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As I See It: My View from the Inside Out
An inspirational memoir of a man's rich life experiences without sight, but with an enormous sense of wonder in the world around him.
Bestselling author Tom Sullivan explores life without sight and finds it rich and rewarding. In fact, he’s gleaned a number of gifts from his “affliction,”
-I’ve never assessed my relationship with people according to the limits of labels or assumption.
-I’ve enjoyed a world of senses available to all of us but almost never explored by the majority of those with sight.
-I’ve made challenge my road to limitless opportunity.
-I’ve cultivated a clear sense of my own purpose.
-I’ve learned to be passionate, celebrating my own uniqueness through the expression of that passion.
-I’ve found a powerful faith that has become my foundation for living.
-I’ve learned to love unconditionally through the interdependent relationship I share with my wife, Patty, and my children.
Through insightful stories and emotive writing, Tom describes a life of fullness, not lack, as he’s made blindness a positive. For Tom Sullivan—author, actor, athlete, singer, entertainer, and producer—a life with blindness has been a life with very few true limits. In this elegant exploration of the senses, he considers the different challenges he’s faced and explains the wonder he carries because, not in spite, of his blindness.
***
...I realize that my way of looking at the world is unique and, yes, special. I’m sure that in God’s essential plan I was chosen to be blind, and after many years of struggle I’ve come to terms with that remarkable truth.
Along my journey I have learned much that I hope to pass on to you, but for now here’s what I want you to blindness is the best thing that has ever happened to Tom Sullivan. Would I like to be able to see? Certainly; to see the beauty of nature in all of its forms, the faces of the people I love, and the myriad colors of a sunset. I’d love to play center field for the Red Sox or catch a touchdown pass from Tom Brady and the Patriots. But I have not only become content with my lot, I now celebrate my own uniqueness with closed eyes but a completely open soul. The joy in writing this book is in my knowing that even though I quite likely will never see as you do, I might just be able to change your perceptions and broaden the possibilities for your own appreciation for the grace God has provided us with and the life we’re so blessed to live. So, take a look—as I see it—inside out, rather than outside in.
—Tom Sullivan, from the Prologue
Bestselling author Tom Sullivan explores life without sight and finds it rich and rewarding. In fact, he’s gleaned a number of gifts from his “affliction,”
-I’ve never assessed my relationship with people according to the limits of labels or assumption.
-I’ve enjoyed a world of senses available to all of us but almost never explored by the majority of those with sight.
-I’ve made challenge my road to limitless opportunity.
-I’ve cultivated a clear sense of my own purpose.
-I’ve learned to be passionate, celebrating my own uniqueness through the expression of that passion.
-I’ve found a powerful faith that has become my foundation for living.
-I’ve learned to love unconditionally through the interdependent relationship I share with my wife, Patty, and my children.
Through insightful stories and emotive writing, Tom describes a life of fullness, not lack, as he’s made blindness a positive. For Tom Sullivan—author, actor, athlete, singer, entertainer, and producer—a life with blindness has been a life with very few true limits. In this elegant exploration of the senses, he considers the different challenges he’s faced and explains the wonder he carries because, not in spite, of his blindness.
***
...I realize that my way of looking at the world is unique and, yes, special. I’m sure that in God’s essential plan I was chosen to be blind, and after many years of struggle I’ve come to terms with that remarkable truth.
Along my journey I have learned much that I hope to pass on to you, but for now here’s what I want you to blindness is the best thing that has ever happened to Tom Sullivan. Would I like to be able to see? Certainly; to see the beauty of nature in all of its forms, the faces of the people I love, and the myriad colors of a sunset. I’d love to play center field for the Red Sox or catch a touchdown pass from Tom Brady and the Patriots. But I have not only become content with my lot, I now celebrate my own uniqueness with closed eyes but a completely open soul. The joy in writing this book is in my knowing that even though I quite likely will never see as you do, I might just be able to change your perceptions and broaden the possibilities for your own appreciation for the grace God has provided us with and the life we’re so blessed to live. So, take a look—as I see it—inside out, rather than outside in.
