Scan barcode
mariposa517's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Death of parent
Moderate: Genocide, Antisemitism, and Alcohol
Minor: Sexual content
knittingdoc's review
4.0
I'm mixed about this book. I think it amazing and awesome for a human to have such memory and brain capacity to handle the efforts needed to advance in education after losing a sense. What a talented man. But, wow, what luck and privilege to be afforded these opportunities. Maybe the memoir is not detailed enough to support how he "got there" but it seems there has to be lots of luck, too. The second part of the book I did not enjoy. It seemed a laundry list of all the famous people he was friends with and seemed to add to the privilege the was afforded.
I "read" this book in audiobook. The narration by Art Garfunkel was quite soothing, but sometimes difficult to hear what he whispered. The book should have given more praise to Art Garfunkel. It seems he was one of the critical components to Mr. Greenberg's success. But, he was just his roommate who happens to sing.
I "read" this book in audiobook. The narration by Art Garfunkel was quite soothing, but sometimes difficult to hear what he whispered. The book should have given more praise to Art Garfunkel. It seems he was one of the critical components to Mr. Greenberg's success. But, he was just his roommate who happens to sing.
beastreader's review
4.0
I have not heard of Dr. Greenberg until this book. Yet, after reading this book, I want to know more about all of Dr. Greenberg's contributions to helping to cure blindness. As I was reading this book I could not help but pick up on the encouraging/positive attitude that Dr. Greenberg kept despite his situation. Which could not have been easy to go blind at a young age.
This memoir is the reason that I like these read these types of books. This book introduced me to someone that I did not know but after reading this book, I discovered a fascinating person. Someone who I want to get to know more about.
Fans of memoirs will want to pick up a copy of this book. It is a fast read. Dr. Greenberg shows that no disability can hold someone back from their dreams if they have the "can do" attitude.
This memoir is the reason that I like these read these types of books. This book introduced me to someone that I did not know but after reading this book, I discovered a fascinating person. Someone who I want to get to know more about.
Fans of memoirs will want to pick up a copy of this book. It is a fast read. Dr. Greenberg shows that no disability can hold someone back from their dreams if they have the "can do" attitude.
sjgrodsky's review
3.0
I have rarely been as happy to turn the last page as I was with this book. It’s a selection of my book club, so I felt compelled to at least skim to the final page (282), though my patience with Sandy Greenberg sank to zero after the Schindler’s List movie anecdote on page 206.
This sounds so mean, so unsympathetic. Don’t I feel for someone who went blind at the tender age of 19? Don’t I admire his substantive accomplishments? Don’t I recognize his charitable contributions?
The answers are all yes. But I also see a sense of entitlement that dwarfs these other qualities. That entitlement comes out in many ways, but the movie anecdote dramatizes it. Sandy, I wanted to ask, since you are such a smart guy, can’t you figure out that talking during a movie ruins it for five to 10 other people? Why do you think you have that right? Why is your enjoyment more important than the enjoyment of 10 others?
I felt a similar impatience with his refusal to use a cane. It’s his choice, but he subjects others to delay and possible injury as he flounders through public spaces, knocking into doors and falling down stairs.
He evidently doesn’t realize — or doesn’t care — that his selfish choices make life more difficult for family, colleagues, and random strangers.
That said, you might enjoy at least some parts of this narrative. The first chapter (“Strangers in a Train”) is terrific. As the book progresses (and the hand of the professional writer is removed) the prose sinks into turgidity. Greenberg has probably been told that you should not end a sentence with a preposition and, clumsy sentence structure be damned, he will NEVER violate that diktat.
I was left wondering about Art Garfunkel, Greenberg’s roommate, essential helper, the godfather of his children, and lifelong best friend. Garfunkel is hard to figure out from Greenberg’s descriptions; Garfunkel’s own words, in his introduction, are more obtuse than enlightening.
Memoirs often include some score-settling. This one does too: although Greenberg doesn’t name names, he includes enough detail so you know it’s Henry Kissinger who borrowed Greenberg’s tape recorder, broke it, and required several demands before he reimbursed a scholarship student for the replacement. It appears that Kissinger feels even more entitled than Greenberg.
