Discover new selections
Buy used:
$15.65
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime
FREE delivery Tuesday, April 29 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery Monday, April 28. Order within 8 hrs 45 mins
Used: Very Good | Details
Sold by Jenson Books Inc
Fulfilled by Amazon
Condition: Used: Very Good
Comment: Nice clean copy with no highlighting or writing. We take pride in our accurate descriptions. Satisfaction Guaranteed.

Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is a service we offer sellers that lets them store their products in Amazon's fulfillment centers, and we directly pack, ship, and provide customer service for these products. Something we hope you'll especially enjoy: FBA items qualify for FREE Shipping and Amazon Prime.

If you're a seller, Fulfillment by Amazon can help you grow your business. Learn more about the program.

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Nicole C. Kear
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Now I See You: A Memoir Hardcover – June 24, 2014

by Nicole C. Kear (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars 372 ratings
Editors' pick Best Biographies & Memoirs

At nineteen years old, Nicole C. Kear's biggest concern is choosing a major--until she walks into a doctor's office in midtown Manhattan and gets a life-changing diagnosis. She is going blind, courtesy of an eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa, and has only a decade or so before Lights Out. Instead of making preparations as the doctor suggests, Kear decides to carpe diem and make the most of the vision she has left. She joins circus school, tears through boyfriends, travels the world, and through all these hi-jinks, she keeps her vision loss a secret.

When Kear becomes a mother, just a few years shy of her vision's expiration date, she amends her carpe diem strategy, giving up recklessness in order to relish every moment with her kids. Her secret, though, is harder to surrender - and as her vision deteriorates, harder to keep hidden. As her world grows blurred, one thing becomes clear: no matter how hard she fights, she won't win the battle against blindness. But if she comes clean with her secret, and comes to terms with the loss, she can still win her happy ending.

Told with humor and irreverence, Now I See You is an uplifting story about refusing to cower at life's curveballs, about the power of love to triumph over fear. But, at its core, it's a story about acceptance: facing the truths that just won't go away, and facing yourself, broken parts and all.

Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    288 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    St. Martin's Press
  4. Publication date
    June 24, 2014
  5. Dimensions
    5.77 x 1.08 x 8.45 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    9781250026569
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1250026569
Next slide of product details
The%20Amazon%20Book%20Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now

Great on Kindle
Great Experience. Great Value.
iphone with kindle app
Putting our best book forward
Each Great on Kindle book offers a great reading experience, at a better value than print to keep your wallet happy.

Explore your book, then jump right back to where you left off with Page Flip.

View high quality images that let you zoom in to take a closer look.

Enjoy features only possible in digital – start reading right away, carry your library with you, adjust the font, create shareable notes and highlights, and more.

Discover additional details about the events, people, and places in your book, with Wikipedia integration.
Get the free Kindle app: Link to the kindle app page Link to the kindle app page
Enjoy a great reading experience when you buy the Kindle edition of this book. Learn more about Great on Kindle, available in select categories.
View Kindle Edition

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

A laugh-out-loud memoir about going blind? Yes, that’s what Kear presents as she recounts how, after her sophomore year at Yale, she was diagnosed with a degenerative retinal disease and told she will lose her eyesight in just 10 to 15 more years. She worries about having kids: “How could I change dirty diapers or bandage scrapes if I couldn’t see?” Her response is rebellious. She smokes, even though her doctor tells her it will make her vision worse. She also sleeps around (a lot), drives (badly), and avoids telling even close friends about her deteriorating vision. Eventually, she marries an understanding man (who occasionally balks at being her “seeing-eye guy”) and becomes a mom. Kear is earthy and daringly frank in this never-boring, unusually illuminating account of living with diminishing sight as she, ultimately, takes a refreshingly glass-half-full approach to life. “The wonderful thing about going blind is that along with the beautiful sights, you miss unattractive ones, too. You won’t see your crow’s feet.” Funny and poignant. --Karen Springen

Review

“Hilariously inspiring... Kear's book is a showstopper.” ―People

“A frightening diagnosis is only start of the story... Now I See You is a funny, sassy, yet poignant story.” ―The New York Times

“We're here to tell you that Kear's memoir is one of 2014's best books and one that will have you alternating between laughing and crying from page to page.” ―Parade

“A young mother going blind is no laughing matter, except, incredibly so, it is in Nicole C. Kear's courageous, relatable and, yes, truly funny Now I See You.” ―Family Circle

“A brave and compelling memoir... Honest, funny, sad and uplifting.” ―Marie Claire UK

“Her story is spunky and full of a zest for life that will open the eyes of readers to the little joys of the world. A tender memoir about love, life and going blind.” ―Kirkus Reviews

“Hilarious and profoundly heartwarming. Now I See You will change the way you see the world.” ―Kimberly McCreight, New York Times bestselling author of Reconstructing Amelia

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1250026563
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ St. Martin's Press (June 24, 2014)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781250026569
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1250026569
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.77 x 1.08 x 8.45 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 372 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Nicole C. Kear

Nicole C. Kear

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Nicole C. Kear is the author of the chapter book series The Fix-It Friends as well as the middle grade novel Foreverland, and she's co-author of the middle grade series The Startup Squad. She's also author of the memoir Now I See You (St. Martin’s Press), chosen as a Must-Read by People, Amazon, Martha Stewart Living, Parade, Redbook, and Marie Claire UK among others. Her essays have appeared in The New York Times, Good Housekeeping, New York, Psychology Today, Parents, as well as Salon, the Huffington Post and xoJane, and she teaches writing classes at the Columbia University and at NYU SPS.

A native of New York, she received a BA from Yale, a MA from Columbia, and a red nose from the San Francisco School of Circus Arts. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, three children and teddy bear hamster.

More information can be found on nicolekear.com, and on thestartupsquad.com and fixitfriendsbooks.com.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
372 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers find the memoir humorous and engaging, with one review noting how it made them laugh out loud with family references. Moreover, the book serves as a great read for those losing their sight, and customers appreciate its self-deprecating style and honest insights. Additionally, the writing quality receives positive feedback, with one customer describing it as written from the heart. Customers also value the parenting tips, with one review highlighting its touching portrayal of motherhood.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more

43 customers mention "Humor"43 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's humor, noting it makes it easy to read and serves as an excellent awareness-raising story. One customer mentions that the author's references to family made them laugh out loud.

"...It is an amazing book. Funny, heart wrenching, with some good parenting tips hidden in there too...." Read more

"...I found it uplifting. She is funny and believable. At the end I did have a good cry for her...." Read more

"...It will make you laugh and cry and think about motherhood (in NYC!) in a whole new way. Buy it, read it, share it, savor it! :)" Read more

"...is not blindness, but her own denial. Her humorous adventures as a college student, struggling actress and eventual mother are honest and..." Read more

43 customers mention "Readability"43 positive0 negative

Customers find the memoir enjoyable to read, with some noting it's particularly beneficial for those losing their sight, and others mentioning it's a must-read for mothers.

"...It is an amazing book. Funny, heart wrenching, with some good parenting tips hidden in there too...." Read more

"Just finished reading this book and really enjoyed it. It is an amazing story of someone faced at a young age with knowing that..." Read more

"...This is a beautifully crafted read that will give you awareness about, and gratitude for, all the things that we do every day with ease...." Read more

"...She did a good job explaining what a person living through losing their vision goes through. I enjoyed her humor throughout the book...." Read more

36 customers mention "Uplifting story"36 positive0 negative

Customers find this memoir uplifting, describing it as a self-deprecating, honest, and enlightening story. One customer notes it's the best Thanksgiving-labor story in history, while another mentions being immediately engaged in the narrative.

"Just finished reading this book and really enjoyed it. It is an amazing story of someone faced at a young age with knowing that..." Read more

"...This is a beautifully crafted read that will give you awareness about, and gratitude for, all the things that we do every day with ease...." Read more

"...adventures as a college student, struggling actress and eventual mother are honest and peppered her own unique voice...." Read more

"...my own newest children's book on September 1st, I was engrossed in Nicole's story...." Read more

22 customers mention "Writing quality"22 positive0 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the memoir, describing it as poignant and heartwarming, with one customer noting how the author details her experiences with emotions.

"...It is an amazing book. Funny, heart wrenching, with some good parenting tips hidden in there too...." Read more

"...This book deals with a heavy subject but it is anything but depressing. I found it uplifting. She is funny and believable...." Read more

"...your sight, this book delivers the daily struggles with humor!- very well written and you are immediately engaged in the story." Read more

"...Nicole's writing is amazingly descriptive, crisp, irreverent and so very funny...several times I found myself laughing out loud...." Read more

8 customers mention "Parenting tips"8 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the parenting tips in the book, with one review noting how it touches on the special aspects of motherhood, while another mentions the stress of caring for newborn children.

"...It is an amazing book. Funny, heart wrenching, with some good parenting tips hidden in there too...." Read more

"...a beautifully crafted read that will give you awareness about, and gratitude for, all the things that we do every day with ease...." Read more

"...and humor carry you through this memoir, and her loving portraits of her family remind you of where strength comes from...." Read more

"...read for new mothers coping with the difficulties and stress of caring for newborn children while simultaneously trying to manage somethng else, be..." Read more

5 customers mention "Look"5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's appearance, with one describing it as crisp and charming.

"...Nicole's writing is amazingly descriptive, crisp, irreverent and so very funny...several times I found myself laughing out loud...." Read more

"...family, and parenthood- things we can all identify with- in a charming and hilarious way. I loved this book!" Read more

"Witty, clever, insightful, a true look at what it's like to slowly go blind." Read more

"Fascinating look at a terrifying experience. Fully enjoyed it." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Shannon Polly
    5.0 out of 5 stars Gets you in 'flow' and makes you feel more deeply
    Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I finished this book in three sittings. That hasn't happened to me since...I don't know when. My husband was glad not to have his sleep disturbed with my laughing anymore. A lot of reviews say this but it actually did make me laugh out loud and cry...often within pages of each other. It is an amazing book. Funny, heart wrenching, with some good parenting tips hidden in there too. I wish I were as good of a parent (of two, fully sighted) as Kear is with three and limited vision. It makes me appreciate my kids more. But more than that, it revived my love of reading. I was in complete flow and lost track of time while finishing it. That doesn't happen very often. I highly recommend it.
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • zoey
    4.0 out of 5 stars Just finished reading this book and really enjoyed it. It is an amazing story of someone ...
    Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Just finished reading this book and really enjoyed it. It is an amazing story of someone faced at a young age with knowing that
    she is going to become blind in ten to twelve years and how she decides to live her life with this knowledge.
    This book deals with a heavy subject but it is anything but depressing. I found it uplifting. She is funny and believable.
    At the end I did have a good cry for her. I felt like I knew her and she could be my friend by the end of the book.
    I came away from reading this book very happy that I had read it and wanting to know more about how she is doing. I sure hope
    that she writes a sequel to this book. I recommend this book highly to those who like reading true stories of people who face life challenges and somehow dig deep within themselves and find strengths they didn't know that existed within.
    Great read!
    Helpful
     Report
  • Serav
    5.0 out of 5 stars Remarkable memoir - a must read for every mom!
    Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Remarkable memoir about a story you have never heard, maybe never even thought about. As a mother, I can't imagine what life would feel like without eyesight, but this book is about just that. Little things like lego bits on the floor and toaster ovens are dangerous for a blind mom, and thinking about all these little details that I take for granted in my every day life was a real "eye-opener" for me (yes, pun intended!). This is a beautifully crafted read that will give you awareness about, and gratitude for, all the things that we do every day with ease. It will make you laugh and cry and think about motherhood (in NYC!) in a whole new way. Buy it, read it, share it, savor it! :)
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Nicholas
    3.0 out of 5 stars ... am a man and I think a woman might enjoy this book more based on how we deal with ...
    Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I must preface this review by saying that I am a man and I think a woman might enjoy this book more based on how we deal with stress and trials differently. Nicole has a very interesting story which I think should be heard. Her struggle coming to terms with the gradual loss of her sight is something that most people cannot truly understand, but by reading this may gain an appreciation for the difficulties the visually impaired face in daily life. Nicole fights to overcome her growing "disability" but also begins to realize that the real disability is not blindness, but her own denial.
    Her humorous adventures as a college student, struggling actress and eventual mother are honest and peppered her own unique voice. Both her choice of language--the sometimes vulgur and sometimes Italian--and references to her family and friends really give a good impression of who Nicole is.

    Where I find the book to fall short, for me, is in the constant bemoaning of her vision loss in the same manner. She must come to terms with her RP... yet she continues to deny it to others. It seemed that the same monologue appeared a few too many times with bouts of wailing thrown in.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Natalie Selner
    5.0 out of 5 stars just Simply an Amazing, Poignant, Honest Memoir with Hilarious Moments in Between
    Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    At every opportunity I had in between taking care if three children a husband, a house and launching my own newest children's book on September 1st, I was engrossed in Nicole's story. Although I was born with a visual impairment as well, you don't need to have impaired vision to appreciate this journey. We all have "unforseen" challenges that will effect us in some way. Any mother who is devoted to her family and to life in general, will appreciate this human story. Great Job Nicole Kear can't wait to "see" what you do next!
    Danielle Leibovici, Best Selling Author of the Under The Tree Children's Series
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Susan Wheelan
    4.0 out of 5 stars Fast engaging read
    Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    For such a serious subject as losing your sight, this book delivers the daily struggles with humor!- very well written and you are immediately engaged in the story.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Fire wife
    5.0 out of 5 stars a book of humor and hope
    Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    As a mom with a ten year old daughter recently diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa due to a Mitochondria disease I enjoyed this book. I read the book before my daughter had a diagnosis. After reading Nicole's book I was sure this is what my daughter had going on with her vision. She did a good job explaining what a person living through losing their vision goes through. I enjoyed her humor throughout the book. I went from laughing to crying as I could relate to her and her family. It was also helpful to hear things like telling a visually impaired person exactly where an object is instead of just on the table as that is no help. We now do this for our daughter and she appreciates it. The end of the book left me feeling hopeful for my daughter's future.
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • jebry
    5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book
    Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I loved this book, it's an incredibly fast read and when I had to put it down for the day I couldn't wait to get back to it. It's a memoir with a subject that you wouldn't think could be funny and enlightening but it is. It's about the slow progress toward blindness; doesn't sound too happy but Nicole manages brilliantly to take us along throughout her journey of discovering what it is to finally accept what is. Through her frustration, denial and laugh out loud humor we walk with her and hope for her and breathe a sigh of relief when she realizes what love does.
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Pamela Sware
    5.0 out of 5 stars loved, loved, loved!!!
    Reviewed in Canada on July 11, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I bought this ebook to read on the plane trip home. It didn't happen. I opened it up 2 days into my trip, then didn't put it down!
    Report
  • Annie Janvier
    5.0 out of 5 stars LOVED this book
    Reviewed in Canada on September 29, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    LOVED this book,
    amazing narrative of a journalist losing her sight,
    insightful, humoristic; an irresistible mix of tears and laughs.
    Report