Josh Sundquist

Not quite what I expected but that’s both good and disappointing.

The good: Never would’ve guessed I would have so much in common with a Paralympian Presbyterian from Virginia. But the first chapter triggered some hilarious memories from my own evangelical upbringing and it set the tone for how real and relatable Josh’s experiences were.

The disappointing: Because I’m petty, I was expecting more direct closure with each girl. Like he sought them all out, told them about the book, and interrogated them. Which is delusional and weird so of course he would’ve have done that. I think the overall ending made up for it though. Also, along the same petty lines… a lot of those graphs had nothing to do with the story around them. They got more relevant as the book progressed but the early ones were very confusing.… (mehr)

This book was an uplifting read that tackled important questions in a reasonable manner.

Will is a lovely character--I enjoy how he manages to maintain an identity outside of being blind. I would have liked to see him have more of his own interests and passions, but despite him fitting into a character trait mould he was a lot of fun to read about. He maintained his independence and stuck up for himself and others.

I gained so much appreciation for the way I see from reading this book. Sundquist does an exemplary job of describing what it must be like to see for the first time. From the process of recognising colours to understanding the concept of objects being 3D, I definitely thought about my sight in different ways. Even terms like "perspective" are much more complex to describe than I previously would have thought.

I bought the fact that Will is eligible for a surgery that means he might regain eyesight for the sake of the book; however, I thought there was one other decision on a family member's behalf that was irrational. But this is YA, and though I rolled my eyes through the last part of the book, it came with the type of ending that one looks for.

Visually impaired people are definitely an underrepresented group in books, and though I was excited by the premise, I was simultaneously worried that this wouldn't be done carefully. However, I feel it was clear that the author carefully looked at many cases of blindness and formed an experience that was legitimate and gave me a new perspective.

This books gets extra points for bringing forward such a unique experience, but ultimately was a tale of acceptance and romance.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.… (mehr)

Veramente un gran bel libro che, oltre a essermi piaciuto molto, è stato capace di farmi scoprire e, soprattutto, capire qualcosa che non conoscevo.
La cecità è una condizione molto particolare e capire cosa vuol dire acquistare la vista per chi è cieco dalla nascita è qualcosa che non si può immaginare ma che questo libro riesce a far comprendere in maniera unica. La realtà che si crea nella mente di chi non vede e non ha mai visto è ben differente da quella di chi vede, e anche solo capire cosa siano i colori è qualcosa che va al di là dell’immaginazione di chi li ha sempre visti.
Una storia scritta veramente benissimo e che, oltre ad entrare in profondità nelle problematiche di una realtà difficile e sconosciuta, riesce anche a divertire con i suoi personaggi unici, particolari e pieni di umanità nonostante le loro “diversità”.
Da leggere assolutamente.… (mehr)