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Touching the Rock: An Experience of Blindness
With a foreword by Oliver Sacks
Shortly after John Hull went blind, after years of struggling with failing vision, he had a dream in which he was trapped on a sinking ship, submerging into another, unimaginable world. The power of this calmly eloquent, intensely perceptive memoir lies in its thorough navigation of the world of blindness—a world in which stairs are safe and snow is frightening, where food and sex lose much of their allure and playing with one's child may be agonizingly difficult. As he describes the ways in which blindness shapes his experience of his wife and children, of strangers helpful and hostile, and, above all, of his God, Hull becomes a witness in the highest, true sense. Touching the Rock is a book that will instruct, move, and profoundly transform anyone who reads it.
Shortly after John Hull went blind, after years of struggling with failing vision, he had a dream in which he was trapped on a sinking ship, submerging into another, unimaginable world. The power of this calmly eloquent, intensely perceptive memoir lies in its thorough navigation of the world of blindness—a world in which stairs are safe and snow is frightening, where food and sex lose much of their allure and playing with one's child may be agonizingly difficult. As he describes the ways in which blindness shapes his experience of his wife and children, of strangers helpful and hostile, and, above all, of his God, Hull becomes a witness in the highest, true sense. Touching the Rock is a book that will instruct, move, and profoundly transform anyone who reads it.
248 pages, Paperback
First published December 4, 1990
About the author
John M. Hull
32 books16 followersJohn Martin Hull was Emeritus Professor of Religious Education at the University of Birmingham. He was the author of a number of books and many articles in the fields of religious education, practical theology and disability. The latter interest arose from his experiences, and personal and theological reflections, on becoming blind in mid-career. He edited the British Journal of Religious Education for 25 years, and co-founded the International Seminar on Religious Education and Values, of which he was general secretary for 32 years, and president emeritus at the time of his death. After retirement he pursued a further interest as Honorary Professor of Practical Theology at the Queen's Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Education, Birmingham, England.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
December 11, 2021
Short but marvelous essays on nearly all aspects of life as a blind person. I read this quite a few years ago, but its impact remains.
I just came across a copy I made of some of the essays, ones that covered topics in ways I'd never thought of. How a sighted person might not define a gray, overcast day as a "good day," but a blind person might, if the temp was mild and there was a soft breeze. A longer essay on the beautiful nuances of sound during a rainstorm. How smiling becomes a conscious rather than spontaneous gesture, since there is neither trigger nor response to be observed. And how time ceases to be a factor to a blind person: there's simply no way to rush about and do one's routine tasks more quickly.
This book reminds me of how much courage—both physical and emotional—a blind person needs to possess as s/he lives among or alongside the sighted world.
I just came across a copy I made of some of the essays, ones that covered topics in ways I'd never thought of. How a sighted person might not define a gray, overcast day as a "good day," but a blind person might, if the temp was mild and there was a soft breeze. A longer essay on the beautiful nuances of sound during a rainstorm. How smiling becomes a conscious rather than spontaneous gesture, since there is neither trigger nor response to be observed. And how time ceases to be a factor to a blind person: there's simply no way to rush about and do one's routine tasks more quickly.
This book reminds me of how much courage—both physical and emotional—a blind person needs to possess as s/he lives among or alongside the sighted world.
September 26, 2019
A sad and touching account of a man's adjustment to gradual blindness.
Whilst the writing isn't groundbreaking or pioneering, its honest and heartfelt.
It made me sad to think of what it would be like to never be able to read a physical book again, turn the pages and cast your eyes over precious words, or to look at your partner's face, see them smile, laugh, frown, cry.
Blindness is so devastating when you live in such a visual world. John Hull handles the topic with tenderness and sensitivity. Whilst the religious referencing did little for me (as an Atheist), its admirable that he kept faith in something despite being dealt such a shitty hand.
Whilst the writing isn't groundbreaking or pioneering, its honest and heartfelt.
It made me sad to think of what it would be like to never be able to read a physical book again, turn the pages and cast your eyes over precious words, or to look at your partner's face, see them smile, laugh, frown, cry.
Blindness is so devastating when you live in such a visual world. John Hull handles the topic with tenderness and sensitivity. Whilst the religious referencing did little for me (as an Atheist), its admirable that he kept faith in something despite being dealt such a shitty hand.
May 6, 2019
I added this book to my list because it was one of David Bowie's favorites. There were definitely some interesting insightful parts about the experience of blindness, but I had no idea how religious this memoir would be...and how much time would be spent talking about dreams.
June 3, 2021
Nella Premessa l’Autore scrive: “Se stai leggendo questo libro probabilmente vuoi capire cos’è la cecità. Vuoi sapere cosa significa diventare ciechi, vivere da ciechi”. In effetti è così: ero interessato a sapere proprio questo. E il libro inizia in maniera davvero spiazzante, ponendo una domanda a cui, da vedente, non avevo mai pensato: “Da quanto tempo bisogna essere ciechi prima che i sogni comincino a perdere i colori?”.
Tuttavia, proseguendo nel racconto, Hull abbandona progressivamente il suo obiettivo dichiarato, trasformando l’opera in una sorta di momento catartico all’interno del proprio percorso di accettazione del nuovo stato. Non riesco a spiegare altrimenti, per esempio, i numerosi e noiosissimi paragrafi dedicati ai sogni (con tanto di autointerpretazione del loro significato).
Molto toccanti le parti dedicate al rapporto con i figli, specie con quelli nati dopo la cecità anche se, man mano che si procede nella lettura, l’accumularsi delle ripetizioni attenua fortemente l’intensità emotiva del racconto, mentre alcuni aspetti dell’essere ciechi (come il rapporto con il desiderio e la sessualità) rimangono solo accennati, senza un vero sviluppo.
