Eavesdropping: A Memoir of Blindness and Listening

by Stephen Kuusisto

A memoir of blindness and listening rendered with a poet's delight by the author of the acclaimed Planet of the Blind.

Blind people are not casual listeners. Blind since birth, Stephen Kuusisto recounts with a poet's sense of detail the surprise that comes when we are actively listening to our surroundings. There is an art to eavesdropping. Like Annie Dillard's An American Childhood or Dorothy Allison's One or Two Things I Know for Sure, Kuusisto's memoir highlights periods of childhood when a writer first becomes aware of his curiosity and imagination. As a boy he listened to Caruso records in his grandmother's attic and spent hours in the New Hampshire woods learning the calls of birds. As a grown man the writer visits cities around the world in order to discover the art of sightseeing by ear. Whether the reader is interested in disability, American poetry, music, travel, or the art of eavesdropping, he or she will find much to hear and even "see" in this unique celebration of a hearing life.

Genres: Memoir, Disability, Nonfiction, Poetry, Biography Memoir, Essays

202 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2006

Reviews

[Janey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful book to rush through, gobble up in one sitting.... and then return to in order to savour the language (one of the great advantages of books over food in my opinion!)

Stephen Kuuisto delights us first with his curiosity and imagination ,as a small child, almost blind listening to Caruso 78s in his grandmother's attic..

As a grown man Stephen takes us with him on a tour of world cities 'in order to discover the art of sightseeing by ear'. On this unique journey we chance upon (among others) Milton's Paradise Lost, Whitman, Neruda, Frank Zappa, baseball and any number of overheard conversations from the sublime to the ridiculous.

Kuuisto's chapter on Venice is a veritable auditory feast, though I admit to it being my favourite city, of the few I know -
'I was surprised by the odor of the stones. The Venetian mortar had a heady scent - the smell of galvanic particles, a chalky smell that was distinct from the ocean'

As one who loves the poetry of prose, who has eavesdropped in public places from an early age, often to the despair of my companions, and who has worked alongside the functionally blind, I was an easy target, I admit, but I shall return to this feast again and again

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

A "sequel" to "Planet of the Blind" in the sense that it contains stories of his life that took place after the conclusion of that book. However, rather than being a linear autobiographical narrative (as that one was), this book is a series of essays relating to various times in the author's life, some from childhood, and others fairly recent.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pleasure to read. I could say I learned how to listen, but really I learned how Kuusisto listens. He has a beautiful perspective on travel, makes me want to go to Iceland and Venice.

[Jason Paulios · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reads like little essays which was nice, I started reading at random intervals after a while. He has a real passion for the world and an obvious talent.

[Kim]

”The light about my head was incandescent, striking. It did not resolve into anything knowable. There was a kind of magnificence about this. I was passing through a prismatic cloud. Venice wore her mask of sea glass and I wore mine. I would dance with her. For music we’d take the ordinary buzz and din of the narrow passageways and canals.”

[Rachel Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

My professor, Dr Maura Brady, a friend of Kuusisto's, loaned me this book to read for my research project in her class. We shared a laugh when I told her that for such a small book, it was taking me quite a long time to read.
"That's the thing with the poets," she said. "They pick all their words so purposefully, it's impossible for the brain to move through them quickly."

[Lory Hess]

Beautiful writing from an amazing listener. "I'd discovered, without knowing it, the difference between speaking and being. This is what listening is, true listening, the lonely but open mind. I'd discovered the gift of Milton: the soul's path is in the ear--not in the mirror."

[Nina Shevchuk-Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written, illuminating meditation on the power of sound and music.

[Lucy Roth · Rating 5 out of 5]

An illuminating and brilliant meditation on listening and the power of sound - in a world where sounds so often buzz together and criss cross over each other and it almost feels as if you can hear nothing but white noise……stop and be present and actively listen to the voices and the music and maybe even ….the thoughts in your own head. Wonderful wonderful wonderful!

[Abby Noreck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good book from a new perspective. Sometimes it got a little slow but that’s just the nature of the book

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book reminded me of all the things I have forgotten to pay attention to. And reopened my imagination to the music and poetry all around us.

