helped me in a therapeutic way; I re-lived many emotions, situations, funny moments, etc., and learned a little bit more about this syndrome. I recommend this book for people who are going through recovery as well as for those caregivers around them.

5 comments about A Nearly Normal Life: A Memoir.

1. I think if the author hadn't written his memoir in such a vain way--it would have been better??



2. In 1953, when he was a robust 14-year-old, Charles L. Mee was stricken with viral polio. This memoir describes his struggle with polio, and also comments on the treatments (sometimes horrific) that were tried to beat this virus that, in 1953 alone, struck over 50,000 people. His struggle was not an easy one, and his later life wasn't either, but he comes to terms with his limitations, becoming a successful historian and playright. It's a real eye-opener, and he doesn't mince words, which makes for a compelling read.



3. For those interested in understanding the impact of polio, this is the definitive source. No one tells the story like Charles Mee. The depth of his insights are stunning. He makes a powerful comment on the human condition. This book is a MUST READ.



4. From long experience with this area, Mee's accounts both of the era of his youth and the experiences of polio ring very true from the pen of an accomplished writer. One senses that Mee never really made peace with his disability and its impact, inasmuch as he was able to evade, compensate, head into intellectual endeavors, etc., so there are many polio/disability issues not well dealt with here. (Significantly it ends with his finding an oasis in the intellectual world of the Ivy League and the intellect.) However, one has to suspect that the decision to tell the story, with insight and honesty, may represent at long last a step in addressing what he may have hoped at one time to simply "leave behind." Perhaps there will be a sequel in which his historical training and writing skills are again focused on the complex interrelationships between disability, psyche and society. This is a good read, though, even if it is not the full story.



5. I don't write many reviews anymore, who has time? However, this book stood out so much above the rest I've read lately that I just had to share. The book is about a polio survivor, the 50's, the discovery of the vaccine and oh so much more. It's about living the life you were handed, not the want you thought you were going to get.

   His epilogue is pure poetry. An example: "Life continues to change. New things surface; old wounds hidden by bigger wounds show up when the bigger wounds are healed; new clusters of misgivings and confusion take shape to replace old clusters of exhausted adjustments. New things come along to be accepted with grace and peace. The disability and its challenges continue to evolve, and one must achieve acceptance and grace and peace again and again, day after day."

   I highly recommend this book to everyone. I read about 5 books a week and this book is in my top 20 of all time.

5 comments about Truly Blessed.

1. This book is truly a blessing! Pendergrass gives the story of his life straight to you, no chaser. Not only did his bio clear up a lot of misconceptions (I always knew the brother wasn't gay!), but it gave much insight into what he learned growing up as the child of a single parent in Philly (what a blessing his mother was!); his struggles to gain respect as an artist; his love for his children and determination to give them what he didn't receive from his own father; and his phemonenal wife Karen (special woman indeed!).
   
   I especially appreciated his sharing his deeper feelings about the day-to-day struggle of being a paraplegic. I'm glad that he told about the times when he didn't feel like being 'brave' and 'noble' about his situation, the times when he felt depressed and even suicidal. He really broke it down about having to meticulously plan his day around his injury (and even those best-laid plans go awry!). People need to know the realities of paraplegics, not just the sugar-coated stories of moving on in spite of. It makes me so grateful to be able to get up in the morning and do the things we take for granted every day.
   
   I hope there will be a revision of this book sometime soon, for I am sure there is more to the story since its publication 10 years ago.



2. It gave me a better insight of this strong and determined man. From his home town of Philadelphia to the his ups and downs of living in one of the most richest and prestigous towns in southern California. I recommend the book to anyone who love autobiographies. (as told directly by the person and not someone else)



3. Ok lemme start that I didn't purchase it nor bought it nowhere at a bookstore or whatever. I just checked this out at a library and was pretty amazed about this story that Teddy P put out. It shows all the sides from the ups and down between the life and times of his career. I'm such a huge fan to his music and always will be. I just read a few parts of the book but didn't had time to read the rest. I may get it used off from Amazon or get it cheap at a used bookstore or so. Long story short, this is a book I must have if I wanna learn more from this man. For all you hardcore or diehard fans who are real to Teddy, must get this or else check it out at a local library. That's how I did it. Well congratulations to Teddy Pendergrass for putting out a a wonderful book and look forward for the 2nd memoir to come out. Y'know where he's heading to the new millenium now. Definitely a must.



