"The Art of Hearing Heartbeats" by Jan-Philipps Sendker

The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker is a very unusual love story that is told to Julia. She just graduated from law school and then her father just left.  Her family lives in New York City.  She looks for clues and decides to try to track him down in Burma when she finds an letter from someone named Mi Mi at an address in Burma.  When she arrives, she meets an old man in a tea house who seems to know all about her and begins telling her the story of Tin Win, her father! His story is quite amazing!  You will have to read this for yourself to find out about it.

This is a very slow moving, tender love story between a blind boy and a crippled girl.  I liked Mi Mi and felt sorry for both Mi Mi and Tin Win.  I almost quit on this about a third of the way in; but decided to finish and I'm glad I did.
(Karen's review, 3 stars)

Teaser from page 165:  Waiting was so interwoven with the rhythm of her life that it almost disturbed her when anything happened right away.  She was mystified by people who were always hurrying things along. A time of waiting offered moments, minutes, sometimes even hours of peace, of rest, during which, as a rule, she was alone with herself.     

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"Have Dog, Will Travel--A Poet's Journey" by Stephen Kuusisto

Have Dog , Will Travel by Stephen Kuusisto is his true story about being born legally blind but trying to pass as sighted.  He rode a bike, went to public school and even read.  He became a professor, but when he got laid off at a young age, he had to do something.  That is how he came upon getting a guide dog and a whole new way of living!

I thought this book was pretty good.  I learned a lot about guide dog training and how people react to seeing someone with a guide dog.  It is a very short book, only 232 pages.  I loved Corky, his guide dog!

Teaser from page 43:  I wasn't sure what I thought about walking around with a "pretend" guide dog.  Somehow it seemed embarrassing, oddly performative, but my comfort wasn't as important as my safety, and ultimately getting the right dog.
 
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)  

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"Seeing Home--The Ed Lucas Story" by Ed and Christopher Lucas

Seeing Home--The Ed Lucas Story (A Blind Broadcaster's Story of Overcoming Life's Greatest Obstacles) by Ed and Christopher Lucas is non-fiction.  Ed Lucas is the man--what a story he tells!  At a young age, he loved baseball!  Then a tragedy happened:  he got hit in the face with a baseball and lost his sight.  He decided if he could not play that he would become a broadcaster.  How can a blind man broadcast a game?  You will have to read the book to find out the answer.  He had his dream and with help of a loving family, it came through.  He even got married at home plate in Yankee stadium!  Ed is a real hero to people with disabilities.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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