I often ask myself if I’d want to have coffee with the author. I would in this case if Sandy agreed in advance that he’d tell me about the many interesting people he knew (Art Garfunkel, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, LBJ, Margaret Mead), but minimize the self congratulations.
—Notes as I read—
On page 52, the author quotes a letter his girlfriend (later wife) wrote him while they were both college students. The letter is set in italic type.
The last line is clearly the author’s commentary on the letter itself. It should have been set as anew paragraph and in regular, not italic type.
It’s certainly easy to make errors like this, especially if you are blind and cannot see the screen. But that is why editors and proofreaders are supposed to read manuscripts and proofs. Sigh.
And there are some parts that are just plain wrong, as when, on page 57, the author describes attending Yom
Kippur services “just as the High Holidays were beginning.” Umm, Sandy, no, the High Holidays begin with Rosh Hashanah, 10 days before Yom
Kippur. Sandy tells us that he attended an orthodox shul, so he should know this.
The first chapter is terrific. I suspect Greenberg had help from a professional writer. Later chapters sink into turgidity.
I am breathless at the NAMES he had as teachers. At Columbia, it was Margaret Mead, Henry Steele Commager, Allan Nevins. At Harvard, Henry Kissinger.
He was born in 1942 or so, went to single-sex schools.. So I suppose his old fashioned attitude towards his wife is to be expected. I wish we’d learned a little more about who she was, not just what she did for him.
This sounds so mean, so unsympathetic. Don’t I feel for someone who went blind at the tender age of 19? Don’t I admire his substantive accomplishments? Don’t I recognize his charitable contributions?
The answers are all yes. But I also see a sense of entitlement that dwarfs these other qualities. That entitlement comes out in many ways, but the movie anecdote dramatizes it. Sandy, I wanted to ask, since you are such a smart guy, can’t you figure out that talking during a movie ruins it for five to 10 other people? Why do you think you have that right? Why is your enjoyment more important than the enjoyment of 10 others?
I felt a similar impatience with his refusal to use a cane. It’s his choice, but he subjects others to delay and possible injury as he flounders through public spaces, knocking into doors and falling down stairs.
He evidently doesn’t realize — or doesn’t care — that his selfish choices make life more difficult for family, colleagues, and random strangers.
That said, you might enjoy at least some parts of this narrative. The first chapter (“Strangers in a Train”) is terrific. As the book progresses (and the hand of the professional writer is removed) the prose sinks into turgidity. Greenberg has probably been told that you should not end a sentence with a preposition and, clumsy sentence structure be damned, he will NEVER violate that diktat.
I was left wondering about Art Garfunkel, Greenberg’s roommate, essential helper, the godfather of his children, and lifelong best friend. Garfunkel is hard to figure out from Greenberg’s descriptions; Garfunkel’s own words, in his introduction, are more obtuse than enlightening.
Memoirs often include some score-settling. This one does too: although Greenberg doesn’t name names, he includes enough detail so you know it’s Henry Kissinger who borrowed Greenberg’s tape recorder, broke it, and required several demands before he reimbursed a scholarship student for the replacement. It appears that Kissinger feels even more entitled than Greenberg.
I often ask myself if I’d want to have coffee with the author. I would in this case if Sandy agreed in advance that he’d tell me about the many interesting people he knew (Art Garfunkel, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, LBJ, Margaret Mead), but minimize the self congratulations.
—Notes as I read—
On page 52, the author quotes a letter his girlfriend (later wife) wrote him while they were both college students. The letter is set in italic type.
The last line is clearly the author’s commentary on the letter itself. It should have been set as anew paragraph and in regular, not italic type.
It’s certainly easy to make errors like this, especially if you are blind and cannot see the screen. But that is why editors and proofreaders are supposed to read manuscripts and proofs. Sigh.
And there are some parts that are just plain wrong, as when, on page 57, the author describes attending Yom
Kippur services “just as the High Holidays were beginning.” Umm, Sandy, no, the High Holidays begin with Rosh Hashanah, 10 days before Yom
Kippur. Sandy tells us that he attended an orthodox shul, so he should know this.
The first chapter is terrific. I suspect Greenberg had help from a professional writer. Later chapters sink into turgidity.
