2 comments about I Had No Means to Shout.

1. In reading this book it brought tears to my eyes many times. My son is verbally apraxic. I can share the Hale's excitement in knowing for the first time what their son is thinking and what he wants to say. Charles is truly an inspiration. His parents Mary Jane and Martel are true saints. In a world where people want easy solutions, they never gave up on Charles. They never stopped searching for new possibilites for Charles to communicate.

   I feel this book is an absolute must read for anyone who deals in anyway with handicapped children or adults. This book is a breakthrough to a better understanding and a better way of helping handicapped people. This book will eduacate our special needs providers on a new level.

   This book will also let parents know they are not alone and to continue to fight for your children, you are the only one who will. Never loose your hope or faith.

   I thank Mary Jane and Charles for allowing us into their lives and for showing us brighter, promising futures for our loved ones.

   With much respect and admiration!




2. This is a book about the best in all of us. A reaching across the greatest differences in humanity to discover the essence of our beings. It's also a story of uncommon heroism and the power of a loving family.

   I feel I can speak eloquently about this because I also know, as the author of this book, what it means to find a whole person where others felt there was just a shell and not have people believe it or actively try to pull it away. It's the story of a mother and father's discovery that their child, who is a severely autistic 36 year old man, is not only very intelligent and aware, but has a depth of wisdom and love that is very rare.

   But in keeping with her son Charles' attitude, Mary Jane doesn't dwell on the hurt and betrayal of those who don't believe in what Charles is saying, but joyously celebrates this wonderful discovery and what Charles tells us in his own words about autism and the controversy over Facilitated Communication (FC). I talked with five adult autistics using FC for two years and I have no doubt that every word that Charles says is his own. If you want to know about autism, this is the first place to start. For those that have used FC, they will find many new insights.

   Jane's presentation is even and lively. I particularly enjoyed the biographical sketch which gives us a look at two wonderful parents in their journey together raising a very special but difficult child. I have been a worker and not a parent of special children, but I am a parent and have a special appreciation for what these parents go through. When they do it right like Jane and many more, it's especially enriching knowing them. These parents become just as special as their kids. But now, thanks to parents like Mary Jane, we can get a more complete picture of just how special their children are. Make no mistake about it, what we are learning through FC about consciousness and the human condition is equivalent to Copernicus' discovery of the Earth being round instead of flat. These special people have a very important function amongst us, and while Jane's son Charles doesn't flaunt it, you can assuredly hear it in his words. Think of this book as Rainman finally having a chance to talk.

5 comments about Life Inside.

1. For some reason I am very curious about the care of the metally ill in the 1960's. If Mindy was sent away in the 1970's up unitl today she would have been in a group home and not treated so much as a mental patient. I can relate to how she felt the need to hide her illness from others. I love the line "...sitting on an egg waiting for it to hacth" and how it relates to my life and dealing with my illness. It does bounce back and forth alot but if you concentrate enough it all fits. I didn't like the beginning of the book because it seemed too slow but it moves along afterwards.



2. Life Inside has become one of my favorite books.
   
   The story of Mindy Lewis, an almost typical teenager of the late sixties in a culture that much of society didn't know how to deal with. (Many "normal" teenagers found themselves in psych wards then as they do now.) Experimenting with drugs and boys and throwing much caution to the wind forced her mother to make a difficult decision in sending her to P.I.
   
   The details used to paint a bleak picture of her two and a half years inside were painful and beautiful at the same time. Mindy is joined by a cast of other teenagers like herself, trapped in a world that they can only escape within themselves. She and the other youths are all in the same boat, "Am I sane or insane?"
   
   The memoir doesn't end there on the inside but also life outside. Mindy's self-doubt about her mother and her family and a lot of reflections on what landed her at a psych hospital in the first place. The luncheon that she has with her mother where they finally have an open dialouge about her mother's decision to send her there is heartwenching. We know Mindy's side. Upon hearing her mother's side you really sympathise and wonder what else could she have done?
   
   A loving package of memoir, storytelling, and period piece.



3. I think there is a place in literature for a story like Ms. Lewis tells. I thank goodness that for all the mysteries that surround mental illness still, we have come very far from where we were in the '60s.
   
