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Double Take: A Memoir
Double take
A rapid or surprised second look, either literal or figurative, at a person or situation whose significance has not been completely grasped at first.
Kevin Michael Connolly is a twenty-three-year-old man who has seen the world in a way most of us never will. Whether swarmed by Japanese tourists at Epcot Center as a child or holding court at the X Games on his mon...more
A rapid or surprised second look, either literal or figurative, at a person or situation whose significance has not been completely grasped at first.
Kevin Michael Connolly is a twenty-three-year-old man who has seen the world in a way most of us never will. Whether swarmed by Japanese tourists at Epcot Center as a child or holding court at the X Games on his mon...more
ebook, 240 pages
Published
October 13th 2009
by HarperStudio
(first published September 30th 2009)
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The cover drew me in during a bookstore excursion, and when I flipped through I was delighted to see a lot of photography interspersed.
Kevin (because we're close like that) was born without legs. It's not a disease or the result of anything his mother did or didn't do - it just happened. But his book isn't about that. Well, ok, to an extent it is, because you can't just gloss over something like that. But I guess because he was born that way, he didn't have much adjusting to do. It was simply h...more
Kevin (because we're close like that) was born without legs. It's not a disease or the result of anything his mother did or didn't do - it just happened. But his book isn't about that. Well, ok, to an extent it is, because you can't just gloss over something like that. But I guess because he was born that way, he didn't have much adjusting to do. It was simply h...more
This was strangely fascinating. The author was born without legs in a small town in Montana to parents who really encouraged him to be independent. Over the years, he tried both artificial legs and a wheelchair, but found both methods of transport confining, and ultimately crafted himself a little skateboard that he whizzed around on very expeditiously. Since he never had legs, he didn't really feel badly about his condition, and there was very little he couldn't do, including skiing in the X ga...more
A memoir by a 23-year old would not normally sound promising, but this one is highly engaging. Author was born without legs and describes how that affected dating, finding an outlet for his interest in competitive sports (frustrating to have to just watch h.s. football; didn't take to wrestling; found his niche in skiing so well that he earned lots of money via the X games, has sponsors, etc.), being mobile enough to keep up with girlfriend and family in getting around (rides a "longboard" on hi...more
I enjoyed Connolly's memoir immensely. Connolly definitely kept my attention and managed to detail his birth deformity and the ensuing heartaches and triumphs in a very positive and informative way.
Connolly traveled around the world alone despite the fact that he has no legs. His mode of transport is a skateboard, and a mission along the way was to capture as many people's reaction to the sight of him as possible on camera. He captured hundreds of photos of people's expressions when they are fi...more
Connolly traveled around the world alone despite the fact that he has no legs. His mode of transport is a skateboard, and a mission along the way was to capture as many people's reaction to the sight of him as possible on camera. He captured hundreds of photos of people's expressions when they are fi...more
I don't remember where I heard this book mentioned, but it looked interesting. Kevin Connolly is a 23 year old from Montana who happened to be born without legs. The book is a combination of two basic story ideas: living as normal of a life as possible, and the chronicles of a journey around the world to photograph people's reactions to him.
I liked the way the book was put together. Each chapter had a photo at the beginning that came from his collection, then the chapter was like a written snaps...more
I liked the way the book was put together. Each chapter had a photo at the beginning that came from his collection, then the chapter was like a written snaps...more
This book was a fairly quick read. The chapters are concise and reader friendly. The photographs from the author’s photo project definitely set the tone for the book, and are a creative thread holding the narrative together.
I read this book to add to my repertoire of disability memoirs, though at a point in the book Connolly points out that he does not identify himself as disabled, which was an insightful commentary in his range of experiences. I had a few issues with some of the way the narrat...more
I read this book to add to my repertoire of disability memoirs, though at a point in the book Connolly points out that he does not identify himself as disabled, which was an insightful commentary in his range of experiences. I had a few issues with some of the way the narrat...more
Even though I felt that a large portion of this small book was disjointed somehow, I still liked it. A lot of what I read in Mr. Connolly's story reinforced the idea that people can "go for broke" and create a positive out of a bad situation.