4. ...just curious...maybe (hopefully) it's his wife's hand...what an INCREDIBLE woman she is...perhaps the most impressive person in his autobiography, aside from his mother. Just finished reading this book yesterday...after staring at the cover for a while (yeah...like it was gon MOVE or somethin'...or like he was gon actually BLINK!)...the cover alone can capture you --- especially if, like me, you are a true Teddy fan. I think I just recently evolved into one, however...it's like his music is f.g.f.o. (for grown folks only), and I just recently grew up...hey, what can I say? It took me til my thirties to really appreciate where this man is coming from.
   ...so of course I had to pick up the book...there was no me getting away from it, or it getting away from me. Admittedly, it's probably the best autobiography I've read in a while, written in straight forward language and sprinkled with humor. Some of what he shares is surprising, some of it not so surprising, but all of it is revealing, and I know it took a lot for him to share all that he did of himself, and I really appreciate that. I had just turned 13 the same month he had the car accident that left him a quadriplegic (sp?), and I remember well all the speculations and the news reports. Though I was young, I remember how much his accident really impacted me. I think in a way, reading this book, I grieved his loss all over again...(I was in such a sad mood all day yesterday...just couldn't seem to shake it)... after all, he is telling his own story here...no more speculations or rumors...just his words. I hurt that he --- or anyone --- would have to go through such a painful ordeal. As for anyone, my only hope and prayer is that he's grown through it, and has become, or is becoming, more of the person God wants him to be. I can only imagine, though, the limitations those who are physically challenged must face, and reading this book has given me a new appreciation for that, for which I'm thankful. I think there are so many things that we all take for granted day in and day out. Hopefully, we will open our eyes to see how Truly Blessed we all are, too...just as much as Teddy is.



5. ...I have been listening to Teddy Pendergrass since his days with Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes (my father and I have copies of their 1975 LP "Wake Up Everybody" - he the LP, me the CD)and his earlier solo singles (among them, "Close the Door", "Only You" and "You Can't Hide from Yourself") are pure classics - just one example of the pure, raw, unadulterated soul music that was pumping out out of Gamble and Huff's PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL RECORDS headquartered in Philadelphia. When I heard about his near fatal car crash in early 1982 and the fact that he had no movement from the neck down, my heart sanked - will Teddy Pendergrass ever be able to share his rare amazing gift of singing again? Sad to say, his albums since then does not capture the rawness that his prior recordings did (the lone exception, his 1997 CD "You and I", my review of which you will see in AMAZON.COM's music section). Although his music was a treat to the ears for me, like so many of his fans, I had a lot of misconceptions of Teddy Pendergrass; to wit, his playboy life, lavish lifestyle and his children bore out of wedlock. However, I had the opportunity during Labor Day weekend in September, 1999 to visit The City of Brotherly Love and picked up this book. This book dispells all of the misconceptions and, in the process, shows the tender side of Teddy Pendergrass, the man and the human being - from his humble beginnings in North Philadelphia, his earlier, struggling days with Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, his devotion to his mother, his wife, Karen, and, most remarkably, his three children to the car crash and his daily struggles as a quadraplegic. To my fellow Teddy Pendergrass fans: ignore the image, pick up this book and read it from cover to cover. You will NOT be disappointed.

No comments about Home Bound: Growing Up With a Disability in America.

2 comments about A Pained Life.