D’altronde è lo stesso Hull a scrivere, sempre in premessa, che: “Il libro non ha una vera struttura. È fatto di frammenti sparsi. […] Se ci sono ripetizioni è perché gli stessi problemi e le stesse esperienze si sono ripresentate continuamente e sono stati interpretati da diverse angolazioni”. Peccato, però, che un limite, anche quando venga dichiarato, rimanga pur sempre un limite.
Tuttavia, proseguendo nel racconto, Hull abbandona progressivamente il suo obiettivo dichiarato, trasformando l’opera in una sorta di momento catartico all’interno del proprio percorso di accettazione del nuovo stato. Non riesco a spiegare altrimenti, per esempio, i numerosi e noiosissimi paragrafi dedicati ai sogni (con tanto di autointerpretazione del loro significato).
Molto toccanti le parti dedicate al rapporto con i figli, specie con quelli nati dopo la cecità anche se, man mano che si procede nella lettura, l’accumularsi delle ripetizioni attenua fortemente l’intensità emotiva del racconto, mentre alcuni aspetti dell’essere ciechi (come il rapporto con il desiderio e la sessualità) rimangono solo accennati, senza un vero sviluppo.
D’altronde è lo stesso Hull a scrivere, sempre in premessa, che: “Il libro non ha una vera struttura. È fatto di frammenti sparsi. […] Se ci sono ripetizioni è perché gli stessi problemi e le stesse esperienze si sono ripresentate continuamente e sono stati interpretati da diverse angolazioni”. Peccato, però, che un limite, anche quando venga dichiarato, rimanga pur sempre un limite.
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June 2, 2021A very interesting and moving account of losing sight.
November 26, 2015
This is a true story about going blind. It is written by a man who goes blind later in life. He reveals his thoughts on blindness by describing what different parts of his home life and work life are like (for example, the new way he learns to open presents with his son on his son's birthday or the seemingly harmless jests his coworkers make about blindness in professional settings). The author is also a Christian and throughout the book he pauses to reflect on different pieces of scripture that he has wrestled with.
The question that will stick with me from reading this man's story is: Can blindness be thought of as a gift? The author asks this over and over again throughout the book and he doesn't seem to conclude either "yes" or "no." I was also surprised/impressed that the author addresses separate notes in his preface to his sighted readers and to his blind readers. This is the first time I've read a book on disability where the author seems to acknowledge (in my opinion) that disability writing may not be chiefly so that able bodied people can come to understand disability, but for the strengthening of community ties and camaraderie between disabled people.
The question that will stick with me from reading this man's story is: Can blindness be thought of as a gift? The author asks this over and over again throughout the book and he doesn't seem to conclude either "yes" or "no." I was also surprised/impressed that the author addresses separate notes in his preface to his sighted readers and to his blind readers. This is the first time I've read a book on disability where the author seems to acknowledge (in my opinion) that disability writing may not be chiefly so that able bodied people can come to understand disability, but for the strengthening of community ties and camaraderie between disabled people.
November 4, 2022
Un uomo tutto intero, interamente presente
Nessun buonismo o frasi altisonanti. Hull ce lo premette quando parla di altre biografie sulla cecità. Manca il banale, l'immediato e la condivisione di questa condizione. Lo scrive per sé, per altri ipovedenti ma lo scrive soprattutto per farci rendere conto di come si diano molte cose per scontate su una condizione che non conosciamo e tendiamo a tarare secondo le nostre conoscenze percettive.
L'ho ascolto in audiolibro, ad occhi chiusi per simulare uno stato di consapevolezza della cecità che Hull mi stava trasmettendo.
Per chi volesse provare con l'incipit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpuVk...
P.S: Il titolo è superbo e racchiude il percorso, il pensiero e il traguardo di quest'uomo.
Nessun buonismo o frasi altisonanti. Hull ce lo premette quando parla di altre biografie sulla cecità. Manca il banale, l'immediato e la condivisione di questa condizione. Lo scrive per sé, per altri ipovedenti ma lo scrive soprattutto per farci rendere conto di come si diano molte cose per scontate su una condizione che non conosciamo e tendiamo a tarare secondo le nostre conoscenze percettive.
L'ho ascolto in audiolibro, ad occhi chiusi per simulare uno stato di consapevolezza della cecità che Hull mi stava trasmettendo.
Per chi volesse provare con l'incipit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpuVk...
P.S: Il titolo è superbo e racchiude il percorso, il pensiero e il traguardo di quest'uomo.
February 14, 2021
Da questo libro mi aspettavo tantissimo, forse troppo.
Gli estratti che avevo letto promettevano di aiutarmi a capire com'era a livello esistenziale la vita di un cieco. Purtroppo però questa promessa viene esaudita solo in parte e in maniera non del tutto soddisfacente.
Probabilmente ciò che stavo cercando era un saggio rigoroso e profondo, invece mi sono trovato di fronte al diario personale di John Hull in cui viene documentato il modo in cui una persona di 45 anni, deve affrontare la sua nuova condizione di non vedente. Proprio i limiti della forma diario ci consegnano in mano un libro frammentato, che affianca passi capaci di voli speculativi altissimi, a tratti più terreni nei quali l'autore racconta le sfide che ha dovuto affrontare quotidianamente senza l'utilizzo della vista.
