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thisisleila's review
4.0
This book belongs to an elite club of texts I purchased for college classes, and enjoyed enough that I kept them afterwards. Knighton's straightforwardness and good humor make this memoir about his eyesight and lack thereof both entertaining and thoughtful.
charsiew21's review against another edition
4.0
From almost the first chapter, I was already phrasing in my mind the email I would write to the author to tell him how much I enjoyed reading his book.
The book had personal relevance for me, so I probably got more out of it than most people would. I've got to admire people who get over the tough breaks that life hands to them and write about it, but that doesn't mean that I'll read their book. What kept me turning the pages was that Knighton is a talented writer, period. I especially enjoyed the last few chapters, which are less chronologically memoir-esque, and are more like riffs on life.
The book had personal relevance for me, so I probably got more out of it than most people would. I've got to admire people who get over the tough breaks that life hands to them and write about it, but that doesn't mean that I'll read their book. What kept me turning the pages was that Knighton is a talented writer, period. I especially enjoyed the last few chapters, which are less chronologically memoir-esque, and are more like riffs on life.
marie_gg's review
3.0
As a teenager, Ryan Knighton was labeled as a klutz because of his various scrapes and near-misses, especially driving a car and driving a forklift. At the age of 18, Knighton received a devastating diagnosis: he was going blind, and nothing could be done about it. Read my full review here: http://mariesbookgarden.blogspot.com/2010/12/cockeyed-memoir-of-young-man-going.html
qofdnz's review
4.0
I learnt things about blindness from this book that I had never considered before. It might be somewhat of a cruel pun but it was an eye opener.
julziez's review against another edition
5.0
I found this memoir in the biographies section of an annual used book fair held in a local school. It sounded interesting to me because I don't know much about blindness or being blind and the cover promised that this would be a humorous account. What I found, however, was one of the most beautiful stories I have ever read. Ryan Knighton writes about how he began to lose his eyesight, how it affected his life and relationships and how he came to eventually accept his abilities. What I found particularly wonderful about this book was that it's not really a story about blindness but more a story of the life of a blind man. While Knighton's degenerating eye sight is central to the story, it often doesn't seem to be the most important bit. The experiences he's had, the people he's lost and his relationship with the people and world that surrounds him are also defining aspects of his life. Who doesn't share those same fundamentals?
This book was everything it should be: inspiring (without pity), interesting, heart-warming and touching, enlightening and, most importantly, really quite funny. I'd recommend it to anyone looking to read a very human story.
This book was everything it should be: inspiring (without pity), interesting, heart-warming and touching, enlightening and, most importantly, really quite funny. I'd recommend it to anyone looking to read a very human story.
veronica19's review
3.0
I felt like the author jumped around from times in his life, and the book just ended unexpected.
bonylegged's review against another edition
3.0
I am currently dancing around with my rating of it. I don't know whether this book js more befitting a 3 or a 3.5 (we all know that extra half expresses something entirely different).
I enjoyed the book and found it easy to read, after a while I felt some what disconnected. Ryan is an excellent story teller from my personal experience as his student and from the Moth bits I've listened to. However, I found his writing didn't keep me as enthused.
I enjoyed the book and found it easy to read, after a while I felt some what disconnected. Ryan is an excellent story teller from my personal experience as his student and from the Moth bits I've listened to. However, I found his writing didn't keep me as enthused.
bassoonerd's review
3.0
This author has a very clear narrative voice, which made reading his memoir kind of fun and interesting. I learned some things about blindness and partial blindness in the process as well. I did like listening to his stories on This American Life more than reading the book, though.
texasreadergirl's review
4.0
Great book about a man's slow descent into blindness. Wonderfully written, poignant and humorous.