Tom Sullivan Reviews

Added October 5, 2006

Adventures in Darkness

Memoirs of an Eleven-Year-Old Blind Boy

Author: Tom Sullivan
Publisher: Nelson Books
Available At: Bookstores Everywhere
Publishing Date: January 9, 2007
Genre: Nonfiction: Autobiography/Memoir
Format: Hardcover
Price: $24.99
ISBN: 0-7852-2081-X
Author Email/Website: www.sullivanspeaks.com/
Reviewer: Joyce Handzo
Rating: 9 Gargoyles

Move over Tom Sawyer, there's a new kid on the block with his own brand of ingenuity! Tom Sullivan gives Twain's little rascal a run for his money in this extraordinary book filled with incredible adventures and a hearty dose of inspiration. Blind since birth, the author provides a glimpse into a special year in his life, when he realized that boundaries could be stepping-stones to a limitless future.

The narrative begins with a daring escape from Perkins School for the Blind, which culminates in an emergency rescue by the Coast Guard. This escapade sets the tone for the rest of the story, as Tom seeks to live outside the limitations of his blindness. While his mother sincerely tried to find the best place for her son to get an education while learning practical life skills, a school for blind children isolated Tom and caused some serious frustration. As the pages turn, readers will be amazed at the lengths he goes to in order to belong to the world and become just another normal kid.

Be sure to read this book while sitting down because there are many moments you will want to stand up and cheer! The author has sensitively captured the disappointment of a little boy who wanted nothing more than to be a little boy. As Tom tried various ways of entering into the marvelous world of a child, the pages seem to tremble with poignancy. There are several episodes in the narrative when a box of tissues should be handy, but the tone of the book doesn't linger on the negatives. In fact, it soars above the average to the amazing.

His journey is a steady and purposeful climb over obstacles to a breathtaking view of the real meaning of life. What Tom Sullivan lacked in sight, he certainly made up for in vision!

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