Andrew Leland

this is part memoir part study of the culture of blindness. one of the best things, if not the best thing i've read so far this year. it has all the things you want from a memoir, but it also zooms out to capture the world around it. i think Leeland's own struggles with going blind is handled with care and the utmost respect for disabled people even when he admits to his own ableism. this book was smart, vulnerable, intimate, wide scope, well researched and reported. to what extent is show more blindness a mere characteristic, rather than a defining aspect of who we are? what do you lose as a result of blindness and is it possible to come out the other side the same person you were before? show less

We meet Andrew Leland as he’s suspended in the liminal state of the soon-to-be blind: he’s midway through his life with retinitis pigmentosa, a condition that ushers those who live with it from sightedness to blindness over years, even decades. He grew up with full vision, but starting in his teenage years, his sight began to degrade from the outside in. Soon—but without knowing exactly when—he will likely have no vision left.

In the beginning the writer talks about how sighted people react to the obviously blind (cane wielding) and it's just crazy to me. Revulsion? Scorn? Condescension? An entitled sexual leer? Really? Who are you hanging around with? Pity I can see. Fear & curiosity, too, but the others? The ones that blame or scorn? That's just a crazy reaction. I haven't ever been in the company of a blind person other than casually seeing someone on a plane or in an airport, but none of those emotions crossed show more my mind except maybe the fear and possibly a little pity; I am human after all. Without glasses my world is a Vaseline covered smear until an object is within the end of my nose, but I could navigate it just fine because it's full angle and with depth. Driving and some other things would be out of the question and I wonder if I could still be a photographer or kayaker, but it wouldn't be the same and I can't imagine feeling blame or scorn for a blind person.

In the section about the warring national blindness organizations I had to laugh. One group lobbies for the chirping signal at city crosswalks to alert non-sighted people that it's safe to cross. One national group said it was condescending to blind people that they couldn't hear traffic telling them it was safe to cross. Well fuck you man, what about the sign that says WALK? Isn't that condescending to sighted people that they can't see that cars are stopped and it's safe to cross? What a STUPID argument.

One thing that came through loud and clear is the extent to which identity politics are ruining everything. As if certain segments of the population don't have enough problems, the internal strife and dissension is making it worse. Putting aside petty differences for the good of the whole is beyond everyone these days; we must only grind our own axes to death even if it is not in our best interests. Unity, consideration and (gasp!) compromise are off the table in favor of narrow agendas that have almost no effect to change policy or perceptions. When will people learn?

Ended up being a bit repetitive, but quite heartfelt. I still can't buy the assertion that loads of people actually cross the street to avoid blind people with canes, but maybe it does happen. Seems strange though. show less

This was my favorite book of summer 2023. “Part memoir, part cultural history of blindness,” is how it’s being marketed. I got to meet Mr. Leland at an author event! This book has so many interesting things to say about blindness re: the disability justice movement, and so many things that the author realized while on his own journey of becoming blind that I have learned about or had similar revelations within the context of my own ability and study of disability theory, so there were show more so many moments while reading where I just had to squee and go “Yay Andrew I’m so happy for you!!!” whenever he would talk about realizing some cool fundamental concept of disability acceptance/justice/whatever, or cite someone whose work I had read. Lovely experience, and he’s a really funny and nice guy. show less