1. Amazing. I was 29, 3 years ago, when I developed TN. I had a few of the same procedures and doctors as Carol. I also had an MVD, which basically ruined me for a long time.
   Anyways, it was nice to hear someone else's tale about the horror of TN. I thought I had a hard case, but Carol is a true inspiration to me. She really went thru a lot and, it turns out, is a wonderful writer!
   This was a book based on medical info. But it wasn't boring at all. It was a real page turner. I couldn't put it down and had to finish it in a few days. I plan on loaning it out to others who are dealing with the "fun" of TN issues. Thanks for a fabulous book!



2. This is the true story of the author's struggle to overcome the debilitating pain of trigeminal neuralgia. Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN) is widely accepted as the most painful comdition known to medicine. It is a disorder of the fifth cranial (trigeminal) nerve, occurring in only 155 people per million, which causes intense intervals of electric shock-like pain in the areas of the face where the nerve branches. Carol Jay Levy begins her story as a young woman about to pursue a career on the stage in NYC. Suddenly, her hopes are dashed, as this disorder invades her existence. Diagnosis is elusive (she is "too young" for TN) and doctors repeatedly try to pigeon-hole her as mentally ill, due to a history of depression. Finally, the diagnosis is made, but treatment is ineffective, and she considers suicide, as some 80% of people with TN are thought to do.
   "A Pained Life is ... is so real, so honestly told, so suspenseful, that it is hard to put down. Carol Jay Levy's courage and perseverance can help light the way for others who endure pain and a medical maze, with little hope and less help. Medical professionals might also gain insight from this personal story of someone at the other end of the stethoscope."
   Reviewed by Kathy Lyons 3/28/04 for the American Chronic Pain Association.

5 comments about Healing: A Life with Chronic Illness.

1. Chronic illness is something that affects millions of people worldwide. And yet those in pain often feel alone, as if no one "gets" what they're going through. By writing this book, author Marguerite Bouvard has validated all of those who struggle with chronic illness year in, year out. This book can also serve as a learning tool for the families and friends of those who suffer from chronic illness. I highly recommend HEALING.



2. I can understand why it was many years before a woman as ambitious and accomplished as Marguerite Guzman Bouvard could stand before her colleagues and share with them her long-kept secret: "I am chronically ill." In her book Healing: A Life with Chronic Illness, Bouvard chronicles her own resistance to admitting her daunting physical limitations.
   
   For decades, Bouvard had been absorbed in a busy and very public life of travel, research, teaching and writing--a life she loved, a life that gave her her sense of her successful self, and one she simply refused to surrender. She fought valiantly against the reality of her diminishing energies and capacities. She found her illness demeaning, an embarrassing weakness, a symbol of her failure both as a professional and as a person. As she became less active, less vocal, she felt her colleagues avoiding eye contact and avoiding her altogether. She began to feel invisible, "an unwanted outsider," no longer a part of the illustrious team of academicians that had been her life for so long. As her condition limited her more and more she lived "...in a turbulence of outrage, fear, and sorrow..." over her wildly changing circumstances.
   
   When her illness at last became impossible to ignore, Bouvard spent years going from doctor to doctor, enduring painful procedures. Accurately diagnosed at last, she learned she had a chronic illness called interstitial cystitis, an inflammation and deterioration of the bladder lining that affects not just one area of the body but the body in its entirety. After a time, she would also develop fibromyalgia, again a miserable chronic illness involving muscle pain, severe fatigue and disturbed nightly sleep.
   
   But in spite of her depleted stamina, Bouvard refused to cancel a previously planned arduous journey to Argentina to work with the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, whose children had disappeared and/or suffered torture at the hands of the country's brutally suppressive government. From these exceptional and courageous women, Bouvard learned that they assuaged their grief over the loss of their children and the brutal tyranny they lived with daily by banding together, by sharing their stories, by actively rising up against their oppressors, by not keeping silent. In time, she realized that she too would find healing only by speaking the truth of her increasing physical frailty, her acute and unrelenting pain.
   