   Ms. Lewis does not really address the 'why' - why she was hospitalized in the first place. To hear her tell it, she was just a little rambunctious (and so were all her hospitalized peers). I have to believe that it was much worse than she lets on. Even so, I have a bit of a hard time feeling bad for her when she is hospitalized, because as badly as she wanted out, she refused to toe the line and do what it took to be released. She was constantly causing trouble and getting herself restricted, and she wasn't a stupid, innocent girl by any stretch of the imagination, and undoubtedly this obstinate behavior caused her very lengthy stay.
   
   Ms. Lewis critiques her adult behavior with a fine-toothed comb, and speculates how her adult choices are affected by her hospitalization, and by her upbringing.
   
   I really felt for her mother, who had the weight of the world on her single-parent shoulders. Ms. Lewis characterizes her as extremely dysfunctional, and blames most of her problems on her.
   
   Certainly she was not schizophrenic as she was diagnosed in the hospital, but from her many lengthy descriptions, I saw evidence of possible bi-polar disorder. Unfortunately it seems like she never explored an alternative diagnosis that might have been treated successfully.



4. This book isnt necesarily about going in order or believable or not, as much as the way she felt. maybe some things dont seem to be in order because the years she was hospitalized and into her 20s it seemed like things were swirling around in her head. i know some parts might not seem so believable to those who dont have anxiety or any of these issues, but for someone living it, it was such a breath of fresh air to be able to relate to this book. it isnt about whether other ppl have it worse and shes worthy of pity, but that because of everything going on in her head, she couldnt help but feel sorry for herself for a long time. i have no idea how someone who cant relate to this book would see it, but for those of us whose lives havent moved in a straight line because our feelings take us off track, this book was great. i am 22 and obv wasnt around in the 60s but i loved this book. also you might feel sorry for her during it but maybe instead of a pity party its to admire how far she came, all by herself. beautifully written. the hospital part was rather long but i guess it mustve seemed even longer to her.



5. Mindy Lewis was hospitalized in a teaching hospital for mentally ill adolescents and young adults, from the time she was 15 3/4 until she was a little past 18. This "memoir" describes her family situation, her friends and the staff in the hospital, and her nutty behavior at times (drinks silicone grout on the spur of the moment). Ms. Lewis blames everyone but herself for being put in the hospital. Prior to being admitted, she refused to go to school, took drugs, was promiscuous, and her mother could not control her. Her parents were divorced. Her mom worked and wanted a clean house. Her stepfather walked around in his undershorts. All of this is pretty "normal", she finds out, for teens in the 60's. Once Ms. Lewis is finally released, she goes through years and years of anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive behavior, refusing to take any prescribed drugs for these sometimes debilitating conditions. Years later, she seems to have finished going through her phases. She tries to call a few psychiatrists on the carpet about wasting two years of her life in the hospital. But they don't seem to have too much remorse.
   
   Ms. Lewis has a way with prose, but the book is extremely disorganized and confusing. She goes back and forth without letting the reader know that's what she's doing (in the end she justifies this by saying it was necessary for the book to "flow"). Her best friend Marjee, somehow goes from age 13 to 17 (but most of the time she's age 13), while Ms Lewis goes from almost 16 to 18 in the same exact time period. She also somehow manages to graduate from high school by only taking an English class - and that only when she feels like it. I also don't buy the case notes of the staff as being genuine. Another difficult story to believe was when she was in her twenties and had taken two jobs which started the same day, thinking she would considerately decide which one she wanted, on the morning she was to begin. She has an anxiety attack in the subway, and when she gets off the police immediately cuff her, saying they have received "several calls" about her (this would be in the 1970's). The cops take her to Bellevue, but she talks her way out of that. And where did she get the photo of her topless self on the cover? Did staff or another patient take it?
   
   I'm sorry this happened to Ms. Lewis, but I guess I've just read about adolescents who've had it a lot worse. I've even known people who been through much worse. So Ms. Lewis's constant whining and feeling sorry for herself doesn't grab me and make me go "Wow - this is amazing, what this woman has gone through." It probably would have helped the book if she had included some of her much talked-about artwork, as well as photographs of her family.

5 comments about One Man's Leg.

1. Excellent motivator for people feeling disabled. Don't let a couple of 4 letter word obscure the inspiration of Paul Martin's story.
   Ray Ruggles Haigler, Nebraska



2. One of the most inspiring books I've ever read, Paul Martin takes us on a personal journey through his happiness and his heartaches.Through all of the successes and misfortunes, we are given an honest, and at times, very humorous look at one man's search for true joy and personal success. What does it take to be truly joyous and accomplished in life? It takes the will to try, and the willingness to take different roads until you find the one that belongs to you. It takes all that Paul Martin has to share in this wonderful book.



