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18th out of 34 books
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10 voters
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Crashing Through: A True Story of Risk, Adventure, and the Man Who Dared to See
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...more
Paperback, 320 pages
Published
August 19th 2008
by Random House Trade Paperbacks
(first published 2006)
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i really enjoyed this book, it was honestly a "page turner." because it is not fictional and the subject is so unique and unknown, i was consistently dyyyying to know what was going to happen next (like i almost missed my train stop a few times and that NEVER happens to me!) i really dig kurson so i knew i'd like the writing, but the subject was also really fascinating and i can't fathom how anyone who picked it up and read the dustjacket wouldn't be totally intrigued by it. HOWE...more
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Picked up this book free at NBP. I don’t know if they were transcribing it, or if they just had it because Mike May, the subject, was on the adjudication committee of NBP’s new Louis Braille Touch of Genius Prize for Innovation.
I did not find it to be a very well-written book at all—very hackneyed phrasing, stale descriptions. I was also distracted because the main character was referred to as “May”, not “Mike”, despite the fact that many other Mays (his family members) also appear...more
I did not find it to be a very well-written book at all—very hackneyed phrasing, stale descriptions. I was also distracted because the main character was referred to as “May”, not “Mike”, despite the fact that many other Mays (his family members) also appear...more
The true story of an entrepreneur who, through the use of new medical technology, is able to regain his sight after decades of blindness, something only 20 people in recorded history have experienced. To be honest, I thought the strongest parts of the book were those that didn't deal too much with the main character. For example, a chapter toward the end examines the role that the brain plays in interpreting visual stimuli to create what we think of as vision. Fascinating stuff. It is hard to te...more
The story of Mike May's life is truly facsinating. He was a record blind Olympic skier, started and ran his own companies, and underwent a radical new eye surgery that allowed him to see. Great insight on how the mind processes images and sensory inputs, and how "repairing" a sense lost early in life is no miracle cure, as the brain simply does not know how to process the information.
Unfortunately, in my opinion, Kurson's writing was poor, stale, and did not hold my inter...more
Unfortunately, in my opinion, Kurson's writing was poor, stale, and did not hold my inter...more
I really enjoyed reading about Mike as he lived his life as a blind man and then later as a sighted man. He is truly an amazing person who stretched himself to do as much as he wanted. A blind man who was in the CIA, broke speed skiing records, was an inventor, and had a beautiful wife and boys, he truly is an inspiration to us all. He didn't let his blindness hold him back. In fact, he used it to push himself forward and become the best man he could be. He pushed the limits.
From th...more
From th...more
What I loved about this book:
I'm giving this 5 stars because of the fascinating parts about what happens when you restore vision to a blind person, and not because of the writing. It is unbelievable to learn about how we really "see", and I don't doubt that it will be a real surprise to most people.
This is the story of Mike May, one of only 20! or so people in recorded history to have been blind for a significant part of their lives and then have their vision resto...more
I'm giving this 5 stars because of the fascinating parts about what happens when you restore vision to a blind person, and not because of the writing. It is unbelievable to learn about how we really "see", and I don't doubt that it will be a real surprise to most people.
