The Seeing Glass: A Memoir

Rating:
Summary: splendidly touching
Review: As the parent of an autistic child this book touched every nerve in my body, from the mother who is tormented to the children (siblings) who don't understand, to the grandfather who says Robin must go to an institution to save the rest of the family. For a short time, the author goes blind (of course, when and if her sight returns is not known while she is struggling through this terrifying bout of blindness). While she is trying to navigate her own new world with her family, she dreams of her brother. While her world is black and white, she dreams in color and has vivid recollections of growing up with an autistic brother in a time when nothing was known about autism. I have had people tell me they cried at the end of the book from an overwhelming sense of sadness. But, I felt oddly at peace that this sister was able to develop a full blown appreciation for her brother and now, as an adult, has a tender memory of him and for his place in the family.

Rating:
Summary: The Seeing Glass: A Memoir
Review: Jacquelin Gorman was born in a special family; her grandfather had been one of the world's best eye doctors, she has one brother and three sisters, all of the children on her family have watery blue eyes, and her brother, Robin, was [mentally handicapped]. This book is consisted of how Jacquelin recovered her eyesight and of valuable memories that has to do with Robin. Jacquelin had been scared of the dark ever since she was a little girl. After she lost her eyesight, Jacquelin went crazy. She had first tasted how it feels to be isolated. In the total darkness, she followed the footsteps of Robin's childhood by dreaming things that happened to Robin. She experienced several heart-breaking and heart-warming events that brought hope and light into her darkness.
I don't really understand some of the feelings that the author described in this book, but I am sort of touched by some of the scenes that came up in her memory. Through these scenes, I can see a little bit of how [mentally handicapped] people are treated in real life. They are despised, treated unfairly, and always seem to be the target for bullying. But, I can also see how people can still be so passionate and nice even when they are [mentally handicapped]. I learned that being [mentally handicapped] is simply having to learn slower than most other people. Being [mentally handicapped] doesn't mean that one loses his or her ability to care and love other people. It also doesn't mean that a [mentally handicapped] person doesn't need to be loved and cared for.
I think the best part in this book is when Jacquelin recalled a memory of Robin being taken away into Rosewood, a mental hospital. One time, Jacquelin witnessed the way Robin was brought into Rosewood hospital. At first, her mom drove Robin to the entrance of the hospital. Then Robin started to scream, trying to show how much he hated this place, but after a while, he calmed down. After he got out of the car, he said to Jacquelin, "I love you." But right before they entered the hospital, Robin screamed once again and ran back to the car. He told Jacquelin to unlock the door so he could get in, but her mom told her to keep Robin outside. Just when Jacquelin was about to open the door for him, two men came of the hospital and wrapped Robin in a big, white jacket; then they poked a big needle into his arm, which caused him to stop his struggling. Jacquelin didn't have the chance to tell him that she loves him too.