nonfiction/memoir (retinitis pigmentosa / motherhood). funny and a quick read. ( )

I'm not a wild non-fiction reader but this one was pretty interesting. A woman who gets a You Will Be Blind in 10 year diagnosis when she is in her teens. She writes with good humor about navigating the world, a marriage, kids and a life with ever diminishing eyesight about which she is in massive denial. ( )

Having the same same eye condition as Nicole Kear, I was intrigued to read this book. In fact, a coworker brought it to my attention and suggested we purchase it for the library (I am responsible for purchasing books for our local library). Anyway, reading this book was like looking at my life experiences in may ways. One of the things about slowly losing your vision is that you adapt to the unnoticeable changes along the way so there really is no reason to tell anyone - you just do things a little different but no one notices or cares. Some of the fakes Nicole did I also did - like dealing with not seeing in the dark you just fake having one too many drinks - even if you have held the same drink for hours! Don't drive at night and you are out with friends, you just catch a ride or have to leave at sunset to pick up your kid. No one is the wiser. There is a point that comes when you simply can't fake things anymore and you have to have some help....with a deep breath and a lot of quiet meditation you come out of the closet and ask for help. With the many great staff at the Florida Division of Blind Services I was able to receive technology that allows me to be "normal" again and use a computer with technology that enlarges the screen, provides color contrast so it is easier to read with less glare, and even with audio options that reads EVERYTHING on the scree TO YOU. In fact you can take the written page and capture the images on your computer screen which will read the page to you. Amazing! I also have to thank the very kind staff at Lighthouse of the Palm Beaches for their support and training for home safety and mobility training. Nicole lives in New York and describes much of the same type of training and support she received from her local offices. Thank you Nicole for putting your experience down to help others learn about your experience! ( )

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I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you!

I'm not really used to reading memoirs, and it feels a bit odd to rate this book (it feels a bit like I'm rating someone's life, which I'm not, I'm just rating how much I enjoyed reading about it).

Nicole is 19 when she's diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a untreatable genetic disorder that causes her to gradually loose her sight and eventually will turn her blind. Nicole gets in a state of complete denial for as long as possible, trying to make the best of life. And, despite what the blurb says, she doesn't run away with the circus, she only spends one summer on circus-school.

Blindess is fascinating, but mostly in the 'I really hope it never happens to me/someone I know' kind of way. This story was interesting and at times even funny. She tries to keep her deteriorating sight a secret as long as possible, and even though she decides quite often she can't continue this way, this what she ends up doing every time. Understandable, because admitting would feel like surrendering to the disease. ( )

This was a short, good book. Most memoirs seem to have elements of the protagonist finding inner strength or another person to achieve more than they ever expected. I am sometimes a sucker for those. This was very different and enjoyable. Denial and humor were the main characteristics. There was also a support system but it wasn't perfectly portrayed. ( )