This is the story of Mike May, one of only 20! or so people in recorded history to have been blind for a significant part of their lives and then have their vision resto...more
This was a very interesting book. I chose this book because I enjoy the author, Robert Kurson. He has an incredible style of writing non-fiction. You actually feel like you are experiencing the events as they unfold. This is a story about Michael May who was blinded in early childhood and had the opportunity to regain his sight when in his 40's. This is NOT the same story as the 1999 Val Kilmer movie "First Sight" about a blind man that regains his sight. Michael May is a very di...more
Some friends recommended this and Shadow Divers to me when they were in town; it took awhile for this one to come through from the library. I wasn't really all that thrilled with Shadow Divers; it seemed like a lot of build up and conclusion with nothing much in the middle. This book suffers from many of the same flaws. The pacing is just off, and within two paragraphs you realize that this is someone who is used to writing for newspapers and magazines and not used to writing books. I found Crashing Through...more
This was an audio book that was quite fascinating. The biography of this guy who was blinded at 3 years old by a chemical accident is really amazing (a word that has almost lost value by overuse). For 40 years he lives his life as a blind person, doing things you couldn't image a blind person doing like riding a bike, skiing, traveling to third world countries, marrying a sighted woman, parenting sighted kids and much more. When he decides to have an experimental operation to restore sight to hi...more
The central idea of this book is fascinating- Mike May's journey from blindness to vision. Too bad it takes half the book to get to it! The beginning chapters dragged for me- while I appreciated the picture of May growing up blind, I didn't need quite so much background. Once he gains sight, however, and is dealing with the excitement and challenges of the change, the narrative picks up. I think this very compelling story could have been told effectively if the author had spend less time on M...more
Crashing Through: A True Story of Risk, Adventure, and the Man Who Dared to See by Robert Kurson truly tells an amazing story. Robert May wasn't born blind, but a childhood accident when he was three years old caused him to become blind due to the chemical burns his eyes received. His mother's refusal to treat him as handicapped coupled with Mike's own tenacity enabled him to grow up defying the typical streotypes associated with blind people. He literally "crashed through" them by ...more
The content of the book is compelling, yes -- I mean, the guy hasn't seen in 45 years and is getting his vision back. Maybe more than that though, I enjoyed listening in on his internal dialog regarding the question of whether he really WANTS to see at this point. Seems like a no-brainer, but to Mike May, it's not. And then something happens that he never even considered -- that only a handful of scientists even thought about.
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At the age of three Mike May was blinded after trying to clean a glass jar scrounged from the cluttered garage in the plastic swimming pool in his yard. The jar contained chemicals that, when combined with water, caused an explosive reaction. After several corneal transplants, May was told he would never see again.
His blindness did not stop him from achieving a very full life; he traveled, started a family and business, and still holds world records in downhill speed skiing. So in 1...more
His blindness did not stop him from achieving a very full life; he traveled, started a family and business, and still holds world records in downhill speed skiing. So in 1...more
Fascinating true story about a man who has not seen since about age three, then recovers his sight through surgery. His experiences are interesting--he can't remember any faces, cannot tell a beautiful woman until his wife points it out (they sit together watching the door at Starbucks and she coaches him on those who enter).
The connection between the brain and vision becomes an integral part of the story. It seems that many lessons, like depth and spatial relationships have to b...more
The connection between the brain and vision becomes an integral part of the story. It seems that many lessons, like depth and spatial relationships have to b...more
This book needs to be read, it needs to be on bestseller lists, it needs to win awards! Go now and get it! It is that good! It is a story about a man blinded at age 3 who received a cornea transplant 40 years later and was given his vision back. He is one of maybe 20 people IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD who were able to regain vision after such a long period. He might be the bravest person in the history of the world. The way he approaches life is a model for all of us. So inspirational. I ...more
Robert Kurson's Shadow Divers (**** Sept/Oct 2004), a tale of a deadly search for a German U-boat off the coast of New Jersey, became an instant classic among adventure readers who enjoy well-told, high-octane nonfiction. In Crashing Through, the author finds an equally compelling subject. Kurson's journalistic instincts are strong, and tight writing and thorough research reflect his journalist background. The profile of Mike May is generally engagingparticularly in describing the difficult tr
...more
So far so good. Finished it! Good book.
Mike May regained his sight after being blind since the age of three by a revolutionary and complex stem cell surgery. His life before the restoration of his vision was already extraordinary, but being a neuropsychology student, I found the most engrossing part of the book the study of May's new vision. He's an interesting case to read about. He offers a rare insight into the role of the brain in human vision and perception of the world.
We take for granted the way we normally perceive things ar...more
We take for granted the way we normally perceive things ar...more
Despite his penchant for tabloid-sounding titles (the author’s previous book was Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II), this book was a very good non-fiction book, on what happens when a forty-six year old man who has been blind for forty-three years is given the chance to see once again. This is a fascinating book on several levels, not least concerning how and when we learn to see what we see. (For those not...more
Lou
rated it
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review of another edition
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
everyone alive
Recommended to Lou by:
Tina
A very good book reading friend of mine recommended this book and I am so glad she did! This is a must read. If you know anybody who always sees the glass "half empty " ( and 99.999999% of the people I meet fit into this category ) then you must read this book to put life into perspective. That's all I am going to say so I don't ruin the experience of "crashing through" in life.
this book is great for optometry nerds and book-lovers alike! it's a thrilling biographical narrative about one man's incredible journey from blindness into sight; but it also teaches us that sight alone does not necessarily equal perception or understanding.
Michael May, rendered completely blind at the age of 3, makes the tough decision to undergo a rare stem cell transplant surgery to be able to see again as a grown, married man. May reached such great heights as a blind individua...more
Michael May, rendered completely blind at the age of 3, makes the tough decision to undergo a rare stem cell transplant surgery to be able to see again as a grown, married man. May reached such great heights as a blind individua...more
Toward the end of this book is a fascinating chapter that describes how our brains process visual information. If the rest of the book had focused more on that kind of science, I would have loved it. Instead, it tells the story of a man who, had his life not been radically altered by rare surgery, I wouldn't have been particularly interested to read about.
Kate
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review of another edition
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review of another edition
Recommended to Kate by:
Book Club
Shelves:
nonfiction,
book-club
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Bookclub choice by Jill Reipsa. Story of guy blind since 3 yrs old due to chemical burn. Has adapted to everything. Married with kids. Entrepreneur trying to invent things for blind people.
Doctor finally gives him a chance to see by a cornea transplant with attendant risks of transplant.
Agrees finally. one episode of rejection. unfortnately he gets to see but due to being blind for so long he sees flat, 2 dimensional, so still needs his cane or dog for steps and curbs and...more
Doctor finally gives him a chance to see by a cornea transplant with attendant risks of transplant.
Agrees finally. one episode of rejection. unfortnately he gets to see but due to being blind for so long he sees flat, 2 dimensional, so still needs his cane or dog for steps and curbs and...more
Very well written, especially the descriptions of why sighted people see, and why people who have been blind for quite some time and regain their sight have problems with depth perception, dimension etc.
Mr. May had been blinded at age 3 with a chemical accident, and he was quite successful and happy with his situation as it was. I think it took him almost a year to decide to try the transplant that was suggested to him because he couldn't imagine how it would make a difference in ...more
Mr. May had been blinded at age 3 with a chemical accident, and he was quite successful and happy with his situation as it was. I think it took him almost a year to decide to try the transplant that was suggested to him because he couldn't imagine how it would make a difference in ...more
I recently read The Brain the Changes Itself, and learned about brain plasticity. The story Mike May, who becomes blind at age three and has his sight restored in his mid-forties, is another example of the brain adjusting to events to reorganize itself. That, along with the remarkable new medical treatments for restoring sight, are the science of this story.
The heart of the story is May himself. His undaunted drive to explore, optimism, and constant willingness to challenge himself are...more
The heart of the story is May himself. His undaunted drive to explore, optimism, and constant willingness to challenge himself are...more
Mike May's story is so fascinating that it nearly makes up for this poorly written account of his journey.
This book was at its best in the last few chapters, when describing the adjustments, challenges and difficulties of Mike's sight being restored in middle age after having been blinded in a chemical explosion at the age of three. The segue into the scientific details of how we learn to process visual information from birth through our early years is equally fascinating.
...more
This book was at its best in the last few chapters, when describing the adjustments, challenges and difficulties of Mike's sight being restored in middle age after having been blinded in a chemical explosion at the age of three. The segue into the scientific details of how we learn to process visual information from birth through our early years is equally fascinating.
...more
Fascinating book about a man who became blind at age 3 and 40+ years later had to decide whether to do surgery that might give him sight back in one eye. Huge risks and dilemmas.....decision made, and fascinating outcome. Made me think a lot about what I learned in some of my favorite psychology classes as an undergrad (interestingly enough at one of the universities mentioned quite a bit in the book). The book was thoroughly entertaining -- I started reading it last night before bed and fini...more
This is the amazing true story of a man, Mike May, who because of a chemical explosion became blind at 3 years old, regains his vision after revolutionary stem cell surgery. I learned alot about vision and the brain's role in it. Also, I learned that the cornea has a ring of stem cells which continually produce "daughter' cells whose job is to keep the cornea healthy and clear. GOD's creation is totally amazing! I was struck by May's perserverance in the face of huge obstacles and by t...more
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“It wasn't who a person believed himself to be or what he pretended he would do in a given situation. It was what he did when he got there that defined him.”
—
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