The Country of the Blind
A Memoir at the End of Sight
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The Country of the Blind
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Narrated by:
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Andrew Leland
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Written by:
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Andrew Leland
About this listen
FINALIST FOR THE PULITZER PRIZE
Named one of the best books of the year by: THE NEW YORKER • THE WASHINGTON POST • THE ATLANTIC • NPR • PUBLISHERS WEEKLY • LITHUB
"Fascinating...The great strength of this memoir is its voracious, humble curiosity." - The Atlantic, The 10 Best Books of the Year
A witty, winning, and revelatory personal narrative of the author’s transition from sightedness to blindness and his quest to learn about blindness as a rich culture all its own.
We meet Andrew Leland as he’s suspended in the liminal state of the soon-to-be blind: he’s midway through his life with retinitis pigmentosa, a condition that ushers those who live with it from sightedness to blindness over years, even decades. He grew up with full vision, but starting in his teenage years, his sight began to degrade from the outside in. Soon— but without knowing exactly when—he will likely have no vision left.
Full of apprehension but also dogged curiosity, Leland embarks on a sweeping exploration of the state of being that awaits him: not only the physical experience of blindness but also its language, politics, and customs. He negotiates his changing relationships with his wife and son, and with his own sense of self, as he moves from his mainstream, “typical” life to one with a disability. Part memoir, part historical and cultural investigation, The Country of the Blind represents Leland’s determination not to merely survive this transition but to grow from it—to seek out and revel in that which makes blindness enlightening. Brimming with warmth and humor, it is an exhilarating tour of a new way of being.
What the critics say
“[Leland’s] education in navigating the world without his eyes is an entry point into a fascinating cultural history of blindness. The great strength of this memoir is its voracious, humble curiosity; throughout, Leland treats losing his vision as just as much an opportunity as a foreclosure.”—The Atlantic, “10 Best Books of the Year”
“After reading Andrew Leland’s memoir, The Country of the Blind, you will look at the English language differently . . . [Leland’s] prose is jazzy and intelligent . . . Leland rigorously explores the disability’s most troubling corners . . . A wonderful cross-disciplinary wander.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Heart-wrenching . . . Leland’s voice is wry, thoughtful, and vulnerable . . . Perhaps the memoir’s greatest gift is the way it compels the sighted reader to confront not only the paradoxes of blindness but the paradoxes of vision as well.”—The Los Angeles Review of Books
What listeners say about The Country of the Blind
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Nancy in Canada
- 2023-08-10
An Unexpected treasure of a book
I am not sure what I expected when I started this book, but it wasn’t to be enthralled by Mr. Leland’s story. Perhaps it is because I am facing possible future blindness personally, this book resonated with me down to my toes.
While I have had to move from written word to audio format, I have not had to learn Braille at a later age. I haven’t had to adjust to using a cane, relying on others to help guide me. So many life adjustments you don’t think about.
I didn’t realize the discrimination against blind people - so who is the blindest? Mr. Leland - thank you for writing of your journey and my best wishes. A blind person is not to be pitied, for they see more than sighted people obviously!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Yvonne
- 2024-07-16
Thank you for being a voice!
As someone living with Retinitis Pigmentosa, Leland’s “The Country of The Blind” left me unsettled, but in the best imaginable way.
I have struggled to come to terms with certain aspects of RP that are difficult to put into words. Part of me longed to expose myself to the blind community, to prepare myself for what could be coming my way. My ultimate goal - to be okay with things either way. To be at peace if more vision loss was to be in my future, or to be at peace if things remain the same. Leland’s beautiful memoir had me captivated from the very beginning. He eloquently had all the words to describe what living with RP was like in ways I hadn’t even grasped as thoughts. I felt heard, seen, validated, and understood.
That deep, unsettling feeling I had not been able to name was suddenly right there on paper! Or, more accurately, spoken as I listened on Audible. Fraud. I felt like a fraud. I am legally blind and yet still struggle to use my cane for all of the reasons he mentions.
The Country of the Blind has given me the courage and inspiration I lacked to become a member of my local chapter of the Canadian Council of the Blind. The amount of research and studies Leland completed are a bonus for this blind reader. I feel I have a friend and advocate in Leland - someone who is also “intimately familiar with the pain of living in between: not quite blind and not quite sighted.” Well done.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2023-10-13
Beautiful book moving between both personal and wider stories of the becoming blind experience
As a 30-year-old with the same rare inherited retinal disease (RP or retinitis pigmentosa), so much of my experience of this book felt like hearing my own thoughts out loud for the first time.
Well-researched, beautifully written, and poignant, I recommend this book to everyone— those who are blind, sighted, or anywhere on the blindness spectrum.
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