Connecting Dots: A Blind Life by Miele and Jamieson

In March, we had the pleasure of reading Connecting Dots: A Blind Life by Joshua A. Miele and Wendell Jamieson. The book is a memoir about the amazing life of Josh Miele who was blinded by acid at the tender age of four. With humor, great wit and style, we are told amazing stories about his adventures rollerskating, playing in a band, finding love, attending Berkeley, interning at NASA, pursing a meaningful career, marrying, having children, and advancing accessibility technology in ways that are changing the world.

We all loved this book! Lisa knows Josh personally because she worked with him at Amazon and heard from a coworker that he had just published a book. We were all inspired by his stories and enjoyed his intelligence, humor, grit, and general attitude about making the world a better place. (Spoiler alert.) We held interesting discussions about his family members and each of their relationships with Josh, especially his stepfather, Klaus, who nurtured his passion for science and showed enormous support for Josh all throughout his life. We also shared thoughts about the neighbors and how the events affected the community members (one of them being the journalist coauthor). We talked about Josh's love interests and his amusing stories about dating his wife, who had previously been his friend's girlfriend (how was he able to eventually be with this woman who was off limits?) Although some of his experiences were similar to those that many of us have had (such as doing pranks as a kid, finding love, navigating work life, and enjoying oysters), other experiences were new and enlightening for us sighted people such as learning Braille, managing a guide dog, and losing a prosthetic eye in the ocean. 

As with all bookclubs, we delved into conversations about our own lives, some involving disabilities. Big events have been taking place such as layoffs, new jobs, and new homes. Many of our kids are adjusting to college or applying to college. We discussed parents and their attitudes about us, work travel, recognizing or not recognizing people by appearance versus voice, stress dreams, music performances, and much more. We missed Liz but were happy to hear about her pleasant day.

All in all, we highly recommend the book and look forward to a future where accessibility is the norm and everyone can thrive. (Cathy shared this lovely commercial by Apple: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmFPWxjmnqE)