Another outstanding read

books:


	• Crashing Through: The Extraordinary True Story of the Man Who Dared to See Robert Kurson Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2008 - 320 pages average customer review:based on 55 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

What would you do?

What would you do if you had been blind since you were three years old, and forty-two years later an ophthalmologist told you that there was a new form of stem cell surgery that could restore your vision? Would you do it? If you had never seen your children and spouse, and this new procedure could give you a chance to see them, would you take the chance? Does the question sound like an easy one to answer? What if you were happy with your life, even doing such activities as downhill skiing, and hiking alone in the woods, and you were told that there were some possible serious risks to the procedure? After the surgery you may find that it is difficult to adjust to the new sight, your sight may not allow you to see in a normal way, and you could again loose your sight at any time. Even more worrisome is that the drug that you would have to take was highly toxic and could possible cause cancer, would the risk be worth it? These are all things that Michael May had to think about as he pondered the idea, should he try this new procedure? I won't spoil the book for you by telling you how things turn out for May, but as you read this book, you will experience his struggles, his highs, and his disappointments. This is a fascinating true story, that also taught me things about sight that I had never known or thought much about before.

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Exploding Crayons

You're unlikely to come across another story like this any time soon. Kurson delivers the story of Mike May, one of only 20 cases in recorded history of a person losing sight in early childhood only to recover vision as an adult.

In his early forties, May lives an active life as a fully fuctioning professional and family man when a chance encounter with an optometrist affords him the opportunity to try a rare, cutting-edge procedure to regain vision. The surgeries are a success and May sees his children and wife for the first time.

Even more fascinating is May's subsequent struggle to adjust to this new way of living. He sees colors and can follow motion normally, but the details of vision (that Kurson tells us we process and learn in early childhood) aren't there. Seeing for him is like every moment try to speak a foreign language - it's exhausting and painstaking work even for a man so doggedly determined as May.

Kurson's use of language is as brilliant as the story itself. He seemlessly guides us from a way of living without our primary sense to the brilliance of recovering it in adulthood.

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Another outstanding read

Crashing through is Kurson's second book. His first book, Shadow Divers, is a must read for all men. 'Crashing Through' is very well written and educates the reader about sight, seeing, and all that goes into that complicated process as well as describes the heroic life of one who moves from blindness to sightedness. I enjoyed the history and education of the various medical approaches to sight and what it was like for one to have lived in both worlds The book moves quickly, keeps the readers attention,
as well as educates.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Mike May spent his life crashing through. Blinded at age three, he defied expectations by breaking world records in downhill speed skiing, joining the CIA, and becoming a successful inventor, entrepreneur, and family man. He had never yearned for vision. Then, in 1999, a chance encounter brought startling news: a revolutionary stem cell transplant surgery could restore May?s vision. It would allow him to drive, to read, to see his children?s faces. But the procedure was filled with gambles, some of them deadly, others beyond May?s wildest dreams. Beautifully written and thrillingly told, Crashing Through is a journey of suspense, daring, romance, and insight into the mysteries of vision and the brain. Robert Kurson gives us a fascinating account of one man?s choice to explore what it means to see?and to truly live.

Praise for the National Bestseller Crashing Through:

?An incredible human story [told] in gripping fashion . . . a great read.?
?Chicago Sun-Times

?Inspiring.?
?USA Today

?[An] astonishing story . . . memorably told . . . May is remarkable. . . . Don?t be surprised if your own vision mists over now and then.?
?Chicago Tribune

?[A] moving account [of] an extraordinary character.?
?People

?Terrific . . . [a] genuinely fascinating account of the nature of human vision.?
?The Washington Post

?Kurson is a man with natural curiosity and one who can feel the excitement life has to offer. One of his great gifts is he makes you feel it, too.?
?The Kansas City Star

?Propulsive . . . a gripping adventure story.?
?Entertainment Weekly

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE

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