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I know I keep asking folks for book recommendations, and I really want to thank you all for the books you've suggested on all my various topics (though I dare say my husband won't--he's already tearing his hair out at the piles and piles of books collecting in our home office--and we just got me a new bookshelf!)
Anyway, here's my next question: I'm looking for books or short stories written from a blind person's POV, in any genre.
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All I can think of is Helen Keller. I think it might have been written by someone else in 3rd person, but it seemed to potray her view on the world pretty well. Sorry, long time ago.
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There's a YA book Follow My Leader, about a boy blinded by a firecracker and how he copes. I read it as a kid, and it's apparently still around.
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"The Langoliers" by Stephen King has sections written from the POV of a little girl who is blind. Or was she deaf? I can't remember now. Anyway, the story is found in the collection "Four Past Midnight." Posts: 1528 | Registered: Dec 2003
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This question made me think a bit - how would a blind person relate the experience of being blind to someone who can see? How would a person know what it is to be blind, and how would they write about it? The only person truly capable of delineating between the two would be someone who had sight and lost it, or vice versa - and was in both states long enough that they could fully appreciate the difference.
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These three articles 1 2 3 talk about issues writers make with their blind characters, which you didn't ask about, but in the process, the articles mention some of the offending books. (Search terms: blind characters in literature)
[This message has been edited by WouldBe (edited February 08, 2008).]
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There's Dark Universe (I think), by Daniel F. Galouye (I'm sure), dealing with people who can't see because they live in caves and there's no light to see by. As I recall (it's been, oh, at least twenty five years since I read it), they eventually are exposed to light and learn how to see...
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annepin - There was a Val Kilmer movie - At First Sight. It is loosely adapted from To See and Not See by Oliver Sacks. Inspired by the experiences of Shirl Jennings, who effectively lost his eyesight at age 3, then had it restored 40 years later, when he had no remaining visual memories. This might give you the perspective of a blind person while blind and reacting to vision.
quote: There's a YA book Follow My Leader, about a boy blinded by a firecracker and how he copes. I read it as a kid, and it's apparently still around.
I read that one too! The problem I see is that using the blind POV almost necesitates the book being a discussion on what it means to be blind.
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Roger Zelazny explores blindness for a short period in "Nine Princes in Amber." The MC is captured at the end of a battle and his eyes are put out. Might be a good place to look for a blind fantasy MC.
Also, later in the second half of the series, the new King of Amber, Random, is married to a blind woman, Vialle. In "Sign of Chaos," the MC interacts quite a bit with Vialle, and some concepts of being blind and yet empowered with certain powers are discussed somewhat.
Good luck Anne. Hope this helps.
(BTW, I can see my copy of "Follow My Leader" sitting on my bookshelf from here!)
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I can't remember for sure, but is Wait Until Dark from the blind lady's perspective? Of course, I only saw the play and there is only one scene that is from her "POV", strictly speaking.
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