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There are currently 26 member reviews
for Blind Man's Bluff
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Donna W. (Wauwatosa, WI)
Blind Man's Bluff
This was a good book, and an interesting look into the life of a handicapped person. It was written with self deprecating humor, and was easy, and quick to read. The author has a good style of writing, and he let me see into his world. I felt the pain he went through as he was growing up, and the difficulty he continues to go through on a daily basis.
I was attracted to the character, and interested in his life experiences, but at times I felt his writing jumped around too much from one time frame to another. I would just get into one event, when he would unexpectedly go to another event. Certain events could have been fleshed out more, but it didn't take away from the feel of the memoir. A talented writer, and I would be interested in future books.
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Karen R. (Columbus, OH)
Blind in more than one way
I am an eye doctor so was excited to read this. I especially enjoyed reading about the author's experience being tested, and then receiving his diagnosis. I was disappointed JT refused to accept, acknowledge, and move forward with his disability. The book was well written, easy to read. I hope JT will write another memoir about accepting his disability.
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Mary M. (Swansea, MA)
Blind Man's Bluff
As a seasoned lover of memoirs I eagerly awaited the arrival of Blind Man's Bluff by James Tate Hill. After reading the short recap provided by First Impressions, Mr. Hill's story seemed honest, intriguing and insightful. And it truly was all of these things!! The machinations the author goes through on a daily basis to avoid detection of his blindness, while at times humorous, are always quite incredible and exhausting! One can only imagine how he felt at the end of his long day. This book is an important story on individual and societal acceptance of disability. And while at times I found the writing a bit tedious/detailed I remained engaged throughout was quite curious to see how Mr. Hill's story ended.
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Eileen C. (New York, NY)
The grief of non-acceptance
James Tate Hill's moving memoir is an excellent case study of what happens when we refuse to accept things as they are and when we are overly invested in other people's opinions. Hill is a problem solver with a sense of humor, but by trying to hide the severity of his vision loss he makes his life much more difficult and isolated than it needs to be. Written with compassion for his younger self, Hill helps the reader fully appreciate the difficulties of living with vision loss and the way technology and friends can help us overcome our limitations.
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Jennie R. (Highland, CA)
Interesting, but…
It was all too easy to become distracted from this book, putting it down to do something else. I really wanted to like this one, and although I feel compassion for the boy, and the man he became, he seems self-absorbed to the point it was off-putting. In my opinion, he was a perfect example of the saying "pride goeth before a fall". He did overcome obstacles (though many were of his own making) to become a writer, and I applaud the perseverance it must've taken. I enjoyed the descriptions of the schools he attended, and people he met along the way, however, I don't feel this book would be a good selection for a book club to discuss.
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Kathryn S. (St. Helena Island, SC)
Blind Man's Bluff
I was interested in this book for two reasons: 1)I am a therapist who has worked with the blind and visually impaired, so reading from the client's perspective interested me and 2) I have recently been diagnosed with macular degeneration myself and the story of someone coming to terms with loss of vision captured my attention. The first two-thirds of the book kept my interest, but thereafter I was tempted to skim to the end where (hopefully) the author would find a way to accept and deal with his disability. The relationship with Meredith was a bit hard to follow and the resolution not particularly satisfying, but then this is based on true life not fiction! Not a book I would recommend to a friend.
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Juli B. (Prosper, TX)
Missed the Mark of Clear Understanding
A decade ago I read "Crashing Through: A True Story of Risk, Adventure, and the Man Who Dared to See" written by Robert Kurson about Mike May, blinded at age three, who defied expectations by breaking world records in downhill speed skiing, joining the CIA, and becoming a successful inventor, entrepreneur, and family man. He had never yearned for vision. I found his life story so enthralling that I contacted my local Blind Association to volunteer in the community for others who were vision impaired. I did not have the same emotional reaction to "Blind Man's Bluff" by James Tate Hill. In fact I found this memoir rather unemotional and dry of details. Yes, we learn of the author's diagnosis and his desire to navigate life, undetected by others, with the challenges his diminishing abilities present, but the chapters seemed to provide journal-entry details with true feelings unattached. As a reader I wanted more inspiration from his efforts to achieve. I wanted a clearer picture of the devastation that often presents when life does not easily accommodate a person with disabilities. I wanted to be inspired by the author's spirit to succeed. I wanted to know more about how he discovered the internal will to reinvent daily life to suit a person with vision deficiencies. Clearly the author is now a published writer, but I found myself more interested in the heroics of his parents, Jim and Belinda, who believed in his abilities all along giving him independence long before he had proven the maturity to handle such challenges. I do find his life accomplishments admirable and for that his story has earned 3 stars, but I was left wanting so much more...a clearer understanding of how to succeed without the advantages of full sight.
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