Le parti migliori, quelle che riescono a toccare corde molto profonde, sono quelle in cui Hull riflette sulla sua nuova percezione del mondo, quelle in cui racconta del suo rapporto con i figli, bambini di cui non vedrà mai il viso e quelle parti in cui, da teologo, cerca di dare un significato spirituale in ciò che sta vivendo. Le parti restanti, che compongono però la maggior parte del libro, raccontano invece del lavoro, delle incombenze domestiche e delle amicizie e risultano abbastanza interessanti, se non fosse che dopo un po' iniziano a diventare ripetitive. Queste vicende, tuttavia, vengono affrontate meglio e in maniera più coinvolgente in una breve postfazione scritta dalla moglie dell'autore, Marylyn, nel 2016, un anno dopo la morte del marito, forse una delle parti più profonde e toccanti di questo libro.
Il Dono Oscuro è un libro imperfetto che, nonostante tutto, apre uno squarcio, seppur incompleto, su ciò che si prova ad esser ciechi e deve essere letto con questa consapevolezza.
PS: Nel 2016 è uscito un documentario tratto proprio da questo memoir intitolato "Notes on Blindness", qui il trailer, accompagnato da una bella esperienza VR del "soundscape"percepito da Hull durante le passeggiate al parco commentato proprio dalla sua vera voce estratta da uno dei nastri su cui registrava i capitoli del suo libro:
Notes on Blindness - A 360/VR experience
Gli estratti che avevo letto promettevano di aiutarmi a capire com'era a livello esistenziale la vita di un cieco. Purtroppo però questa promessa viene esaudita solo in parte e in maniera non del tutto soddisfacente.
Probabilmente ciò che stavo cercando era un saggio rigoroso e profondo, invece mi sono trovato di fronte al diario personale di John Hull in cui viene documentato il modo in cui una persona di 45 anni, deve affrontare la sua nuova condizione di non vedente. Proprio i limiti della forma diario ci consegnano in mano un libro frammentato, che affianca passi capaci di voli speculativi altissimi, a tratti più terreni nei quali l'autore racconta le sfide che ha dovuto affrontare quotidianamente senza l'utilizzo della vista.
Le parti migliori, quelle che riescono a toccare corde molto profonde, sono quelle in cui Hull riflette sulla sua nuova percezione del mondo, quelle in cui racconta del suo rapporto con i figli, bambini di cui non vedrà mai il viso e quelle parti in cui, da teologo, cerca di dare un significato spirituale in ciò che sta vivendo. Le parti restanti, che compongono però la maggior parte del libro, raccontano invece del lavoro, delle incombenze domestiche e delle amicizie e risultano abbastanza interessanti, se non fosse che dopo un po' iniziano a diventare ripetitive. Queste vicende, tuttavia, vengono affrontate meglio e in maniera più coinvolgente in una breve postfazione scritta dalla moglie dell'autore, Marylyn, nel 2016, un anno dopo la morte del marito, forse una delle parti più profonde e toccanti di questo libro.
Il Dono Oscuro è un libro imperfetto che, nonostante tutto, apre uno squarcio, seppur incompleto, su ciò che si prova ad esser ciechi e deve essere letto con questa consapevolezza.
PS: Nel 2016 è uscito un documentario tratto proprio da questo memoir intitolato "Notes on Blindness", qui il trailer, accompagnato da una bella esperienza VR del "soundscape"percepito da Hull durante le passeggiate al parco commentato proprio dalla sua vera voce estratta da uno dei nastri su cui registrava i capitoli del suo libro:
Notes on Blindness - A 360/VR experience
July 30, 2014
This is a strange book to review. As a collection of journal entries and brief essays, it somewhat escapes genres. The guiding theme is, more or less, the author's own adaptations to blindness, and these are frequently thought-provoking (to my fully-sighted self). The different approaches (which one might call medical management, social management, and finally spiritual management) are compelling and interesting, but the thoughts the author presents didn't stun me. Not that he NEEDS to -- in some ways, perhaps the reality that blindness is much of what we would imagine it to be is its own lesson. And there were certainly thoughts that I hadn't had cause to consider, and Hull writes them fairly clearly.
All of that said, I think two things were most striking to me. One was the set of conversations he relates about trying to explain blindness to his children, and thinking through his role as a father. The reality of his separation from a layer of common humanity was most present to me there, and -- perhaps because the topic of this book was to collect journals related to blindness -- I wondered if the illness demanded a sort of self-attention that took him away from his children some. This struck me as very poignant.
The second was that I realized that when he described blindness, I felt like he was in another world. I really have trouble wrapping my own mind around the fact that his consciousness is as immediate as any sighted person's; he's simply navigating by voices and ideas; by maps in his mind and routines that take work to establish.
Several scenes do stand out in my memory (I read the entries slowly over several months), including one in which a church declined to consider him for holy orders because he'd be a burden on their retirement fund, one in which an angry man accosted him in the street and accused him of faking his blindness, and the final entry about exploring Iona Abbey, which has something of childlike wonder about it -- perhaps a restoration of "immediacy."
I enjoyed reading the book, and some parts of it will stay with me, but I'm not sure whether I'll ever return to it.
All of that said, I think two things were most striking to me. One was the set of conversations he relates about trying to explain blindness to his children, and thinking through his role as a father. The reality of his separation from a layer of common humanity was most present to me there, and -- perhaps because the topic of this book was to collect journals related to blindness -- I wondered if the illness demanded a sort of self-attention that took him away from his children some. This struck me as very poignant.
The second was that I realized that when he described blindness, I felt like he was in another world. I really have trouble wrapping my own mind around the fact that his consciousness is as immediate as any sighted person's; he's simply navigating by voices and ideas; by maps in his mind and routines that take work to establish.
