The author explain how she became blind due to a rare optic condition and isolated herself from others, reflecting on her life, her family, and, in particular, her autistic brother, who had been forcibly separated from the family and sent to live in a mental institution as a child."
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Born into high society on the eastern shore of Maryland, Jacquelin Gorman's family was said to "have everything." But scratch away the paint from this 1960s family portrait and you'll find the oldest son Robin, who was sent away to a mental institution because of his autism when he was 12. In 1991 Gorman mysteriously went blind for 10 months. This heartrending memoir simultaneously defines and inspires resiliency. Rather than succumbing to terror, Gorman allowed her blindness to help her recall the love and memories of her brother that she had dutifully erased so many years before.
From Library Journal
Several years ago, Gorman temporarily lost her sight as the result of optic neuritis. In this memoir she writes of having to adjust to her suddenly darkened world. She consults the appropriate specialists as they try to give her a prognosis, all the while falling with nearly every step. With the sighted world closed to her, she turns inward, remembering her years growing up in a prominent Baltimore family, the niece of Ogden Nash and the granddaughter of a renowned ophthalmologist. The focus of her reminiscences, however, is on her autistic older brother, Robin, who was institutionalized at an early age. Gorman writes with conviction, realistically conveying the shock and terror of suddenly losing her sight, especially difficult for a writer and young mother of a four-year-old; she explores the implications of sight and blindness on both the literal and figurative levels. Her poignant recollections of Robin and her family illustrate the blindness many people, even relatives, can have toward the autistic. This is a powerful book that will appeal to general audiences.?Nancy R. Ives, SUNY at Geneseo
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
splendidly touching,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Seeing Glass (Hardcover)
As the parent of an autistic child this book touched every nerve in my body, from the mother who is tormented to the children (siblings) who don't understand, to the grandfather who says Robin must go to an institution to save the rest of the family. For a short time, the author goes blind (of course, when and if her sight returns is not known while she is struggling through this terrifying bout of blindness). While she is trying to navigate her own new world with her family, she dreams of her brother. While her world is black and white, she dreams in color and has vivid recollections of growing up with an autistic brother in a time when nothing was known about autism. I have had people tell me they cried at the end of the book from an overwhelming sense of sadness. But, I felt oddly at peace that this sister was able to develop a full blown appreciation for her brother and now, as an adult, has a tender memory of him and for his place in the family.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Deeply Moving,
By
This review is from: The Seeing Glass (Paperback)
I am privileged to count Jacquelin "Jackie" Gorman as a friend and colleague. Her memoir, "The Seeing Glass," is a harrowing, lovely, and deeply moving tale of her dear, autistic brother Robin and her own struggles with temporarily losing her sight - and, most especially, how the two stories inform each other. I was, simply, riveted by every word, every phrase, and every sentence of this magnificent book. If you have ever lost a loved one or felt alone or felt afraid of anything, anything at all, you owe it to yourself to read this memoir, and recognize (perhaps again) that you are not alone. As Mary Karr writes in her introduction to the tenth anniversary edition of her memoir, "The Liars' Club," "the boat I can feel so lonely in actually holds us all."
"The Seeing Glass" is a remarkable achievement and it serves as a timely reminder of the indomitability of the human spirit in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Remarkable Read,
By Autism Mom (Florida) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Seeing Glass (Hardcover)
This is one of the most amazing books that I have read in years. I was incredibly moved by the author's memories of her brother, Robin, who had autism. As the parent of a child with autism, I saw so much of my own child in the descriptions of Robin. Chapter 19 of the book was especially heart-wrenching. I thought the author did a wonderful job of interweaving her past remembrances into the story of her period of blindness. I loved this book and was disappointed when it came to an end. I checked this book out at the library but I will be buying a copy for myself.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
