Perhaps my expectations for "Blind" were set too high, but I felt that Cipriani spent too much time telling the story of being a gay man struggling with a loss of eyesight instead of developing the story of the difficulties of any young man or woman overcoming blindness. Being straight or being gay didn't seem relevant, yet he spent a fair amount of time discussing his dates and boyfriends. The book is subtitled "a memoir", so the story was his to tell, but personally, I much preferred another book with a similar story: "Crashing Through: A True Story of Risk, Adventure, and the Man Who Dared to See", by Robert Kurson. ( )

Fascinating memoir about how the author learns to live and work successfully as a blind person after he is attacked and loses his sight. ( )

When will I get to read the inspirational memoir of someone aged, poor, already partially disabled, unable to finance as much as the filling of their teeth or a new hearing aid, not to speak of a guide dog and expensive computer gear? Never. That's why these books get such kudos. ( )

"Blind" by Belo Miguel Cipriani is an amazing memoir of a young gay man. He was a victim of incredible cruelty by people who he thought were lifelong friends. Severe pain was not enough for his tormented, they took his sight away.

Born to a Brazilian father and Italian mother, he worked in the financial district of San Francisco. He spent his money on expensive clothes and techno toys. He had twelve years of Capoeira training. I had never heard of the Brazilian form of marital arts before. Just in case you are not familiar with it either, I am including this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capoeira

Belo's life changed suddenly the day he was beaten, robbed. He had several operations but he was left with permanent total blindness.

The rest of his memoir is his struggle to accept his blindness and learn to navigate through the non-seeing world. I learned so much from this book, not just about how people see the blind and react to them but also about the special gadgets that help daily life. Most important is facing up to what you have and dealing with it.

If you have a day off, try getting through just two hours blindfolded. Try it! I think you will find it very challenging.

This book is written in crisp language and wit. This book is not just for people who have a visual disability.

I highly recommend this book to everyone. This book is a real winner. ( )