Several scenes do stand out in my memory (I read the entries slowly over several months), including one in which a church declined to consider him for holy orders because he'd be a burden on their retirement fund, one in which an angry man accosted him in the street and accused him of faking his blindness, and the final entry about exploring Iona Abbey, which has something of childlike wonder about it -- perhaps a restoration of "immediacy."
I enjoyed reading the book, and some parts of it will stay with me, but I'm not sure whether I'll ever return to it.
January 31, 2020
Una testimonianza che va al di là delle false considerazioni e dei fraintendimenti che si creano necessariamente tra vedenti e non vedenti. Ma non c’è traccia di autocommiserazione, di politicamente corretto, di una strada per una facile accettazione di questo dramma. Piuttosto le considerazioni che la nostra società è giocoforza strutturata su esperienze visive e di come non si possa pretendere un cambiamento radicale o lamentarne la mancanza di comprensione.
Verso la conclusione (spero non venga intesa come spoiler): “La cecità implica anche la dipendenza. Da qualche parte, lungo il cammino, c’è sempre qualcuno che ha gli occhi. Che lo si voglia o no, i ciechi sono deboli. Il mondo della cecità è piccolo, autentico e autosufficiente, eppure è circondato e contenuto in un mondo più grande, il mondo dei vedenti. Come farà il piccolo a comprendere il grande senza provare gelosia, e come farà il grande a capire il piccolo senza provare pietà?” (dove le parole da sottolineare sono GELOSIA e PIETÀ).
Molto sobria anche la testimonianza della moglie, in fondo al volume. Consiglierei, però, di leggersi l’introduzione (che è misteriosamente stata spostata alla fine). Bella e puntuale, l’introduzione di Oliver Sacks (questa, sì, ad inizio volume).
Sassolini nella scarpa: non mi piacciono queste forme: “non abbiamo mai scordato” (non abbiamo mai dimenticato); “potrebbe essere stato per via di un programma..” (potrebbe essere stato a causa); “scoprendo tutti i dettagli e capendo che..” (e comprendendo che..).
Verso la conclusione (spero non venga intesa come spoiler): “La cecità implica anche la dipendenza. Da qualche parte, lungo il cammino, c’è sempre qualcuno che ha gli occhi. Che lo si voglia o no, i ciechi sono deboli. Il mondo della cecità è piccolo, autentico e autosufficiente, eppure è circondato e contenuto in un mondo più grande, il mondo dei vedenti. Come farà il piccolo a comprendere il grande senza provare gelosia, e come farà il grande a capire il piccolo senza provare pietà?” (dove le parole da sottolineare sono GELOSIA e PIETÀ).
Molto sobria anche la testimonianza della moglie, in fondo al volume. Consiglierei, però, di leggersi l’introduzione (che è misteriosamente stata spostata alla fine). Bella e puntuale, l’introduzione di Oliver Sacks (questa, sì, ad inizio volume).
Sassolini nella scarpa: non mi piacciono queste forme: “non abbiamo mai scordato” (non abbiamo mai dimenticato); “potrebbe essere stato per via di un programma..” (potrebbe essere stato a causa); “scoprendo tutti i dettagli e capendo che..” (e comprendendo che..).
July 6, 2016
I'm not sure how anyone's journal/ personal thoughts/ experience could be lower than a 5 star review... It doesn't make sense to me. With that said, I thought Touching the Rock was so insightful into the world of blindness and it was honest. I love thought processes and his ideas of what blindness is. It took me a while to read because I liked to break up in, reading a few journal entries everyday until I was done. I would recommend this book to anyone.
August 31, 2011
Very personal and authentic account of struggles one may face after losing sight. The internal battle to accept blindness reveals that no one is prepared for such an event. Hull touched me with his relationship to the children, he portrays a father who tries to fulfill his role but knows it will not come easily.
April 9, 2016
I'm grateful that John Hull was so vulnerable. He allowed me to gain an inkling of what it must be like to be blind. At times it was heart wrenching. The reflections were, at times, profound. Well worth the read.
May 25, 2016
Peers into the world of a man who can no longer visualize the world with his eyes, and yet sees more than we could ever dream.
August 19, 2020
"Non farti sopraffare dall'insieme. Scomponi la difficoltà, fanne dei bocconi che puoi addentare uno per volta".
.
John ha insegnato tanto a me lettrice, alla moglie Marilyn, ai figli Imogen, Tom, Lizzie, Gabriel e Josh nati in diversi momenti della sua "trasformazione". Professore di un'energia eccezionale che si ritrova cieco a 40 anni... prima la nebbia e poi anche quella sbiadita luce scompare per lasciar posto ad una cecità profonda, buia. Uomo che mai ha smesso di voler comprendere quel nuovo oscuro mondo. John snocciola attraverso osservazioni immediate, chiare, concrete la sua vita esteriore e interiore, mette in relazione veglia e sogno (rappresentativo delle paure), ci mostra le difficoltà relazionali tra vedenti e non-vedenti e nel concreto ci spiega cosa occorre o crea disagio a un non-vedente nella quotidianità (scale, neve, bastone bianco, bar, incroci stradali ecc).
Aspetto importante di questa lettura è ciò che la cecità insegna: l'acuirsi delle percezioni uditive e tattili che prendono il sopravvento e permettono a John di "vedere" in un modo eccezionale: vedere-con-tutto-il-corpo.
Da qui ci mostra con i suoi sensi il mondo: la pioggia che cade lo definisce, lo scolpisce.
Magia. Poesia. La vera esistenza, si potrebbe dire, quella profonda.
Tanti i temi importanti trattati:
Rapporti familiari, i dubbi sulla propria utilità genitoriale, le aspettative relazionali e le loro diverse forme, il valore della voce e della comunicazione verbale, l'identità, il fenomeno dell'"ecolocalizzazione", la reciprocità umana, il sesso e l'amore, lo stato prenatale in cui si precipita, la forza di volontà necessaria per rinascere e tornare a maneggiare il mondo, il rapporto col tempo, l'emarginazione sociale ed anche i momenti di sconforto quando ci si accorge che i ricordi iniziano a sbiadire e non esiste più alcuna macchina fotografica in grado di riportarli in vita.
"I ciechi sono STATI come il giovane, il vecchio, il maschio e la femmina e insieme costituiscono uno degli ordini naturali dell'esistenza. Ma finché ci sarà tribalismo e chiusura mentale sarà difficile oltrepassare i confini di questi stati."
DA LEGGERE, ASSOLUTAMENTE
.
John ha insegnato tanto a me lettrice, alla moglie Marilyn, ai figli Imogen, Tom, Lizzie, Gabriel e Josh nati in diversi momenti della sua "trasformazione". Professore di un'energia eccezionale che si ritrova cieco a 40 anni... prima la nebbia e poi anche quella sbiadita luce scompare per lasciar posto ad una cecità profonda, buia. Uomo che mai ha smesso di voler comprendere quel nuovo oscuro mondo. John snocciola attraverso osservazioni immediate, chiare, concrete la sua vita esteriore e interiore, mette in relazione veglia e sogno (rappresentativo delle paure), ci mostra le difficoltà relazionali tra vedenti e non-vedenti e nel concreto ci spiega cosa occorre o crea disagio a un non-vedente nella quotidianità (scale, neve, bastone bianco, bar, incroci stradali ecc).
Aspetto importante di questa lettura è ciò che la cecità insegna: l'acuirsi delle percezioni uditive e tattili che prendono il sopravvento e permettono a John di "vedere" in un modo eccezionale: vedere-con-tutto-il-corpo.
Da qui ci mostra con i suoi sensi il mondo: la pioggia che cade lo definisce, lo scolpisce.
Magia. Poesia. La vera esistenza, si potrebbe dire, quella profonda.
Tanti i temi importanti trattati:
Rapporti familiari, i dubbi sulla propria utilità genitoriale, le aspettative relazionali e le loro diverse forme, il valore della voce e della comunicazione verbale, l'identità, il fenomeno dell'"ecolocalizzazione", la reciprocità umana, il sesso e l'amore, lo stato prenatale in cui si precipita, la forza di volontà necessaria per rinascere e tornare a maneggiare il mondo, il rapporto col tempo, l'emarginazione sociale ed anche i momenti di sconforto quando ci si accorge che i ricordi iniziano a sbiadire e non esiste più alcuna macchina fotografica in grado di riportarli in vita.
"I ciechi sono STATI come il giovane, il vecchio, il maschio e la femmina e insieme costituiscono uno degli ordini naturali dell'esistenza. Ma finché ci sarà tribalismo e chiusura mentale sarà difficile oltrepassare i confini di questi stati."
DA LEGGERE, ASSOLUTAMENTE
August 31, 2015
This came highly recommended from a trusted source, but I found it did not hold my attention. I forced myself to finish, hoping for some illumination which didn't happen. Towards the end, I skipped any retelling of dreams as I find this the most tedious element to read. Nothing is more boring than another person's dream and the analysis of dreams is highly suspect.
February 26, 2021
Boy, this was a fascinating look at blindness--the experience of blindness, the strangeness and alienation of blindness, the faith life of the blind.
Seriously, have you ever thought about the difference between hearing and sight? Hearing is passive; sight is active. Sight can be turned off; hearing can't. Sight is the way we experience the world; hearing is secondary. Anywho. That was only one of the fascinating things I was led to think about while reading. My horizons have been broadened. :)
I would give this four stars, but there were some seriously questionable theological statements in the last quarter, and for that I'm going to knock it down to 3.5. (Which does round up to four for Goodreads...so have I made a meaningful statement here? Maybe not. But I feel better.)
Seriously, have you ever thought about the difference between hearing and sight? Hearing is passive; sight is active. Sight can be turned off; hearing can't. Sight is the way we experience the world; hearing is secondary. Anywho. That was only one of the fascinating things I was led to think about while reading. My horizons have been broadened. :)
I would give this four stars, but there were some seriously questionable theological statements in the last quarter, and for that I'm going to knock it down to 3.5. (Which does round up to four for Goodreads...so have I made a meaningful statement here? Maybe not. But I feel better.)
June 24, 2012
This is a beautiful little book about this man's early experience of going blind and his encounters with himself, his family, and others along the way. Simple. Practical. Clear. Beautiful.
September 11, 2024
While John Hull reflects on his new condition of being blind, he shares pieces of wisdom. John Hull made me aware what difference it makes to see. He describes that he experiences a world without sight as a vast space, in which only what can be heard is recognized as existing. That is why he often experiences blindness as separating him from the world and enclosing him in his own consciousness (153). However, without the constant visual input he also experiences a richer contemplative life.
Moreover, he shares what is meaningful about an experience in which hearing and touch become most important. Two of the most moving passages are about feeling the wind and listening to the rain. After reading the following passage I felt the wind anew:
"Sometimes a blind person experiences a wind which is all the more exciting because it is known at long range. I hear the distant tossing of trees across the park; it comes like a wave rolling across a beach. Now it breaks upon my body in a squall, a gust, like a fist. This is very exciting because of the anticipation, and the wonderful feeling of having the knowledge in your body of what is going on. In what ways is the wind a symbol of the Holy Spirit for the blind?" (82)
His passage about rain taught me what beauty is:
“Rain has a way of bringing out the contours of everything; it throws a coloured blanket over previously invisible things; instead of an intermittent and thus fragmented world, the steadily falling rain creates continuity of acoustic experience” (p. 22). Thanks to all the different sounds created by the rain falling on objects, all of the objects’ presence is expressed at once. Together they create a surrounding which isn’t a mostly empty seeming space.