3. One Man's Leg shows the strength of the human spirit, and the determination of one man in particular. But rather than bludgeon us with a tale of dark adversity and eventual triumph, this book delights in its accessibility and humanity. Paul leads us through his life and evolution with humility and honesty, and writes in a natural prose that inspires genuine identification with him as a person first, and an amputee secondarily.

   I heartily recommend this book to anyone at any stage of life, for both a delightful read and a reminder that humans are capable of great things if we only rise to the occasion.




4. I usually don't get into books like this but I read a review on this one and had to check it out...and I was not disappointed. This is a great book for non-athletes and athletes alike. It really shows how someone can change their lives and become great in whatever they decide to focus their energies on regardless of the barriers in the way.

   At times the book seems somewhat self-indulgent...but if it was my book I'd do the same...overall it's a great book and recommend it!




5. This book is a must-read for anyone that has gone through a tragic event, rough time, or is feeling sorry for themselves. It puts life into perspective and shows that there is always someone worse off than you, no matter how tough things get. It shows that you can laugh at yourself no matter what, and provides insight to the strength of the human spirit.
   Paul sets the example that you can accomplish anything that you set your mind to.
   Inspirational!!!

1 comments about The Last Childhood: A Family Story of Alzheimer's.

1. This is a lovely book about a very difficult subject. The first sentence sets the tone: "Last night I dreamed my mother knew my name." It's honest and right to the point. It helps families of people with Alzheimer's cope with the shifting stages of the process. And it's a fine memoir, even if you're not looking for information about the disease.

5 comments about The Loony-Bin Trip.

1. As a person with manic depression, I can identify with some of the things Kate Millett had to say. However, I found her attitude about mental illness rather annoying. In this book, it is clear that she finds a diagnosis of manic depression infuriating and shameful. She finds lithium, a drug that has saved countless lives, to be nothing short of political oppression. She ends by saying that the illness does not really exist.
   
   I cut Millett some slack because the book was written in the 80s and our society had not yet crossed over from Freudian thinking into brain science (we are still making that journey). I'm wondering if she has changed her mind at all in the years since the publication of the book. I, myself, am not ashamed or infuriated by my diagnosis in the way Millett was. I insist on my right to proper treatment, where she felt wronged by the notion of treatment at all.
   
   While I did not agree with most of what Millett had to say, this book is captivating. She is clearly a brilliant woman and a fantastic writer.



2. Millet carefully unpacks the historical events surrounding her "breakdowns." Her family and many friends think she is crazy to buy a farm and turn it into an artist's retreat. As readers, it's hard to know whether she did or didn't have a breakdown. However, regardless of whether it even can be determined in such a black-and-white manner, we feel an incredible empathy for her as she welcomes us to experience her hurt, her feelings of jealousy and loss, and her moments of profound joy. For anyone who has ever been diagnosed with a mental "disorder," this is a wonderfully affirming book.



3. I read this book primarily for some insights into the excesses of psychiatry, and found much of that. I was quite surprised how strongly I identified with some of her feelings. Though I have have never had problems of the sort Kate had (has?), I am one of the many who have experienced clinical depression and been treated for it. As I read her book, I noticed how even this minor problem carries a lifetime of suspicion from others. As I go through life, physicians and relatives are quite ready and willing to jump on ordinary feelings as "evidence" that it is happening again, and maybe there is more to it. How oddly must one behave to start the spiral down to the point of something like Kate's experience happening?

   Though I felt that Kate really should have known better than to do some of what she did, knowing that others were likely to use them excuses to have her committed, I still felt deeply her fear and helplessness. I was especially disgusted by the attitude of the shrink who failed to get her hauled away in the Bowry only through Kate's quick thinking.

   The minuses of this book for me were the many times the she goes into descriptions of artists and other creative types in such exalted terms. Kate left little doubt that, to her, anyone who does other things with their lives are empty shells who rely on the chosen ones (such as herself) to be able to see the world as it truly is. This sort of elitism (how many times does she tell us she is a professor and published writer) and condescension is sickening in someone who spends so much of her life trying to right great wrongs of society.




4. Written between 1982 and 1985, The Loony-Bin Trip is overwhelmingly an effort to revert common notions of depression so that, like "grief," it may be allowed to enter the popular vocabulary. Millet achieves her foremost intent through her undeniably exquisite prose supplanted by already-changing attitudes toward depression among the public. However, The Loony Bin Trip is much more than a diatribe against prevailing stigmas of depression - it is a tender account of a talented, intelligent women's relentless desire to be accepted and understood by her contemporaries. Traumatic accounts and vivid self-reflection can occasionally prompt the most neutral reader into turmoil, thus rendering The Loony Bin Trip a cross-reference somewhere between memoir and horror. Her gut wrenching appeals for sympathy may provoke anger in some readers, reinforcing her real-life role as that of a "crazy" woman, but ultimately, her wealth of writings prove her to be a functional, if not creatively contributing, member of society. Reading Kate Millet's The Loony Bin Trip is a trip in itself. (Review written for Women's Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal," a publication of the Claremont Colleges.



5. The Looney Bin By Kate Millett shares with us her experiences, ranging from dispair, to terror, and finally inner peace, after being diagnosed Manic Depressive. The book is a strong indictment against the treatment of the mentally ill here and abroad.

5 comments about The Cry of the Gull.

1. This is an exquisite book, both heartbreaking and inspiring at the same time. Emmanuelle Laborit was born deaf into a hearing family, at a time when using sign language in public was a crime in France: it was considered obscene, and the law wasn't changed until 1976, well into the author's childhood. This created a tragic set of circumstances for those born deaf in France.
   
   The author was blessed to have college educated parents who were willing and able to look outside of their own culture to find what their child needed, and when her father decided they should learn sign language, he brought the family to Gallaudet University in Washington, DC for a month, where mother, father and child took part in an intensive sign-language immersion program.
   
   Laborit writes eloquently about the first seven years of her life, a time in which she had no formal language to express herself with. Until her parents made the decision to learn formal sign language, Laborit and her mother made up their own signs, but the problem with home signs is that they are understood only within the environment where they were created.
   
   I highly recommend this book to hearing parents of deaf children, as well as anyone working with deaf children and young adults. The insight provided here is invaluable.



2. Emmanuelle Laborit writes her autobiography with such expressive detail. Some parts were hard to believe what the deaf have to go through to let themselves be heard for others. I recommend this book for any parent of a deaf child. What choices they have to make in the education of their child. There are so many different choices. Emmanuelle expains how her education was, she did nearly everything. When she started to learn sign language the world became more understanding to her.



3. Author recounts troubles of a person born deaf in france,compounded by the fact that sign language was outlawed there as "too sensual" until 1979. It's also a beautifully written book which captures the softness and gentle love of words often found in many english-as-a-second-language authors {except,for her,english is a third language!}.

   I lost all my hearing suddenly in 1999. The whole world runs like a silent movie. I am excluded and don't understand what is going on around me anymore. This book offers insight,direction,hope. Maybe it will make people more sensitive to the cruel isolation of deafness.




4. Author recounts troubles of a person born deaf in france,compounded by the fact that sign language was outlawed there as "too sensual" until 1979. It's also a beautifully written book which captures the softness and gentle love of words often found in many english-as-a-second-language authors {except,for her,english is a third language!}.

   I lost all my hearing suddenly in 1999. The whole world runs like a silent movie. I am excluded and don't understand what is going on around me anymore. This book offers insight,direction,hope. Maybe it will make people more sensitive to the cruel isolation of deafness.




5. This book caught my eye, because I really only read non-fiction. My interest in human development has been encouraged by my rather stilted childhood. This book is written with such candidness, that you are literally enveloped. I have laughed out loud, shed some tears, and loved every moment.

No comments about Maína (Serie Gongoli).

5 comments about Bill W. and Mr. Wilson: The Legend and Life of A.A.'s Cofounder.

1. Pompous, pretentious and expensive sums up this book for me in just a few words. As a member of AA and having read a number of histories of AA and Bill W I was really looking forward to reading something which I thought might throw a new light and tell me something new. In reality it was, with very few exceptions, simply a repetition of the same old stuff and written in an irritating style. Alluding to a biker at Founders' Day on the second page Mr Raphael writes "The contrasting colors and textures emphasize the cut of the chaps, how they cradle his virilia, leaving him suggestively exposed." proved to be warning enough that this was not going to be a book I would enjoy or find readable. Irritating prose, questionable and unsupported ideas and theories, and with allusions to being a poor man's "Not God" this is most definitely a book I would not commend to anyone. And not worth the quite substantial price either!



2. Literary scholar and professor of English, John W. Crowley, writing under the pen name Matthew J. Raphael, renders a refreshing perspective on the life of Bill Wilson, founder-in-chief of Alcoholics Anonymous.
   
   With "Bill W. and Mr. Wilson" Crowley expanded his personal bibliography of works pertaining to alcoholism and drinking, including "The White Logic: Alcoholism and Gender in American Modernist Fiction" (1994), "Drunkard's Progress: Narratives of Addiction, Despair, and Recovery" (1999), and most recently, "Drunkard's Refuge: The Lessons of the New York State Inebriate Asylum" (2004).
   
   Like other recent Wilson biographers, Crowley critically examines key events in Wilson's story and flirts with exposé. Unfortunately, the criticism goes only as far as an adoring fan of Bill Wilson could permit. Crowley has to be careful not to lose his AA readership at the same time he has to preserve his own faith. It's a slack tightrope, but casual readers will be left believing he has made it to the other side safely. Others will see the length of the rope and draw their own conclusions.
   
   This book is an absolute must-read for anyone with an interest in the origins of Alcoholics Anonymous.



3. I was given this book as an early gift for my 5-year sobriety birthday. In April 1998, I took what I hope was my last drink. In April 2003, "God willin' and the creek don't rise," I will celebrate that 5-year milestone. I've read all the AA-approved treatments of our co-founders and their lives, and much of the non-conference-approved canon on the life of William G. Wilson. This book quickly became my favorite because of its honesty. Rather than painting Bill W. as God's special instrument, divinely appointed to save us drunks and led by God as if by puppet strings, this book paints an appropriately complex picture of a real human being -- a drunk like me. Raphael's take on Bill W. is based on tremendous research and a great deal of thought, as well as the wisdom of long-term, "good" sobriety. The writing is lucid and readable, though I did have to consult the dictionary twice. (I don't mind that, though -- being stretched a little. Good books should do that, don't you think?) For anyone interested in AA's legendary cofounder, I give this book a 5-star recommendation. It doesn't get better than this for thoughtful members of the recovery community.



4. I picked up this book after finishing Francis Hartigan's fine biography of Bill Wilson. I simply could not finish this book. "Raphael," the pseudonym of the author used in accordance with AA's 12th tradition, does a slip-shod job of reserching this subject, and mainly spends his time writing textual rifs based on his own interior monolog.

   This kind of writing seemed OK in the 70s, but now that Raphael and I have sobered up, it doesn't seem very interesting.




5. Only 3500 copies initially published. Sure to be a cult book like Igor Sikorsky's "Aa's Godparents : Three Early Influences on Alcoholics Anonymous and Its Foundation : Carl Jung, Emmet Fox, Jack Alexander" and copies will be hoarded and in great demand. The cover of the book is outstanding, from a painting, NIGHTHAWKS by Edward Hopper 1942, its compelling.

   The book, like its cover, also is compelling. The author has an easy to read but euridite and somewhat pedantic style that once I became used to it was very comfortable. Its been a long time since I encountered the terms termagant or fin de siecle.

   The facts and narratives are always interesting and I find myself agreeing and disagreeing with a number of statements and conclusions but I have to think them out. Items covered extremely well are existentialism, deflation in depth, desire for salvation, The Varities of Relegious Exerience, and the list goes on. That it has compelled me to think out some preconceived views is what I find to be the best characteristic of this book. Read the book and "Let your response happen."

   Factually it is nicely done. I admire and respect the author's endeavors.

   That said, there are several holes that I wish had been explored:

   The Hebrew and Greek concept of "Metanoia" is mentioned in a shallow passage that dismisses it as a purely "Protestant" concept. Father John Doe's, Ralph Pfau, writings would be a place to start. Repentance is more than confessing and saying you are sorry... (there are more than 4 steps!)

   Where o where is any reference to Emmet Fox? The Sermon on the Mount has been called the "Little Big Book" and there are several histories where it is noted that it was given out at meetings before there was a big book. The author did a wonderful job of tying linage back to the (Shoemaker, Buchman) Oxford Group, I found myself wishing he had done the same with Emmet Fox. (The Sermon on the Mount is still AA approved literature.)

