Cockeyed

I liked this book and I think Mr. Knighton is a very talented writer. Very talented. I'm sorry for what he's experienced--losing your sight slowly must be so awful. His book is funny and poignant.But I am really puzzled at the choices he made about his blindness. He chooses not to get a seeing-eye dog, for example. He says he's "never thought of it" because he is too lazy. In his book about fatherhood, he mentions his "disdain" for Braille (it's not clear if he can even read it). It seems he only had a little training in using a cane. He says that he knows very little about his disease and that he relies on his mother to keep up on the latest treatments (I can sort of understand this last thing, I'm sure it is painful and discouraging to read about a condition that has limited treatments available). He makes fun of other blind people, though we are supposed to feel this is just good-humored joking. He seems to resist learning techniques that can help him gain more independence.I mean, the guy's been through a lot. Losing his sight, and losing a brother to suicide. I can't imagine what that must be like. But I do think that there are things he can do so he won't feel so helpless and dependent on others. Things that might increase his mobility and sense of pride and independence. Having a seeing-eye dog, for example, can be life-changing for a visually impaired person. I wish he'd give it a try. He writes a lot about what he can't do. With a seeing eye dog, or some help from the blind community, he might find life less frustrating.

I probably would not have read this book except that it was introduced as my Book Club’s next adventure. Being of the generation known as ‘Baby-boomers’, it reminded me of English Class requirements of my High School. A book showcasing a deep and witty coming of age, a peek behind the curtain of growing-up with all its emotional, awkwardness and uncontrollable limitations. A sample of the different life-roads we all face and eventually conquer. Good read.

I applaud this author's honesty and deeply thought out insights into his processes -of physical loss of vision and of his emotional and mental battles with repeatedly stunning changes in his experience of life within and without. As one who is legally blind from a different cause I read this book feeling both resonance with my own expereinces and awe at how this young man could so brashly, recklessly even, take on situations that would be (and have been) far beyond anything that I would dare. Most of all, this book is a carte blanche into many of the most private struggles of a vigorus man as he lives through the inxorable dimunition and loss of his physical ability to see. I can only say that it is in his writing of this book no less than the things he has done (and they are wonder-full) that Ryan Knighton shows an uncommon courage not often met with among the general population. Thank you,Mr Knighton!

This book is one of a kind in terms of how it depicts from a phenomenological perspective how the author experiences the process of going blind, the s***s in ways he inhabits the world, inlcuding how he relates to others and how the world relates to him. It intertwines the personal sphere and the public sphere and experiences and shows how blindness cannot be lumped into a general category of"disability." He also shows how our language is suffused with metaphors that are based on the sense of sight and how the metaphors stand out as such to the blind. It is suffused with a unique kind of humor and an honest account that has changed my way of experiencing the world in a profound way (and I will integrate it in all my communication courses as a recommended text).

Very informative about what my students go through as their vision decreases. It is helping me to help them cope with their decreasing vision.

I really wanted to like this book. Some of the descriptions of the narrator's increasingly challenging interactions with the world are wonderful. After reading it, I can well imagine what it feels like to be in a noisy club when you can barely see, or what it's like to navigate a stariway with only a cane for guidance. Even the relationship challenges are interesting and (to me) unprecedented.But sometimes there is just too much of a good thing. The in-depth narration gets tiring when it strays to non-pertinent events like teaching overseas. There are some good anecdotes, but they break up the stark reality of the growing handicap.Is it right to only give 3 stars to a book about blindness? Probably not. The author is great! I'll buy his next book for sure. But this one just didn't "get" me.

Needed it for school and worked well for the quarter

Talk about Life "throwing you a challenge!" Wow! But we all have them - I hope Ryan continues to do the best he can!

I met Ryan when he was the visual arts reviewer for the Vancouver Sun. He definitely put his own spin on my work. Was great to read his voice in this, and hope that the film development continues. He is a great storyteller.

Interesting

great story. Funny, touching and inspiring.