   The Mothers, who possessed a profound sense of caring for one another and a dedication to righting the senseless and horrific injustices that endangered them daily, became Bouvard's teachers. Her essential values began to change. Things she once considered important lost their significance. She stopped rushing about, stopped feeling the familiar competitive drives she had known all her life. She learned from them how to listen, how to hear and see in depth what was going on around her; she learned to pay attention, to give herself time to take things in and reflect.
   
   However, these changes happened only gradually. She admits that it took her a long time to come to terms with her chronic illness. She writes:
   
   I didn't realize this was the beginning of learning a new culture or that I would have to create a new language that would reflect my reality. Nor was I aware of one of the sources of my deep discomfort: that to become ill in this society means having the body, spirit, and mind severed. How could I speak to the people around me about my fear and anxiety, how could I speak to the self that was changing, when I was unable to find the words and had no frame of reference?
   
   Having found the language to speak her truth, Ms. Bouvard was faced with giving up the certainties of her old career. She needed to learn to navigate her life without the familiar maps and landscapes of previous years. She began to trust that ideas would come in new ways, that her career would follow a different but equally creative path. She wanted to write only about ideas that fired her soul; she wanted to write not with the objectivity of research but as though she was addressing each reader personally.
   
   She became excited as she felt herself and her life changing drastically. She began to keep a journal and as it became filled with her writings, and with cards and messages from friends, she realized she was neither invisible nor alone...no longer "an outsider" but very much a thriving human being, more connected to God and to herself than she had ever been. "Chronic illness," she writes, "has given me the opportunity to reassess my life, to decide on how I will live, what I hope to accomplish and what is important to me."
   
   We all have problems that are difficult to confront, difficult to come to terms with. This is a book that can change the lives of the healthy as well as those struggling with illness. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
   
   by Duffie Bart
   for Story Circle Book Reviews
   reviewing books by, for, and about women



3. Having received HEALING only this morning, I have only skimmed it and found it very insightful, enlightening and encouraging. I am a vicitim of IC myself and have been discouraged with most of the urologists and urogynecologists I have seen over the past 16 month. It was encouraging to read what Marguerite Guzman Bouvard had to say on this very subject. I am ordering 5 books, one for each of my children, so they can get a better understanding of what IC is all about.



4. Marguerite Bouvard has written a magnificent book we should all read.
   Perhaps some will not pick this book up thinking, "I don't need to be healed." But it is beyond healing. HEALING is a gorgeous book about finding the richness, poetry and meaning in life. It's Bouvard's experience with illness that is the vehicle for her healing. However, none of us has a perfect life to live and we all have "something" whether it be illness, or loss, or disappointment...that is imperfect, yet defining to our lives. Despite these "somethings," we all have the potential to have meaningful lives rich with purpose. HEALING is Bouvard's journey beyond illness to that richness-and with her journey, she inspires us to find beauty and meaning in our own lives.



5. What a gorgeous book, beautifully written, full of wisdom and insight. It's not just for people with interstitial cystitis and/or chronic fatigue, but for all of us, as we age and lose our abilities, teaching us to live with, and hopefully, embrace our losses. It's also for those of us who have friends who are struggling; Bouvard shows us how to walk on that path, helps us to find words that will make them feel "accompanied," not "fixed," language we all need to embrace. What a hero Bouvard is, for taking a life of pain and turning it into a spiritual journey. What a blessing it is for us, to be able to read this moving, illuminating book.

3 comments about Surviving Black Ice.

1. This book grabbed me in the first few pages and I couldn't put it down. It is a story of a man who overcomes all kinds of obstacles and pushes through to a new life. For friends and families of brain injury survivors it offers practical guidance and insight into the mind of the person struggling to find a way through some dark tunnels in recovery. From feeling like the "retarded little brother" to being accused of being "drunk" by folks who didn't understand...Fierce tells a tale of courage. Fierce talks about learning how to do many things that were once second nature including sitting in class learning how to write a check!
   