—Tom Sullivan, from the Prologue
- GenresBiography
208 pages, Hardcover
First published September 4, 2012
2 people are currently reading
31 people want to read
About the author
Tom Sullivan
63 books37 followersTom Sullivan is an American singer, actor, writer, and motivational speaker. Blind since infancy, he has been a public advocate for assistive services for the blind, and research into treatments for blindness.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 26, 2023
I really wanted to like this book more than I did but the writing style just wasn't it and the "life lessons" were super repetitive. But Sullivan's tidbits about his life (and all the famous people he knew) were interesting, especially reading all he was able to accomplish despite being totally blind and how he was able to develop his other senses as well.
November 19, 2018
This work of motivational prose includes a myriad of vignettes and anecdotes from Tom's many encounters with celebrities and the not-so-famous and leaves the reader yearning to sit across the kitchen table from Tom and Patty Sullivan and share a pot of tea. After reading Tom's first book If You Could See What I Hear when I was in high school thirty-five years ago, I developed a fictitious character based loosely on his experiences. Not expecting to ever actually finish that novel, I recently made contact with a man and his new wife and new guide dog who have--along with this book--given me the courage to plow in and include a blind character in my ninth novel.
Whether you pick up this book for research, for motivation, or just for fun, it's a quick and easy read and will leave you better than you were before.
Whether you pick up this book for research, for motivation, or just for fun, it's a quick and easy read and will leave you better than you were before.
February 12, 2019
Life without sight provides complications that this author has surmounted unfailingly. Truly inspirational prose.
September 5, 2012
So many times we can never understand something until we literally walk in someone's shoes ourselves. What would your life be like if you could never see the things we take for granted every single day, the sunsets, the faces of our children or husband, the beauty of the flowers in the gardens? How would your life change?
"Through the antenna of my senses I reconstitute the simple but essential daily joy of being alive. As dog and master quietly sneak their way out of the room and go downstairs without disturbing the sleeping woman. The coffee pot is on a timer, and that first taste of joe is as delicious to this morning runner as a complex burgundy. With the dog's harness and leash in place and my running shoes on, we step outside to assess the morning. My nose defines the weather report. June gloom, it tells me. The fog is in. Probably won't life until early afternoon. There is a pervasive moisture in the air, but rain is unlikely at this time of the year.
Hey, what's that? Somebody cut their grass yesterday, and Mrs. Martin's early-season roses have just begun to open. I hear the whack as the paperboy - maybe the last of his breed - throws papers from a bike as he passes by and I call out a morning hello.
Just before we leave the house my voice-actuated clock tells me that it is 5:15, so I know that it's still more dark than light. No problem; Edison guides me perfectly. His senses are far more capable than mine. He pauses at curbs as we move through the neighborhood and easily traverses around garbage cans and other objects, never failing to notice any loose, wet leaves that just might cause his master to slip or fall. In all of his concentration he is completely focused on our mutual goal.
We move down a long hill, our pace quickening almost a sprint, and reach the top of a cliff, finding the path that will take us down onto the sand, and we hear it - the rhythmic pulsation of the Pacific's surf as it rolls onto the land. I stand, for a moment transfixed by the sound, counting the seconds of the wave's intervals. Today they are at nine seconds between the breakers. That means low tide - perfect for running. The roar is like a cannonade in a war zone as sand and surf compete for their place on God's terra firma.
At high tide, the sound is very different. Outgoing sand jousts with incoming waves like two great heavyweights in a championship fight. The punch is dull but devastating, thudding into the body of the land. Tidal change, weather conditions, curvature of the earth, and the capricious nature of the sea have actually created fifteen different kinds of waves I'm blessed to listen to and understand, though their differences can often be subtle. But if you listen - ah, if you listen - their various signatures will be clear." (pg 18-19).
In the book, As I See It by Tom Sullivan, the bestselling author teaches us sighted readers, the way he sees his life. Not as a label but as a privilege to view his world in a way that is so much different than the one we see everyday. He shows the reader that he has such an appreciation for the things we take for granted every single day, the beauty in the sunsets, the vibrant colors of the rainbows, the sight of a beautiful blooming rose, and shows us how we can appreciate them in new ways through his biography. Tom has been born blind, so he hasn't had the opportunity to see the things he so beautifully describes in his book. How much courage he possesses to try new things most of us have no excuse not to try, like skiing or bungee jumping, he truly inspires you in ways you never imagined until reading this book!