The biggest lesson that I learned from Connolly's story, though, is that he's a much better person than I am. Even just reading about stranger's initial reactions to him had me clicking my tongue and shaking my head, while I was secretly acknowledging the fa...more
The biggest lesson that I learned from Connolly's story, though, is that he's a much better person than I am. Even just reading about stranger's initial reactions to him had me clicking my tongue and shaking my head, while I was secretly acknowledging the fa...more
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This was a fast read and an inspirational one! I found his comments about perception really interesting. And my favorite quotable was the last 2 pages, this in particular:
"And I have come to understand why people make up stories and ask questions about what happened to my legs. I'm guilty of doing the same thing to others who interest me. It's a natural human imperative to create stories: things can't just be. If someone gets lung cancer, we want to know whether he smoked. If someone has a hear...more
"And I have come to understand why people make up stories and ask questions about what happened to my legs. I'm guilty of doing the same thing to others who interest me. It's a natural human imperative to create stories: things can't just be. If someone gets lung cancer, we want to know whether he smoked. If someone has a hear...more
It's good to be able to see the world from a different perspective (literally in this case), through someone else's experiences. I wonder sometimes what it's like to be physically different from the average person on the street, but in the end everyone's got such a drastically different life no matter how they're born that I end up interested in everyone's story, because everyone's got something interesting happening or that has happened in their lives to tell about. Even if Kevin had been born...more
Really a great memoir. Picked this up while watching X-games hoping for a book to meet my insatiable skiing needs...but found much, much more. The book most closely chronicles Connolly's mission to create a photo project capturing the stares he's been given all his life for being born without legs. Along the way, the insights we get into his experiences, both the sameness and the differences, are very open, reflective, poignant and emotional- without being self-indulgent. Connolly didn't set out...more
I was somewhat disappointed in this book. Connolly is a decent enough writer (the recounting of his skiing adventures were especially entertaining - if somewhat painful!) but I found myself a little put off by his attitude. A common theme (and the impetus for the book in the first place) was his annoyance at how people would look at him and the different reactions they would have. I don't mean to be cold, but let's face it - a legless man zipping around on a skateboard should expect to see shock...more
This book was so uplifting and nice to read. After reading about all those Hoaxers in the non-fiction genre, it was nice to read something that I KNOW was true. I mean, it's hard to fake the fact that you have no legs.
The author seems to know that writing a memoir in his young 20's is a little presuming and self-centered. But he does a great job of laying out his life, his trials growing up and his view and theory on the world so far. He doesn't make any big claims on life and how people should...more
The author seems to know that writing a memoir in his young 20's is a little presuming and self-centered. But he does a great job of laying out his life, his trials growing up and his view and theory on the world so far. He doesn't make any big claims on life and how people should...more
I was fortunate enough to see the author, Kevin Michael Connolly, at the National Inclusion Project Champions for Change Gala in December 2011. At the time, he charmed me with his wit and humor. Therefore, I HAD to read his memoir, and it did not disappoint! Mr. Connolly was born without legs, and yet, had as normal of a childhood as he could. His parents had much to do with this; they had a very no-nonsense way about them, as people who live in Montana are wont to do. The book discusses this ch...more
My friend Alyse suggested this book to me. It was an enjoyable memoir and very quick.
I remember seeing this guy on TV a few years ago. His Rolling Exhibition was probably touring at the time and I think CBS Sunday Morning did a story on him. I remember watching it and seeing some of his photos. The stares from the people and how he went about snapping those photos were unlike anything I had seen before and it stuck with me. I didn't know his name until I got a hold of this book. I was then able...more
I remember seeing this guy on TV a few years ago. His Rolling Exhibition was probably touring at the time and I think CBS Sunday Morning did a story on him. I remember watching it and seeing some of his photos. The stares from the people and how he went about snapping those photos were unlike anything I had seen before and it stuck with me. I didn't know his name until I got a hold of this book. I was then able...more
There’s more to Connolly’s story than the fact that he was born without legs, which makes this memoir an interesting read, but as the author is only in his early 20s, it’s a quick read, too.
We see him raised by parents who treat his disability as matter-of-factly as they can, and he has a fairly normal small-town childhood. He eschews wheelchairs and prosthetics for a skateboard he propels with his hands — it’s just easier for him to get around that way. In trying to find a sport that he can com...more
We see him raised by parents who treat his disability as matter-of-factly as they can, and he has a fairly normal small-town childhood. He eschews wheelchairs and prosthetics for a skateboard he propels with his hands — it’s just easier for him to get around that way. In trying to find a sport that he can com...more
I enjoyed reading Double Take. It was an easy-read. It's a memoir of a 23 year old man who was born without legs. Each chapter tells stories of different times of his life starting with his birth to current time. In these chapters, he shares his experiences of being a legless guy. He expresses his inner thoughts and feelings when people stare at him. He takes on a journey to see the world by traveling to several countries and in the midst of it he decides to take photos of people as a way of cop...more
Oct 25, 2010
Christie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
book-club-selection
This book is a memoir about Kevin Connolly, a young MSU grad, Helena, MT native, and X-Games mono-ski competitor. Kevin was born with no legs and shares his unique perspective on life and people's impressions of him in this book. Included are photo's from The Rolling Exhibition. At first glance, one would assume that Kevin's life is much different than theirs. However, I enjoyed this book because I came to realize that in many ways Kevin's life and hobbies aren't really that much different than...more
I had somewhat higher expectations for this slim volume, but even so, it is well worth reading. Kevin Connolly was born without legs in 1985 Montana, and is now a photographer and competitive skier (winning medals in mono skier cross at the Winter X Games). He travels by hand and skateboard, and a lifetime of being stared at inspired his photography -- he unobtrusively snaps pictures of people in the act of staring. "The Rolling Exhibition" is a collection of those images taken on his travels ar...more
Kevin Connolly was born without legs. For him, it's not that big of a deal. He's used to it. But the rest of the world around him usually reacts quite differently.