Hull calls listening to the rain a beautiful experience and then defines what makes it beautiful in a way that I want to remember, because it hits the nail on its head:
“When what there is to know is in itself varied, intricate and harmonious, then the knowledge of that reality shares the same characteristics” (23).
The rain is beautiful and so is knowing the rain by listening. Listening to the rain is beautiful, because it means to hear a variety of intricate sounds intermingling harmoniously. I would like to add, that the rain has not been ordered and organized, but instead is falling every time as a little miracle or gift, which adds to its beauty.
Moreover, he shares what is meaningful about an experience in which hearing and touch become most important. Two of the most moving passages are about feeling the wind and listening to the rain. After reading the following passage I felt the wind anew:
"Sometimes a blind person experiences a wind which is all the more exciting because it is known at long range. I hear the distant tossing of trees across the park; it comes like a wave rolling across a beach. Now it breaks upon my body in a squall, a gust, like a fist. This is very exciting because of the anticipation, and the wonderful feeling of having the knowledge in your body of what is going on. In what ways is the wind a symbol of the Holy Spirit for the blind?" (82)
His passage about rain taught me what beauty is:
“Rain has a way of bringing out the contours of everything; it throws a coloured blanket over previously invisible things; instead of an intermittent and thus fragmented world, the steadily falling rain creates continuity of acoustic experience” (p. 22). Thanks to all the different sounds created by the rain falling on objects, all of the objects’ presence is expressed at once. Together they create a surrounding which isn’t a mostly empty seeming space.
Hull calls listening to the rain a beautiful experience and then defines what makes it beautiful in a way that I want to remember, because it hits the nail on its head:
“When what there is to know is in itself varied, intricate and harmonious, then the knowledge of that reality shares the same characteristics” (23).
The rain is beautiful and so is knowing the rain by listening. Listening to the rain is beautiful, because it means to hear a variety of intricate sounds intermingling harmoniously. I would like to add, that the rain has not been ordered and organized, but instead is falling every time as a little miracle or gift, which adds to its beauty.
April 24, 2022
As a person born visually impaired, I would say that the author does wax a bit too melodramatic about blindness, but he also presents some interesting observations about what it is like to go from vision to blindness.
Still, oh, how I wish that he would have had more exposure to other well-adjusted blind people earlier on in his journey. The internalized ableism he expresses is astounding! Indeed, for this and other reasons that follow, I doubt that I would recommend this book to any sighted person or even to anyone newly blind. Also, this strange obsession with dreams and tendency to over-analysis…
The author places far too much emphasis on the differences between blind and sighted people. I know there are some differences, but far fewer than his over-analysis would lead him or you to believe. Further, our similarities with sighted people are far greater than our differences.
It is very disheartening the way he submits so readily to the passivity that most non-disabled people expect of blind and other disabled people and how he accepts it as, well, acceptable when a non-disabled person acts in microaggressive ways against his dignity as a human being. In my opinion, he should have learned to stand up for himself a long time ago. He continually apologizes for the ableist behavior of sighted people.
Also, it is interesting that one of his children had to ask how he knew something or other without sight. Is sight-centricism engrained at such an early age or was something else at play? 🤔
At one point, the author seems to have gone through quite the transformation! He has begun to accept far more his blindness and the experiences therein! I’m also glad he, by this point, had exposure to other blind people, but he quickly sinks back into all the internalized ableism again…
Still, oh, how I wish that he would have had more exposure to other well-adjusted blind people earlier on in his journey. The internalized ableism he expresses is astounding! Indeed, for this and other reasons that follow, I doubt that I would recommend this book to any sighted person or even to anyone newly blind. Also, this strange obsession with dreams and tendency to over-analysis…
The author places far too much emphasis on the differences between blind and sighted people. I know there are some differences, but far fewer than his over-analysis would lead him or you to believe. Further, our similarities with sighted people are far greater than our differences.
It is very disheartening the way he submits so readily to the passivity that most non-disabled people expect of blind and other disabled people and how he accepts it as, well, acceptable when a non-disabled person acts in microaggressive ways against his dignity as a human being. In my opinion, he should have learned to stand up for himself a long time ago. He continually apologizes for the ableist behavior of sighted people.
Also, it is interesting that one of his children had to ask how he knew something or other without sight. Is sight-centricism engrained at such an early age or was something else at play? 🤔
At one point, the author seems to have gone through quite the transformation! He has begun to accept far more his blindness and the experiences therein! I’m also glad he, by this point, had exposure to other blind people, but he quickly sinks back into all the internalized ableism again…
June 20, 2024
Recensione a cura della pagina instagram pagine_e_inchiostro:
Il dono oscuro è un saggio sul tema della cecità e un viaggio intimo nella mente di un uomo che ne é affetto. L’autore, John Hull, ha difatti perso completamente la vista a quarant’anni, in seguito ad una lesione della retina.
La sua é una precisa e asciutta testimonianza, tra trascrizioni di sogni interpretabili e problemi tangibili e quotidiani.
Hull non si limita a parlare della cecità fisica, ma si spinge a farci percepire la sensazione di incoscienza in cui possono scivolare le persone che non possono più vedere, riflettendo su quello che può essere a tutti gli effetti un Dono oscuro.