   One message that came across very clear was "don't give up!" Fierce has the ability to look at himself with both humor and hope and that makes this book both fun and easy to read.



2. Having survived a brain injury myself, I've read a lot of books on the subject. David's story is, by far, one of the better ones. It should provide inspiration for those living with this unfortunate turn of events.
   
   I agree with the other review I read about it being a good companion book to Brain Injury Survivor's Guide: Welcome to Our World. This book has detailed information about living strategies that make life with brain injury much more livable.



3. Fierce shows that brain injury doesn't stop life. Life happens whether you are ready for it or not. This book is a great illustration of living with brain injury and how it affects every little thing.
   
   David's "never give up" spirit shows through as he refuses to stay a victim and, instead, become a brain injury survivor. One of my favorite stories was when David and his physical therapist spent hours practicing a walking move so he could impress his doctor. The doctor, of course, threw a couple of monkey wrenches into the plan. It's quite humorous.
   
   This is certainly one of the better books about living with brain injury and is a good illustration of that unexpected and unwanted lifestyle. This would be a good companion book for Brain Injury Survivor's Guide: Welcome to Our World.

5 comments about Sight Unseen.

1. I have recently finished this disaster of a novel for a college honors course "Disability through Autobiography." While attempting to read this book, my frustration took over and in a couple of instances, resulted in the book being thrown across the room. Much of the book seems a criticism of those that are not blind as well as the depictions of the blind by those who are not blind, namely authors and Hollywood directors. I can think of a much better topic for a book than nit-picking at random quotes in movies, books, and social groups. Kleege seems to only show the ability for a blind person to criticize those who are not blind and may not completely understand what blindness is. Although I have taken many courses that focus intensely on accepting those with disablilities in society, I find it very difficult to accept severe cynicism no matter what disability the author may have.



2. Like many people who have read this book, I am legally blind. It was recommended to me by a friend who has very good vision. Comparing notes with her was particularly educational. The perspectives of a sighted person and a blind person on the text turn out to be not all that different.
   
   This book has incredible ups and downs. First- the ups.
   Kleege's description of what a blind person sees is incredible, perhaps the best I have ever read. People who haven't had to worry about it are under such misconceptions. A lot of people think that if you can see- kind of- that what you see is a blur. Even the cover of this book appears to tell us the same thing, but that's far from true for everyone.
   
   The author makes the point that the designation of what constitutes legal blindness really was a pretty random decision. Who says 20/20 is normal? How many people do you know who use some kind of correction? Given that, how normal can it possibly be? Also, just because someone is legally blind, they may use their vision so efficiently that you don't know until they tell you that there's anything different about them. Ms. Kleege reports this experience in her own life. Conversely, someone who is legally blind may not use their vision at all. Also, her descriptions of the process of making sense of visual information is well done and should help to explain to people who don't know exactly how sight works, how different it can be for various people.
   
   My favorite of the points made by this book, however, has got to be that the fact that you can see something, doesn't mean you're not blind; doesn't make it not a good idea to learn Braille. Many of us with some useable sight were refused this tool as children. Frankly, if you can't read print at all without pain, this encourages illiteracy. Kleege is spreading the word that Braille is NOT a foreign language- it's just another way to percieve the alphabet that we already know. She raises the question of whether audio books constitute reading in the same way that reading print or Braille do. (given that it stimulates different parts of your brain, I'd argue no, although like Kleege, I think it's a useful tool at times.)
   
   Now for the downs.
   Kleege can be really disparaging of sighted people. There are subtle and less subtle digs and jabs all over the book. She puts words into the mouths of passing strangers, extending a real encounter into a possible outcome, making assumptions about what the sighted person would have said if she'd said something different, herself. Honestly not every sighted person is a complete jerk, or ignorant about how sight works. She asserts that a mother will stop a child from staring at a blind person because if you don't look at something unpleasant, it will go away. No, mothers do that because it's very rude to stare! My sighted friend was really offended by the middle of the book and actually exclaimed "well, so sorry I can SEE!"
   
