Twilight: Losing Sight, Gaining Insight

by Henry Grunwald

In 1992, when Henry Grunwald missed a glass into which he was pouring water, he assumed that he needed new eyeglasses, not that the incident was a harbinger of darker times. But in fact Grunwald was entering the early stages of macular degeneration -- a gradual loss of sight that affects almost 15 million Americans yet remains poorly understood and is, so far, incurable. Now, in Twilight, Grunwald chronicles his experience of disability: the clouding of his sight, and the daily struggle to overcome its physical and psychological implications; the discovery of what medicine can and cannot do to restore sight; his compulsion to understand how the eye works, its evolution, and its symbolic meaning in culture and art.

Grunwald gives us an autobiography of the eye -- his visual awakening as a child and young man, and again as an older man who, facing the loss of sight, feels a growing wonder at the most ordinary acts of seeing. This is a story not merely about seeing but about living; not merely about losing sight but about gaining insight. It is a remarkable meditation.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Health

144 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 19, 1999

Reviews

[Esther · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excerpt of my full review over at: Cozy with Books

One day, Henry Grunwald missed a glass that he was pouring water into. What he had thought to have been simply needing new glasses was actually the start of a dark journey, one where he would not recover from. A touching autobiography, we follow the author as he shows us his journey with vision loss mixed in with bits of history and philosophy about eyes and the progress of eye medicine throughout the years.

Much of this book was dry and at times, I found myself zoned out and I had to rewind back to listen again on parts I heard but didn't listen to. There were moments where I wondered, "What is this chapter about again?" It's a bit boring, but then you throw in some interesting facts like the Napoleon campaign at the end of the 18th century, things like pondering over "sight-bites", thinking about how you take small things for granted, and questions to wonder about such as whether you would "see it all, or see the small things" one last time before blindness and it comes out to be a rather good book.

[Jessica Preston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is informative into what it’s like to live with the disease and I appreciated that. There were long periods of personal beliefs that I viewed as irrelevant to understanding the disease, yet rather important in understanding the author and therefore the impact the disease had on him. Overall I’m glad I completed the book since I work with many individuals who live with this diagnosis and I feel this book has maybe helped me gain some insight.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this on a whim. It provided an interesting look at the human eye and maybe, an opportunity for the author to show us how one man sees his life through the lens of
his personal physical handicap.

[Andrea Everhart]

This one lacked the emotion I was expecting based on the summary. It was a well-written documentation of the changes that took place in the author's life as he gradually lost/loses his sight. The author spends a lot of time detailing the science behind macular degeneration & the treatments.

[Kiara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frank and entertaining. Written on a personal level with some basic information on sight. The last chapter was beautiful.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It really makes you think of how often you take everyday things for granted like seeing. It also gives insight into daily struggles and how to try to cope with them.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Being able to read braille, [Aldus Huxley said] I can read with the book beneath the blankets. So my hands are kept warm on even the coldest nights."

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Chronicle of the experience of having macular degeneration. a lakcluster read.

[Kecia · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an interesting story, but not as good a read as I anticipated.

[Ilona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Provided context and empathy around macular degeneration. Written so touchingly and graciously by gifted wordsmith.