Il libro diventa così un affascinante resoconto di come funzioni non solo l’occhio esterno, ma anche quello interno, capace di introspezione e di un vero sentire.
Hull trasforma l’opera in una catarsi, tentando di accettare il suo nuovo stato, grazie ad un percorso di accoglimento del sé.
Il lettore non vi troverà nessun pietismo, nessuna autocommiserazione, se non un dettagliato sunto di un tema poco battuto, che riguarda non solo i non vedenti, ma anche una società basata sulla vista.
Un libro che riesce a toccare corde molto profonde, scritto da un professore che non ha mai voluto smettere di indagare la mente umana e i suoi funzionamenti.
Il dono oscuro è un saggio sul tema della cecità e un viaggio intimo nella mente di un uomo che ne é affetto. L’autore, John Hull, ha difatti perso completamente la vista a quarant’anni, in seguito ad una lesione della retina.
La sua é una precisa e asciutta testimonianza, tra trascrizioni di sogni interpretabili e problemi tangibili e quotidiani.
Hull non si limita a parlare della cecità fisica, ma si spinge a farci percepire la sensazione di incoscienza in cui possono scivolare le persone che non possono più vedere, riflettendo su quello che può essere a tutti gli effetti un Dono oscuro.
Il libro diventa così un affascinante resoconto di come funzioni non solo l’occhio esterno, ma anche quello interno, capace di introspezione e di un vero sentire.
Hull trasforma l’opera in una catarsi, tentando di accettare il suo nuovo stato, grazie ad un percorso di accoglimento del sé.
Il lettore non vi troverà nessun pietismo, nessuna autocommiserazione, se non un dettagliato sunto di un tema poco battuto, che riguarda non solo i non vedenti, ma anche una società basata sulla vista.
Un libro che riesce a toccare corde molto profonde, scritto da un professore che non ha mai voluto smettere di indagare la mente umana e i suoi funzionamenti.
August 9, 2021
Pensées, émotions et détresses intimes d'un être devenu "aveugle" mais qui pourtant voit, et ce si magnifiquement...
January 17, 2013
I was intrigued by the author's descriptions of what it is like for him to experience blindness after forty-five years of at least some degree of sight. He maintains that he was able to survive by clinging to his religious faith, which is not very helpful to me as I try to find a reason to continue living should I lose my own sight, but I did not find his religious references to be off-putting. I simply concentrated on his experience of blindness and how his blindness affects his relationships to other people and the world in general. His observation that social mobility is more of a problem than physical mobility for him has given me much to think about, as prior to reading this I have focused on the physical aspects of blindness, the problems of mobility and grooming in particular, as being a fate worse than death to me.
One particular passage affected me so deeply that I wrote it down in order to be able to re-read it whenever I like. (I do not own a copy of the book). Here is the passage:
"Blindness is like a huge vacuum cleaner which comes down upon your life, sucking almost everything away. Your past memories, your interests, your perception of time and how you will spend it, place itself, even the world, everything is sucked out. Your consciousness is evacuated, and you are left to reconstruct it, including a new sense of time, a new realization of the body in space and so on. In that situation, there is likely to be a drastic revision of priorities...I still think there is something purging about blindness. One must re-create one's life or be destroyed."
His account of how he re-created his life makes me reconsider allowing myself to be destroyed should I become blind. For the last twenty-three years I have vision in one eye only, which makes me much more aware of how much sighted people take their vision for granted. I am grateful for the vision that I have, and always worry that I will lose it. This man, John M. Hull, had vision in only one eye for many years and gradually lost that. He lived through what I fear may happen to me, and has done his best to explain what his life has been like since he got through the first few years of total blindness. I would love to read what those years were like for him as well, but am not sure if he has written or spoke of them in any detail. I can only imagine how awful that must have been for him. But he did survive and adapt, and continues to do so. I find that inspirational.
One particular passage affected me so deeply that I wrote it down in order to be able to re-read it whenever I like. (I do not own a copy of the book). Here is the passage:
"Blindness is like a huge vacuum cleaner which comes down upon your life, sucking almost everything away. Your past memories, your interests, your perception of time and how you will spend it, place itself, even the world, everything is sucked out. Your consciousness is evacuated, and you are left to reconstruct it, including a new sense of time, a new realization of the body in space and so on. In that situation, there is likely to be a drastic revision of priorities...I still think there is something purging about blindness. One must re-create one's life or be destroyed."
His account of how he re-created his life makes me reconsider allowing myself to be destroyed should I become blind. For the last twenty-three years I have vision in one eye only, which makes me much more aware of how much sighted people take their vision for granted. I am grateful for the vision that I have, and always worry that I will lose it. This man, John M. Hull, had vision in only one eye for many years and gradually lost that. He lived through what I fear may happen to me, and has done his best to explain what his life has been like since he got through the first few years of total blindness. I would love to read what those years were like for him as well, but am not sure if he has written or spoke of them in any detail. I can only imagine how awful that must have been for him. But he did survive and adapt, and continues to do so. I find that inspirational.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 16, 2017
The word memoir doesn't quite capture the spirit of this book. Yes, the memoir genre basically fits, as Hull is describing his very specific and very arresting experiences of going blind. Yet, memoir doesn't convey the utterly philosophical nature of Hull's writing. Despite its journal-based structure, I'd have to call this a meditation instead of something as prosaic as memoir.
In Touching the Rock Hull ruminates on the philosophical and psychological consequences of total blindness. He describes in an accessible and educated way, the strange duality of being blind: it both alienates you from the sighted persons around you and brings you closer to them whenever you might need a hand. He shows, in unsparing terms, how deeply sighted people misunderstand blindness. As someone who is also going through the process of a slow slide into blindness, this book both depresses and uplifts me. Even though this book was written more than 20 years ago, surprisingly little has changed.
As good of a description of blindness as Hull gives, I just can't give it 5 stars. He gets bogged down at times with his philosophical meandering (and dream interpretations), which made his writing too self-conscious and overly intellectual. This detracted and drew away from the more practical aspects of blindness, which Hull spent very little time on.
Good book to read if you want a more philosophical meditation on blindness. Bad book to read if you want to derive much practical insights into a blind person's life.
In Touching the Rock Hull ruminates on the philosophical and psychological consequences of total blindness. He describes in an accessible and educated way, the strange duality of being blind: it both alienates you from the sighted persons around you and brings you closer to them whenever you might need a hand. He shows, in unsparing terms, how deeply sighted people misunderstand blindness. As someone who is also going through the process of a slow slide into blindness, this book both depresses and uplifts me. Even though this book was written more than 20 years ago, surprisingly little has changed.
As good of a description of blindness as Hull gives, I just can't give it 5 stars. He gets bogged down at times with his philosophical meandering (and dream interpretations), which made his writing too self-conscious and overly intellectual. This detracted and drew away from the more practical aspects of blindness, which Hull spent very little time on.
Good book to read if you want a more philosophical meditation on blindness. Bad book to read if you want to derive much practical insights into a blind person's life.
March 1, 2021
Ci ho messo un pò a leggere questo libro, perchè nonostante lo abbia trovato interessante non ho particolarmente amato lo stile.
Il libro non è un vero e proprio libro, bensì un diario tenuto da Mr. Hull da quando è divenuto cieco totale. Nelle pagine cerca di far capire al lettore le difficoltà di un ex-vedente ad accettare la sua nuova condizione e nel reimparare la quotidianità, illustra inoltre le differenze sostanziali tra il mondo dei vedenti e quello dei ciechi.
Ho trovato istruttive tutte quelle note che parlavano con molta ironia degli errori più comuni commessi dai vedenti nei confronti dei ciechi e ne farò sicuramente tesoro.
Alcuni degli episodi raccontati sono davvero esilaranti o teneri, in particolare il suo affrontare la paternità in un modo completamente nuovo, reinventando i giochi e la routine.
Ho letto con molta più difficoltà invece i numerosi sogni descritti.
Non ho affatto apprezzato la scelta nell'edizione italiana di mettere l'introduzione all'edizione originale in fondo al libro, a mio avviso è un sunto fondamentale della vita dell'autore che in parte ti fa capire un pò di più di lui, se l'avessi letta all'inizio del testo sicuramente alcune parti le avrei interpretate diversamente, pertanto suggerisco a chi vorrà leggere questo libro di iniziare dall'introduzione che si trova alla fine del volume.
Il libro non è un vero e proprio libro, bensì un diario tenuto da Mr. Hull da quando è divenuto cieco totale. Nelle pagine cerca di far capire al lettore le difficoltà di un ex-vedente ad accettare la sua nuova condizione e nel reimparare la quotidianità, illustra inoltre le differenze sostanziali tra il mondo dei vedenti e quello dei ciechi.
Ho trovato istruttive tutte quelle note che parlavano con molta ironia degli errori più comuni commessi dai vedenti nei confronti dei ciechi e ne farò sicuramente tesoro.
Alcuni degli episodi raccontati sono davvero esilaranti o teneri, in particolare il suo affrontare la paternità in un modo completamente nuovo, reinventando i giochi e la routine.
Ho letto con molta più difficoltà invece i numerosi sogni descritti.
Non ho affatto apprezzato la scelta nell'edizione italiana di mettere l'introduzione all'edizione originale in fondo al libro, a mio avviso è un sunto fondamentale della vita dell'autore che in parte ti fa capire un pò di più di lui, se l'avessi letta all'inizio del testo sicuramente alcune parti le avrei interpretate diversamente, pertanto suggerisco a chi vorrà leggere questo libro di iniziare dall'introduzione che si trova alla fine del volume.
October 16, 2016
There is one section, on Rain, which is brilliant. However the construction of the book is seriously flawed. The sections are taken from recordings which John Hull made in the years following his complete loss of sight. They are collated in date order, but the sense of a journey, although referred to metaphorically, is not clear. There is some repetition, which does not matter, and is even, to some extent, used effectively, but generally there is not a clear construction of themes. It appears that he just put together the pieces without working on them to create a coherent whole. Moreover the voice is uncertain. To some extent this uncertainty reflects his feelings at the time and it's not that I want writing to fall into a set genre, but the style changes, from sermon to diary to self help manual, seem problematic to me. There is also a pompous, pedantic over explained feel which made me long to skip. Some of the dream pieces and more poetic pieces would have been good without the over explication.
March 15, 2017
Loved this book. Got it as a present after I saw the movie. I think Hull's reflective skills open up a view into blindness. I would have loved to see more of how he formed his theology based on his blindness. That said, the second last chapter was incredible insightful.
Not an easy read but well worth it!!
Not an easy read but well worth it!!
November 15, 2017
It's funny how it can take someone who can't see to get you to see things you've been missing your whole life. Touching the Rock is a series of journal entries from John M. Hull as he goes completely blind in the early 80's. It's a fascinating look at the inner life of a blind person, common misperceptions from those he calls "sighted," and how dignity is oftentimes lost when people try to help.
December 17, 2016
Remarkably well-written: the perfect balance between narrative and dialogue sections, and philosophical ponderings. I don't think I've read another memoir that was written with such flawless pacing and style.
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