   Several Long/Old/Seasoned Timers have mentioned that Bill, while writing the 164 pages at the mystical white kitchen table, constantly used and referenced the Bible, New Testament, and the book of James. I would have liked to have seen this aspect covered with the same ability the author showed with Nell Wing's viewpoint.

   Bill W has a pamphlet which is AA approved and published where he addresses an AMA medical conference. In it he simultaneously describes the program along three tracks - 1) Psychological, 2) Philosophical, and 3) Spiritual. I found myself hoping the author was going to cover this material. Alas, no such chapter.

   But it was a great book, I wanted more of the Author's reasoned, diligently researched and insightful conversational text. Even though I did not completely or necessarially agree, I really enjoyed the process of the reading experience. I truly enjoyed the book. It made me think, made me agree and disagree, informed me, and affected me. I really would like to have seen it be twice as long.

   In the stepping stones section where the author discribes Lois W. as saying that Bill W. did truly achieve humility was wonderfully led up to, framed, and presented. I felt, se finis, as if Bill was saying to me, out of this book, "True ambition is to walk humbly and to live usefully under God's Grace."

   Well Done! Bravo

5 comments about Beautiful Child.

1. This is about a special ed class and how the teacher struggled throughout the year and turned it around. Some was so funny I laughed out loud and other parts were very sad.
   
   Venus was the most challenging of all the children because she had very serious abuse in the home and was mostly unresponsive except when attacking other kids when they accidentally bumped her. She finally got the help she needed after the hospital treated her for hypothermia, had to amputate her toes, and found 22 broken bones that had healed or were in various stages of healing.
   
   It also dealt with the struggle Torey had with her aide who was totally on a different page philosophically and really undermined what she was trying to do.
   
   Some of the things teacher did that worked were:
   * behavior modification with traffic lights;
   * singing between activities or to refocus kids when they started fighting;
   * closed eye journey;
   * special one-on-one time at recess with Venus--held her on her lap.
   
   I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in special needs kids or who teaches children.
   
   Karen Arlettaz Zemek, author of "My Funny Dad, Harry"



2. Awsome book. Torey Hayden is a marvelous teacher and writer. I have all her books and have thoroly enjoyed them. The marvelous patience she has with these children and the love she has for them is wonderful.



3. This was a great book, very easy read. It will tear at your heart strings.



4. For those who have already read One Child, it may be more appropriate to rate Beautiful Child as a 4 star book, given that in many ways the two books are very similar. However once again it is a compelling read and very difficult to put down - like One Child, I was through this book in a couple of days. And again, this is the story of the development of a class of children with major behavioural difficulties over a period of one school year (4 boys and 1 girl, with others joining part-time) and the story is particularly focused on one of those children (a 7 year old girl named Venus). Because Venus herself hadn't committed any "crimes", I didn't take as strong a message as I took from One Child, which really brought it home to me that those we call the worst sinners are generally more sinned against than sinners. However the same lessons regarding the unfairness of the hands dealt to so many people, how extremely lucky most of us are without in any way deserving or earning it, and how we should think twice before jumping to conclusions about some of our least "attractive" fellow human beings, came through strongly.



5. Beautiful Child is a true story about Torey Hayden and her experiences with her severely handicapped class of 6 children ranging in age from 6-9. This story deals particularly with her experiences with an elective mute little girl named Venus Fox. Venus never talks, never cries, and never shows any emotion. She however does have dramatic violent outbursts when another student gets too close to her, or touches her either by accident or to provoke her. Venus is deprived of clothes, food, and is being forced to sleep naked in the bath tub in the middle of winter. Her older sister Wanda brings her to school, when she remembers. Eventually Torey starts putting together little pieces of information that both Venus and Wanda begin to share with her. When Venus is admitted to the hospital, it all comes together. This was a good book, but not the best one I have read by Hayden.

1 comments about Against the Pollution of the I.

1. Jacques Lusseyran, who was blinded at age 7, speaks in this fascinating book about how blind people can "see" by using their other senses and tuning into spiritual realities. He also talks about the gifts that accompany his blindness. This is an amazing exposition of phenomena not usually discussed (or perhaps even acknowledged) by blind people. It is certainly a message of optimism for them. But it is also inspiring for sighted people who realize how much they may be missing by relying so heavily on the sense of sight. Extremely interesting and insightful.
   The book would be best read after And There was Light, Lusseyran's autobiography, which describes his adjustment to blindness, his involvement in the French resistance during World War II, and his survival in a German concentration camp.