I am breathless at the NAMES he had as teachers. At Columbia, it was Margaret Mead, Henry Steele Commager, Allan Nevins. At Harvard, Henry Kissinger.
He was born in 1942 or so, went to single-sex schools.. So I suppose his old fashioned attitude towards his wife is to be expected. I wish we’d learned a little more about who she was, not just what she did for him.
annieb123's review
5.0
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
Hello Darkness, My Old Friend is a beautifully written uplifting memoir by Dr. Sanford Greenberg. Released 30th June 2020 by Post Hill Press, it's 240 pages (print edition) and available in hardcover and ebook formats.
This is a well told autobiography/memoir written by a fascinating, brilliant, erudite, and gently humorous man who maintained a positive attitude and incredible work ethic in the face of his loss of sight as a young man.
I picked up this memoir because of the author's close association and lifelong friendship with one of my favorite artists, Art Garfunkel. I was not expecting to enjoy this charming read on its own merits, or be as impressed as I am by this intelligent and capable man's voice. He has an important story to tell and I felt improved for having read it.
In addition to the story itself, the book includes an introduction by Art Garfunkel as well as a foreword by Ruth Bader Ginsburg (!!!) and afterword by Margaret Atwood. From the first page to the last, this was a fascinating and worthwhile experience. Five stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Hello Darkness, My Old Friend is a beautifully written uplifting memoir by Dr. Sanford Greenberg. Released 30th June 2020 by Post Hill Press, it's 240 pages (print edition) and available in hardcover and ebook formats.
This is a well told autobiography/memoir written by a fascinating, brilliant, erudite, and gently humorous man who maintained a positive attitude and incredible work ethic in the face of his loss of sight as a young man.
I picked up this memoir because of the author's close association and lifelong friendship with one of my favorite artists, Art Garfunkel. I was not expecting to enjoy this charming read on its own merits, or be as impressed as I am by this intelligent and capable man's voice. He has an important story to tell and I felt improved for having read it.
In addition to the story itself, the book includes an introduction by Art Garfunkel as well as a foreword by Ruth Bader Ginsburg (!!!) and afterword by Margaret Atwood. From the first page to the last, this was a fascinating and worthwhile experience. Five stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
jenniferbbookdragon's review
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
3.25
I hoped this book would bring me insight into living with blindness. Greenberg lost his vision during his junior year in college(1961), yet refused to admit he was blind. This may seem like a distinction without a difference, but essentially he refused to either learn how to use a white cane or get a guide dog. Instead he became dependent on the assistance of friends, strangers, and later his wife. He admits that even now, he injures himself regularly and needs emergency medical care about 4 times a year.
Greenberg has achieved great things, earned multiple degrees from Columbia and Harvard, studied at Oxford, worked at the White House, started multiple successful businesses, and led an effort to find a cure for blindness. This book includes an introduction by Art Garfunkel (his college roommate and best friend), a foreword by Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg (a neighbor when he arrived in Washington DC), and a Final Word by Margaret Atwood. Yes, it feels like there is some name dropping going on.
Greenberg has had a great life and accomplished many things. I do wonder why he needed to refuse tools that could have made independent travel and daily activities easier, and hope others with disabilities like myself don't feel like they should follow this example.
Greenberg has achieved great things, earned multiple degrees from Columbia and Harvard, studied at Oxford, worked at the White House, started multiple successful businesses, and led an effort to find a cure for blindness. This book includes an introduction by Art Garfunkel (his college roommate and best friend), a foreword by Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg (a neighbor when he arrived in Washington DC), and a Final Word by Margaret Atwood. Yes, it feels like there is some name dropping going on.
Greenberg has had a great life and accomplished many things. I do wonder why he needed to refuse tools that could have made independent travel and daily activities easier, and hope others with disabilities like myself don't feel like they should follow this example.
pandora8655's review
2.0
I was finding this book very interesting in the beginning. It was going at a nice speed from when he lost his sight and how he overcame his difficulties and finished school. But towards the second half after he gets married it just seemed like he was just listing facts too quickly. It didn't seem like a story anymore and really lost my interest. It took me a long time to finish it.