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Showing 1 - 20 of 649 items
Rain of gold
By Victor Villaseñor. 1991
The non-fiction saga of Villasenor's family, focusing on three generations. Their cultural and spiritual roots are in Mexico, but their…
future is in California; their story is the all-American story of overcoming poverty and prejudice to achieve success. Violence and strong language
The beauty of dusk: On vision lost and found
By Frank Bruni. 2022
From New York Times columnist and bestselling author Frank Bruni comes a wise and moving memoir about aging, affliction, and…
optimism after partially losing his eyesight. One morning in late 2017, New York Times columnist Frank Bruni woke up with strangely blurred vision. He wondered at first if some goo or gunk had worked its way into his right eye. But this was no fleeting annoyance, no fixable inconvenience. Overnight, a rare stroke had cut off blood to one of his optic nerves, rendering him functionally blind in that eye—forever. And he soon learned from doctors that the same disorder could ravage his left eye, too. He could lose his sight altogether. In The Beauty of Dusk , Bruni hauntingly recounts his adjustment to this daunting reality, a medical and spiritual odyssey that involved not only reappraising his own priorities but also reaching out to, and gathering wisdom from, longtime friends and new acquaintances who had navigated their own traumas and afflictions. The result is a poignant, probing, and ultimately uplifting examination of the limits that all of us inevitably encounter, the lenses through which we choose to evaluate them and the tools we have for perseverance. Bruni's world blurred in one sense, as he experienced his first real inklings that the day isn't forever and that light inexorably fades, but sharpened in another. Confronting unexpected hardship, he felt more blessed than ever before. There was vision lost. There was also vision found
Fearlessly different: An autistic actor's journey to broadway's biggest stage
By Mickey Rowe. 2022
Growing up, Mickey Rowe was told that he couldn't enter the mainstream world. He was iced out by classmates and…
colleagues, infantilized by well-meaning theatre directors, barred from even earning a minimum wage. Why? Because he is autistic. Fearlessly Different: An Autistic Actor's Journey to Broadway's Biggest Stage is Mickey Rowe's inspiring story. As an autistic and legally blind person, it was always made clear to Mickey the many things he was apparently incapable of doing. But Mickey did them all anyway—and he succeeded because of, not in spite of, his autism. He became the first autistic actor to play the lead role in the play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, landed the title role in the play Amadeus, cocreated the theatre/philanthropy company Arts on the Waterfront, and founded the National Disability Theatre. Mickey faced untold obstacles along the way, but his story ends in triumph. Many people feel they are locked out of the world of autism—that it's impossible to even begin to understand. In Fearlessly Different, Mickey guides readers to that world while also helping those with autism to feel seen and understood. And he shows all people—autistic and nonautistic alike—that the things that make us different are often our biggest strengths
There plant eyes: A personal and cultural history of blindness
By M. Leona Godin. 2021
From Homer to Helen Keller, from Dune to Stevie Wonder, from the invention of braille to the science of echolocation,…
M. Leona Godin explores the fascinating history of blindness, interweaving it with her own story of gradually losing her sight. There Plant Eyes probes the ways in which blindness has shaped our ocularcentric culture, challenging deeply ingrained ideas about what it means to be “blind.” For millennia, blindness has been used to signify such things as thoughtlessness (“blind faith”), irrationality (“blind rage”), and unconsciousness (“blind evolution”). But at the same time, blind people have been othered as the recipients of special powers as compensation for lost sight (from the poetic gifts of John Milton to the heightened senses of the comic book hero Daredevil). Godin—who began losing her vision at age ten—illuminates the often-surprising history of both the condition of blindness and the myths and ideas that have grown up around it over the course of generations. She combines an analysis of blindness in art and culture (from King Lear to Star Wars) with a study of the science of blindness and key developments in accessibility (the white cane, embossed printing, digital technology) to paint a vivid personal and cultural history.
Mrs. Beaton's Question
By Robert Mercer. 2019
Robert Mercer's life could have been very different. He was born with very low vision and, as a youngster, struggled…
in school. But through the intervention of a caring teacher and the support of his family, he found his way to the Halifax School for the Blind and into the classroom of Mrs. Beaton. It was there that he discovered his voice, a voice he uses to recount his remarkable journey from a shy little boy to a community leader.
My unforeseen journey: losing sight, gaining vision
By Melanie Taddeo-Nxumalo. 2019
This is Melanie's story about how her life changed dramatically after suffering a severe stroke. The stroke left her legally…
blind and completely paralyzed on her left side. She imparts her experiences in a unique and inspiring way, providing profound insights for the reader to relate to in their own unforeseen journeys. After years of therapy, Melanie was able to regain her independence and go on to become the first legally blind teacher to graduate in Ontario - now a certified special education teacher with over ten years of experience in program development, fundraising, community outreach, volunteer management, and public speaking. 2019.
Stray: A memoir
By Stephanie Danler. 2020
From the bestselling author of Sweetbitter , a memoir of growing up in a family shattered by lies and addiction,…
and of one woman's attempts to find a life beyond the limits of her past. Stray is a moving, sometimes devastating, brilliantly written and ultimately inspiring exploration of the landscapes of damage and survival. After selling her first novel—a dream she'd worked long and hard for—Stephanie Danler knew she should be happy. Instead, she found herself driven to face the difficult past she'd left behind a decade ago: a mother disabled by years of alcoholism, further handicapped by a tragic brain aneurysm; a father who abandoned the family when she was three, now a meth addict in and out of recovery. After years in New York City she's pulled home to Southern California by forces she doesn't totally understand, haunted by questions of legacy and trauma. Here, she works toward answers, uncovering hard truths about her parents and herself as she explores whether it's possible to change the course of her history. Lucid and honest, heart-breaking and full of hope, Stray is an examination of what we inherit and what we don't have to, of what we have to face in ourselves to move forward, and what it's like to let go of one's parents in order to find a peace—and family—of one's own
Helen's big world: the life of Helen Keller
By Doreen Rappaport, Matt Tavares. 2012
Blind, deaf and unable to speak from toddlerhood, young Helen Keller lived in a dark, silent world. Despite her handicaps,…
Helen wanted to experience every part of life; with her passion for discovery and the help of an outstanding teacher, Annie Sullivan, Helen found that knowledge would soon lead to freedom. Grades K-3 and older readers. 2012.
Angela's ashes: a memoir (The frank Mccourt Memoirs Ser.)
By Frank McCourt. 1996
Frank McCourt recollects his "miserable Irish Catholic childhood" in the squalor of Limerick. Absent any support from his glib, but…
shiftless, alcoholic father, the family suffered hunger, cruelty, disease, and the death of children. McCourt recounts his story without rancour. Strong language. Winner of the 1998 CNIB Talking Book of the Year Award. Pulitzer Prize Winner. 1996.
La Billebaude (Collection Folio #1370)
By Henri Vincenot. 1982
Evocation de l'enfance de l'écrivain quand il vivait chez ses grands-parents, dans un petit village de Bourgogne. Tout ici devient…
une fête, qu'il s'agisse de la visite d'une cousine extraordinaire, nourrice à Paris ou de ses repas interminables de fin d'année au cours desquels le petit garçon écoute, fasciné, les récits des hôtes.
Adrienne: une saga familiale
By Madeleine Ferron. 1993
Tentant de suivre l'itinéraire de ses ancêtres depuis l'arrivée de Robert Caron à Québec, en 1634, l'auteure décrit avec émotion…
et sur un ton anecdotique les traditions locales de la Mauricie. Récit qui tient à la fois de la chronique et de la littérature. 1993.
A heartbreaking work of staggering genius
By Dave Eggers. 2000
Dave's parents died from cancer within a month of each other when he was 21 and his brother Christopher was…
seven. They left the Chicago suburb where they had grown up and moved to San Francisco. This book tells the story of their life together. Some descriptions of sex. 2000.
