Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com
Natalie is slowly losing her eyesight. When she was about eight, she started to stumble and walk into things. Born without irises, the part that controls the amount of light allowed into the eye, the pressure is continuing to grow. Having endured multiple surgeries and continuous eye drops, Natalie prays that she won't go totally blind.
But a few weeks before school is to start, she receives the worst possible news. There is nothing more they can do for Natalie, and now, it's best she be prepared. The doctor tells her that one day, she could wake up and be completely blind. So, with reluctance, she is sent off to the blind school in Baltimore.
Natalie considers herself different than everyone else. After all, she can still see. And some of the kids at the school require a lot more help. There's even a sign above her bed that says "Makes own bed." It angers Natalie.
Natalie is resistant to what the school wants to teach her. She refuses to use a cane. She can't tell the difference in the Braille dots. She finds the Brailler machine hard to use. It's all so pointless. That is, until the day Natalie has prayed would never happen occurs. She literally wakes up one morning and is unable to see. From that day forward, Natalie is determined to learn all she can.
BLINDSIDED follows Natalie as she comes to terms with her disability. It shares her father's denial of her vision loss, her mother's push for Natalie to succeed, and the wonderful teachers that force Natalie to do all that she can. When Natalie is placed in two different situations where her disability could harm her, the reader realizes that blindness doesn't stop someone from living; it just forces them to develop different priorities and strengths.
Natalie is slowly losing her eyesight. When she was about eight, she started to stumble and walk into things. Born without irises, the part that controls the amount of light allowed into the eye, the pressure is continuing to grow. Having endured multiple surgeries and continuous eye drops, Natalie prays that she won't go totally blind.
But a few weeks before school is to start, she receives the worst possible news. There is nothing more they can do for Natalie, and now, it's best she be prepared. The doctor tells her that one day, she could wake up and be completely blind. So, with reluctance, she is sent off to the blind school in Baltimore.
Natalie considers herself different than everyone else. After all, she can still see. And some of the kids at the school require a lot more help. There's even a sign above her bed that says "Makes own bed." It angers Natalie.
Natalie is resistant to what the school wants to teach her. She refuses to use a cane. She can't tell the difference in the Braille dots. She finds the Brailler machine hard to use. It's all so pointless. That is, until the day Natalie has prayed would never happen occurs. She literally wakes up one morning and is unable to see. From that day forward, Natalie is determined to learn all she can.
BLINDSIDED follows Natalie as she comes to terms with her disability. It shares her father's denial of her vision loss, her mother's push for Natalie to succeed, and the wonderful teachers that force Natalie to do all that she can. When Natalie is placed in two different situations where her disability could harm her, the reader realizes that blindness doesn't stop someone from living; it just forces them to develop different priorities and strengths.