In an attempt to come to grips with what it's like to always be stared at, often pitied, sometimes scorned, he undertakes a world-wide journey to photograph people's responses to him as a legless man. His travels have taken him to France, Ukraine, New Zealand, China, Japan, Malaysia, Croatia, to name a few. The resulting collection of...more
In an attempt to come to grips with what it's like to always be stared at, often pitied, sometimes scorned, he undertakes a world-wide journey to photograph people's responses to him as a legless man. His travels have taken him to France, Ukraine, New Zealand, China, Japan, Malaysia, Croatia, to name a few. The resulting collection of...more
This book is such a fast read and provides an interesting perspective about a pretty remarkable young man who was born with no legs and rides around the world on a skateboard. His observation is that no matter where in the world you are, everyone stares the same or reacts the same when they first see him. He chronicles his journey and shows some great maturity as he deals with the emotional effects of people's reactions to him. It was not a book that necessarily changed my life, but it helped me...more
I really liked this. It was so totally honest. I feel such admiration for not only him, but his family. The great thing about it, though, was that it was really kind of universal, which sounds weird, because he has a fairly unique perspective (he was born without legs). His maturation is something we all need, should, go through. The pictures are awesome, too. There's a lot to think about afterwards, too. It's nice that it doesn't take weeks to read, either. I admire people who can say things we...more
Like another reviewer said, this book was strangely fascinating. A true story of a boy born without legs, but raised to not be bothered by his handicap. He hates prosthesis. He hates wheelchairs. He loves his longboard. Kevin Connolly has done more than a lot of us, and visited more places on earth than many of us ever will. His account of life at the bottom. He decides to do a big project of photographing people around the world looking (down) at him. Doing a double take. A quick, poignant, unf...more
I liked this book and I'm glad I read it. However, somehow I was expecting more. I appreciated his stories of growing up and overcoming the many difficulties of not having legs. I appreciated his drive to excel and his honesty, even about how he felt about his big photo project. I'm not sure what his main message was regarding these photos though. It seemed that he wanted to show that universally people will stare at someone without legs. But is that really a big surprise? He even found himself...more
An intriguing backstory that never quite hits the mark in the novel version. I first saw Kevin on the X-games, large and in charge on the monoski and when I heard he had written a book about his lack of legs and how that impacted his life I knew I had my next "to read." Aside from the chapter "Slow Dancing," which allows the reader into Kevin's head while he wrestles with the challenge of being "different" and how that affects his heart and soul. In the end, I enjoyed this book, but it left me w...more
Although only twenty-three years old, Connolly delivers a well-told memoir of his experiences having been born without legs. Connolly writes about his childhood experiences in Montana, his competitive skiing adventures, and how he formulated the idea for a photo project capturing the faces of people staring at him during his travels throughout the world.
I would love to read a follow-up from Connolly after perhaps another decade or two of life.
I would love to read a follow-up from Connolly after perhaps another decade or two of life.
This seemed to be a great way for the author to be on a similar playing field as everyone else. As they stare, so does he. He remains adventurous and positive about life, regardless of the obstacles and sympathetic nature of others. I applaud him and his stategies. His parents were also smart to allow him to be involved in life and choose his activities. I liked the reaction of his mother when he was about to set out on his tsavel adventures. She did not deny his enthusiasm, nor damper his ideas...more
The memoirs of a 23 year old guy born with no legs. He's a remarkably tenacious person and seems like a good guy. But a really great writer, unfortunately, he is not. And 23 years is not quite enough life to generate book-worthy memories. Of course he has some interesting insights and experiences to share as a consequence of his disability, and there were parts I enjoyed, but his age and inexperience as a writer definitely tainted the book.
I heard of this book after I watched this legless young man SKI in the Winter X games on TV. Those athletes are truly amazing!
This book was funny, real and also sad at times. Kevin never seemed to be too upset about his handicap, and had such a great outlook on life. This would be a great book for young adults to read so they can see there is always a positive way to view life.
He is compared to Jeannette Walls with his writing, but I think he is better.
This book was funny, real and also sad at times. Kevin never seemed to be too upset about his handicap, and had such a great outlook on life. This would be a great book for young adults to read so they can see there is always a positive way to view life.
He is compared to Jeannette Walls with his writing, but I think he is better.
Crazy but I chose this book by the cover and didn't know what it was about. Was surprised to find out that he had been born without legs. He traveled by himself and did thing I would never do on my own. I was wondering what the photos were about that start each chapter. They had nothing to do with the chapter. The you find out about his photo project and you get it. You have to go back and look at all the photos.
I really wanted to read this book because it's a memoir of a 23-year old guy from Helena, Montana, who travels the world and has no legs! Two things I'm interested in and something I've never read about. I loved Kevin's writing style and he's great at describing the places and people he sees - and now I really want to visit Ukraine and New Zealand. It was also fascinating to learn what it's like to grow up and live like a bipedal person, but on a skateboard (not a wheel chair!). In some ways, I...more
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Dec 11, 2010 02:39pm