A girl from Yamhill: a memoir (Yearling Book)
By Beverly Cleary. 1988
This biography of the author's early years recounts how her family lost their farm during the Depression and were forced…
to move to the city. Her father, who loved the outdoors, spent years as a bank guard while her possessive and domineering mother devoted herself to Beverly. For junior and senior high readers. 1998.
A fort of nine towers: an Afghan family story
By Qais Akbar Omar. 2013
Qais Akbar Omar was born in Kabul in a time of relative peace. Until he was 7, he lived with…
his well-to-do parents in the spacious, garden-filled compound his grandfather had built. Noisy with the laughter of his cousins, home was the idyllic centre of their quiet, comfortable life. But in the wake of the Russian withdrawal and the bloody civil conflict that erupted, his family was forced to flee and take refuge in the legendary Fort of Nine Towers, a centuries-old palace in the hills on the far side of Kabul. On a perilous trip home, Omar and his father were kidnapped, narrowly escaping, and the family fled again, his parents leading their six children on a remarkable, sometimes wondrous journey. 2013.
Six points de lumière: enquête autour de Louis Braille
By Bruno Liesen. 2008
[...] Une jeune historienne aveugle, au caractère bien trempé, rédige un livre sur lhistoire du braille pour la célébration du…
bicentenaire de la naissance de Louis Braille. Ses recherches lentraînent dans une aventure plutôt mouvementée. La partie historique, rigoureusement documentée, expose les origines du braille, sa naissance et son développement. Elle propose aussi quelques portraits de personnes aveugles qui ont marqué lHistoire. Cette fiction documentaire invite à porter sur les personnes aveugles et malvoyantes un regard différent. -- 4e de couv.
The glass castle: a memoir
By Jeannette Walls. 2006
Reporter for MSNBC.com looks back on her unsettled life. Describes growing up in a dysfunctional family, which was always on…
the move. She recalls her father's dream of building a "glass castle," and relates how she and her siblings escaped to make lives of their own. Strong language. 2005.
A brush with darkness: learning to paint after losing my sight
By Lisa Fittipaldi. 2004
When Lisa Fittipaldi went blind at age 47, she descended into anger and denial, until a child's watercolour set, thrown…
down like a gauntlet by her frustrated husband, opened the door to a new life. In this memoir, she paints a vivid picture of the perceptual and emotional darkness of her vision loss and her arduous journey to reclaim her life. 2004.
I am potential: eight lessons on living, loving, and reaching your dreams
By Patrick Henry Hughes, Patrick John Hughes, Bryant A Stamford. 2008
Patrick Henry Hughes was born with a rare genetic disorder that left him without eyes and physically disabled, but he…
was also blessed with exceptional musical talent, able to play the piano at the age of two. Now, at age nineteen, he is a nationally known pianist, singer, and trumpeter who has performed at the Kennedy Center. But he's best known for playing in the University of Louisville marching band, while his devoted father pushes him in formation in his wheelchair. With determined optimism and courage, Hughes has made "I am potential" his mantra and defied the impossible at every turn. 2008.
Every time we say goodbye: the story of a father and a daughter
By Anna Blundy. 1998
On 17th November 1989 Anna Blundy received a phone call to say that her father, David Blundy, a foreign correspondent,…
had been killed in El Salvador. In a way she had expected this all her life. Every time they said goodbye, she knew he might not return. Eight years later, Anna went to El Salvador to try to discover the truth about his death, and finally, to come to terms with her loss.
Angela's ashes: a memoir
By Frank McCourt. 1996
Frank McCourt recollects his "miserable Irish Catholic childhood" in the squalor of Limerick. Absent any support from his glib, but…
shiftless, alcoholic father, the family suffered hunger, cruelty, disease, and the death of children. McCourt recounts his story without rancour. Strong language. Winner of the 1998 CNIB Talking Book of the Year Award. Pulitzer Prize Winner.