I received As I See It by Tom Sullivan, compliments of Howard Books, a division of Simon and Schuster for my honest review. If you feel like life has become routine and dull, lacking in newness, then this would be a perfect book for you to read. Just spending time in the first few chapters, has given me such encouragement to put some of my old fears to rest and take a dive into trying new challenges in a new light. This one truly is an inspirational read and easily rates a 5 out of 5 stars.
"Through the antenna of my senses I reconstitute the simple but essential daily joy of being alive. As dog and master quietly sneak their way out of the room and go downstairs without disturbing the sleeping woman. The coffee pot is on a timer, and that first taste of joe is as delicious to this morning runner as a complex burgundy. With the dog's harness and leash in place and my running shoes on, we step outside to assess the morning. My nose defines the weather report. June gloom, it tells me. The fog is in. Probably won't life until early afternoon. There is a pervasive moisture in the air, but rain is unlikely at this time of the year.
Hey, what's that? Somebody cut their grass yesterday, and Mrs. Martin's early-season roses have just begun to open. I hear the whack as the paperboy - maybe the last of his breed - throws papers from a bike as he passes by and I call out a morning hello.
Just before we leave the house my voice-actuated clock tells me that it is 5:15, so I know that it's still more dark than light. No problem; Edison guides me perfectly. His senses are far more capable than mine. He pauses at curbs as we move through the neighborhood and easily traverses around garbage cans and other objects, never failing to notice any loose, wet leaves that just might cause his master to slip or fall. In all of his concentration he is completely focused on our mutual goal.
We move down a long hill, our pace quickening almost a sprint, and reach the top of a cliff, finding the path that will take us down onto the sand, and we hear it - the rhythmic pulsation of the Pacific's surf as it rolls onto the land. I stand, for a moment transfixed by the sound, counting the seconds of the wave's intervals. Today they are at nine seconds between the breakers. That means low tide - perfect for running. The roar is like a cannonade in a war zone as sand and surf compete for their place on God's terra firma.
At high tide, the sound is very different. Outgoing sand jousts with incoming waves like two great heavyweights in a championship fight. The punch is dull but devastating, thudding into the body of the land. Tidal change, weather conditions, curvature of the earth, and the capricious nature of the sea have actually created fifteen different kinds of waves I'm blessed to listen to and understand, though their differences can often be subtle. But if you listen - ah, if you listen - their various signatures will be clear." (pg 18-19).
In the book, As I See It by Tom Sullivan, the bestselling author teaches us sighted readers, the way he sees his life. Not as a label but as a privilege to view his world in a way that is so much different than the one we see everyday. He shows the reader that he has such an appreciation for the things we take for granted every single day, the beauty in the sunsets, the vibrant colors of the rainbows, the sight of a beautiful blooming rose, and shows us how we can appreciate them in new ways through his biography. Tom has been born blind, so he hasn't had the opportunity to see the things he so beautifully describes in his book. How much courage he possesses to try new things most of us have no excuse not to try, like skiing or bungee jumping, he truly inspires you in ways you never imagined until reading this book!
I received As I See It by Tom Sullivan, compliments of Howard Books, a division of Simon and Schuster for my honest review. If you feel like life has become routine and dull, lacking in newness, then this would be a perfect book for you to read. Just spending time in the first few chapters, has given me such encouragement to put some of my old fears to rest and take a dive into trying new challenges in a new light. This one truly is an inspirational read and easily rates a 5 out of 5 stars.
March 31, 2014
I first learned of Tom Sullivan when I saw "If You Could See What I Hear" 30 years ago. He sure has had an amazing life. This memoir is light, serious, saccharine, wise, candid, sentimental, enlightening. While sappy at times, his insights are good and I connected with many. A nice, short read, and I like his writing style.
December 31, 2013
Being blind most of his life, he chronicles how his sensitive touch has educated him even moreso, he says, than if he could see. When he visits museums, especially sculptures, he is allowed to 'go beyond the ropes to touch, feel, and envision' the piece. He considers his blindness a blessing.
October 16, 2012
I worked with Tom on this book. Many snippets of wisdom.
August 15, 2013
How to Appreciate Not Being Blind written by a very successful blind man who doesn't mind being blind except that he can't see his beautiful wife and stuff. Hokey. Not what I expected at all.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews