Book Summary and Reviews of Blind Man's Bluff by James Tate Hill

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Robin M. (Newark, DE)

Not Bluffing
Blind Man's Bluff is a memoir of an ordinary man, not a celebrity, who gradually goes blind during the years that young adults grow into independence. The reader travels the maturation process with Hill as he stumbles along, with anger and disappointment, with humor and denial, as he tries to "pass" as a sighted person.
This book was engaging, funny, sad and a great read.
I'd recommend it to my book club; however we don't read books about living people, but I will recommend it to my friends!

Linda K. (Sunset, SC)

Blind Man's Bluff
Blind Man's Bluff was not only an informative view into the world of a visually challenged young man, but also a very sensitive and often amusing story. Mr. Hill's memoir of coping with diminishing eyesight and never giving up his hopes to be an author, journalist and educator was inspiring...never giving up on love, romance and friendship.

His difficulties as a writer were not any different from other aspiring writer except he managed his vision challenges with patience, persistence and ingenuity. His accounts of learning to get around town and campus were both scary and amusing. Trying not to reveal or discuss his visual limitations was often ill-advised...he really lived a charmed life when relying on counting foot steps and sounds.

The final chapter has advice for others facing similar problems and what he has learned on his journey...so inspiring.

Karen S. (Allston, MA)

Delightful and insightful- exceeded my expectations
I loved this book and the manner in which it did not follow the more predictable story lines for a memoir about vision loss. This is less medical and more about growing up and struggling. The loss of vision is a context that sharpens the struggles of so many people—falling in love, falling out of love, learning to drive, finding new apartments, managing college social life and studies.

This author had a writing style I personally like very much: spare descriptions of events that manage to convey an enormous amount of detail and feelings. James has great appreciation for his close friends great forbearance for the many slights he experiences from the sighted-but-unaware people in his world.

Ruth H. (Sebring, FL)

Determination and Perseverance
An enlightening and humorous story that touched my heart. I was curious how a blind person can cope in today's rushed life. Especially when you can't drive. Also I have a personal interest, my 87 yr old mother went suddenly blind in her middle 70s and I wondered why she did some of the things she did. Unlike JT, she gave up, and prefers to be taken care of. Wish I had this book 10 years ago. Anyhow, James, you are truly an amazing man for all you have accomplished. Luckily you had some sight but the risks you took were pretty scary. So very glad you and Lori got together, it does take a team to deal with blindness. Good luck in all your future endeavors and continue to persevere! Life it good!

BTW, I lived in West Virginia near Charleston for about 10 years.

Thank you BookBrowse for the opportunity to review this ARC.

Elyse R. (Vista, CA)

Now I see
I found myself drawn to this book as my dearest friend is legally blind and has been for almost 25 years. What I found was not what I expected. I did appreciate the author's honesty and style of sharing his story, but I often found myself thoroughly disgusted with his stubborn nature. I could not understand why he couldn't easily share his loss of sight with those who needed to know all around him. He brought many difficulties upon himself by not being open and honest in both his professional and personal life.
On the other hand, I was impressed with how much he was able to achieve with little help from others.

That being said, at the end of the book I sat and pondered and realized that I have full vision, have never been in such a difficult situation, and don't have a clue how I would have behaved in the same predicament. I do believe James Hill has redeemed himself by sharing it all now as it is never too late for others to learn from this honest, witty memoir.

Janice A. (Colfax, WI)

Blind Man's Bluff
At times I found myself judging Hill and the choices he made regarding who and what he told about his blindness and his willingness to accept assistance. I then had to remind myself that no one knows how they would respond in the same circumstances. Losing most of his sight at age 16 was traumatic, especially when almost no services, including counseling, seemed to be offered to him that would make his life a bit easier. These are the themes of Hill's life after going blind. Though he succeeded in high school and as an undergraduate and graduate student, he faced hurdles that were some of his own making due to his reluctance to be open about his disability and seek help from others. And sometimes when he sought assistance, it seemed to be uncoordinated and lacking. Hill's growth seemed to be one step forward and two steps back much of the time. Luckily, he continued to learn about himself, the willingness of others to help without pitying him and to accept the love of and kindness from friends and family.

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