First Light: A Journey Out of Darkness
Literature biography, Biography of persons with disabilities, Journals and memoirs, Biography
Synthetic audio, Automated braille
Summary
A deeply felt literary memoir of one man&’s journey to redemption through vision loss, alcoholism, and the burden of a family legacy. Born to the author Peter Matthiessen, young Lucas traveled through life believing himself a disappointment to his famous father.… From an early age, Lucas was exposed to the fanciful ideas of his parent&’s group of renowned bohemians as well as to their addictive pastimes. Within the shadow of his father&’s professional success came another source of darkness—the deterioration of Lucas&’s vision from retinitis pigmentosa. With blindness looming imminently, Lucas spirals downward, unsure of how to turn his degree in English Literature into a job and relying more and more on alcohol. As Lucas&’ drinking and eyesight worsen, so too do his interpersonal relationships and first career in publishing.First Light is a memoir of loss and learning. By pulling himself out of addiction and accepting that he will lose his sight completely, Lucas transitions from being &“the son of&” someone famous to an individual with his own strong sense of self. Despite continued personal tragedies, Lucas develops a second sight that is aimed inward, laying his triumphs and failures bare.With great honesty, Lucas Matthiessen creates a vivid portrait of self-destruction and rebirth, which is, above all, a vision of hope.