loved this book

Well written and presented, with lots of history I didn't know about. would recommend. thank you very much to the author.

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A way of seeing

What a great title for this vigorous and stimulating book! Like Selina Mills I am severely sight impaired and I am well familiar with the multitude of everyday frustrations experienced as a consequence of sight loss . I share her visceral shock at being officially categorised as ‘blind’ for the first time, and her fears for the future.

But the great thing about this multi-layered memoir is that it takes you away from these everyday concerns, on a journey of exploration through past centuries. From a multitude of fascinating sources, Mills illustrates the varied and shifting social attitudes to blindness . She has written that the book was her personal quest : “I wanted to take my readers on a journey with me, rather than lecture them.” She certainly succeeds, and the word ‘journey’ encapsulates the sense of exploration and discovery which I found so absorbing and invigorating. As she intended, this memoir certainly took me on “different trails”.

The range of her sources is huge . From mythology, classical writers and historians, through centuries of drama, poetry, fiction and memoir – she presents the whole gamut of attitudes to blindness and blind people. Some can shock such as the medieval works presenting blind people as buts of cruel humour. But there are many more different thought-provoking stories. I enjoyed the breadth of the references: the role of blindness of nineteenth century fiction was particularly interesting. The centuries of efforts to ‘fix’ blindness include horrific - always unsuccessful - procedures , and the well-intentioned early charities for ‘the blind’ now seem horribly patronising and demeaning.

The interweaving of Mills’ personal odyssey with the scholarly references works extremely well. Her aim was to release people from what she believes to be the stigma of blindness where those affected are seen as individuals to be pitied, ‘fixed’ and somehow rescued from what is seen as their terrible fate. Mills has a chapter on the technical advances which make such a difference to those with sight impairment, , some of which have enabled her to write and read this book. But above all she wants the ‘unseeing’ to be viewed not as separate from everyone else. They merely have a ‘different way of living on this planet’. In this she succeeds admirably.

Through her own narration of Life Unseen Mills’ character and sense of humour are stronger than I think they would be on the printed page. I loved it.

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A must listen to book

Great informative listen while walking my dog. Some of the stories were shocking and unbelievable. Narrater was fun to listen to and her personality shines through.

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1 person found this helpful