A review by jenniferbbookdragon
Hello Darkness, My Old Friend: How Daring Dreams and Unyielding Friendship Turned One Man's Blindness Into an Extraordinary Vision for Life by Sanford D. Greenberg

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.