   Her take on Oedipus' blindness, I thought, was overly dramatic. Kleege regards it as symbolic castration, setting the stage for the way people percieve blindness to this day. Frankly, Oedipus wasn't Freudian until Freud. If Oedipus had meant to castrate himself, given that this is a classical story and they didn't mince words- he would have.
   
   I also thought some of her arguments with modern cinema were perhaps a bit harsh. Not that really bad stereotypes don't exist. Movies like "Jennifer 8", portraying blind people as needful of institutionalisation and completely helpless when confronted by a sighted crazy, are a real problem. The blind aren't the only people stereotyped in Hollywood, though. One could argue that the heroine was helpless as much because she was a woman in a horror movie as that she was blind. Also, wasn't the protagonist in "Scent of a Woman" more stereotypically bachelorish than blind? True, a lot of movies were clearly directed by people who have never met a blind person. however, the unmoving stare empolyed by many film directors to typify the blind, which Kleege finds so offensive- exists. If one has been blind since birth, one sometimes lacks body language, never having observed it. If one lacks eyes, why blink to moisten them? Sometimes one forgets.
   
   All in all, I really enjoyed this book, even though I periodically wanted to yell "OH, come ON! Get over it!" I'd reccommend it to the blind who have not found anyone with whom to relate, lately, or the sighted who want to understand.
   
   And one more thing- anyone who gets embarrassed because they just said "Hey, look at this!" to a blind person. . . It's ok. We do it too.



3. Georgina Kleege, the blind author of _Sight Unseen_, speaks of her book as a kind of coming out narrative where she stops staging a sighted identity and accepts her blindness. Kleege describes her amazing experience dealing with blindness beginning at age 11 and details the ways she has adapted to living in a sighted world. Pretending to be sighted when you are blind poses an incredible challenge, but Kleege explains how the benefits outweigh any effort it takes to conceal blindness due to such a heavy stigma associated with the disability. However, even as she denied her blindness to others, Kleege has never viewed her disability as a punishment or cause for despair. It has not stopped her from becoming the successful writer and professor that she is, nor has it held her back from the activities she loves.
   Kleege opens our minds to her world, and describes with vivid imagery what and how she sees. Her condition causes a block to her central vision, but allows her to distinguish between colors and make use of her peripheral vision. Kleege makes her readers aware of a great many fallacies surrounding blindness, and gives numerous examples of how movies and literature concerning blindness often perpetuate negative stereotypes. Her readers accompany her to an art museum, back in time when she was sighted, and to France where she found inspiration from Louis Braille's accomplishments.
   The amazingly adapted author also invites her readers to try and imagine making use of their eyes the way she does on a daily basis. Her descriptions of viewing art and reading print evoked in my imagination a longing to temporarily share in her experience. I would have expected, however, the once sighted author to better understand the fear that sighted people have associated with blindness. The transition to permanent blindness is a great deal harder than just closing your eyes to simulate the disability. Kleege speaks only on behalf of her own blindness, and effectively captures the attention of her audience in helping them face and appreciate how a rich life without sight is possible.



4. I have just read this book (BTW for the reader who wanted it in audio format- check out NLS (National Library Service- or your state Library for the Blind) as this is how I read this book). I can relate to what the author goes through- as I'm also legally blind. However, unlike the author I was never fully sighted so I appreciate her compairson to being "sighted" as opposed to beling blind.

   Like the author I do have some useable vision and employ the same sort of adaptive devices she does. I believe this book could educate people that being blind does not mean you see nothing -- only 10% of people who are blind see nothing at all. There are varing degrees of blindness, and I think the author does an excellent job of conveaying this to her readers.




5. Yes, this book LOOKS good! But HOW can my husband READ it when he is B-L-I-N-D? Does the author want only to appeal (SELL TO) the majority of the world which is sighted? Blind people NEED books like these but they MUST be A-U-D-I-O.