[Andrew Sydlik · Rating 4 out of 5]

This memoir by teacher and poet Stephen Kuusisto, who is legally blind, his sight limited mostly to colors and vague shapes, revolves around two central ideas: being an "awake listener," a concept that he relates to Whitman (a poet he invokes throughout--he even quoted Whitman during his father's eulogy), and describing the experience of being a blind traveler. As he says at the outset, the memoir was partly inspired by a woman who had recently lost her sight and asked, "But if you're blind, why travel?" At the time, he didn't have a good answer. Now he does, in book form.

Kuusisto's poetic nature comes through in many of the descriptions--he is a fantastic poet and I recommend his collection Only Bread, Only Light to anyone into poetry--and this elevates the narrative of memoir to something more than just a collection of memories or journal entries. However, many of the strongest moments are early on, when he is recounting childhood: Ch 2 "Horse" is one of the most powerful descriptions I've read anywhere. He stumbles into a dark barn, completely blind, but richly aware of smells and sounds. The description of the horse's breathing captures something almost mystical. Most of the book, however, recounts his travels as an adult around the U.S. and the world, and there are definitely intriguing moments there as well. Ch 15 "Dog-Man: The Action Figure" in particular, where he consciously tries to cultivate the "active listener" state of mind, works well.

Some parts, though, dragged for me, something that didn't happen once in his previous memoir, Planet of the Blind. Perhaps it's that I don't have the same wanderlust Kuusisto does and interest in other places (I guess I'm more of an idea person than a place person). Ch 19 "Blue Lagoon," where he chronicles a trip to Iceland to hear a Cuban jazz band (the Buena Vista Social Club), lost my interest. I was surprised since I'm usually into any writing that shows a passion for music, but both the description of his other adventures with his friends there, as well as the concert itself, seemed to lack something I couldn't quite put my finger on. Parts of the book capture the experience of blindness, and do a great job of trying to describe the world through sound, smell, and other senses (as well as some creative and imaginative visualizing), while others fall flat.

I did appreciate the irony, humor, and intelligence in much of the writing. At parts he all but admits being envious of those with more vision, while at others he wryly recounts some of the prejudices and absurdities people speak in when they encounter a blind man and his guide dog. His guide dog helps him through much of his journeys, while the descriptions and assistance of sighted companions also help him to fully experience each new place. Who said the blind can't travel?

While I would say that his previous memoir, Planet of the Blind, is superior, this is nevertheless an interesting exploration of listening and travel as told through a poet and blind man.

[Lisa Roney · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far and away my favorite book of the year, and perhaps beyond that time frame. I read this slim volume as slowly as I could, and I will go back to it over and over again, because it is beautiful and thought-provoking at the same time.

It's a quiet book, although it is about the sounds and musics of the world. I love that combination--contemplative yet thrilling in moments. I categorized the book as poetry as well as memoir because the short essays often have the suggestive, cryptic, imagistic feel of poetry.

The book is also about the author's blindness without being about the author's blindness. Whenever someone has a "condition" that takes up time and energy to deal with, it's inevitable that it will affect the story and the language, but Kuusisto has written what I think of as the least malady-oriented memoir of anyone categorized with other ill and disabled writers. This book is a celebration of the sounds that guide and enliven him--from the conversations he overhears, the things people say to him, the rush of air, the leaves rustling, the machinery of planes and automobiles, to a whole host of other things that the sighted hardly think about hearing. This book will wake you up in that regard.

It's also a wonderful depiction of place--the book starts with stories of Kuusisto's childhood home places and moves outward into the world of travel. All of the personalities of these places take on much more specificity than if merely described by sight.

A rich and wonderful book. I have to add that I have read so much lately that is not wonderfully written--so much that is overrated as prose and for which the praises are sung based on sensationalist subject matter and some so-called "energy" (and not much else), that I truly celebrated this exquisite prose and expansive sensibility.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stephen Kuusisto, a professional poet and an amazingly intelligent man, penned this second memoir to follow Planet of the Blind. I enjoyed his first volume a bit better than this one, since the first followed a more standard chronology of his life. This book is more a series of essays on the importance of sounds and hearing to the blind. As Kuusisto says, the blind listen "not merely for utility but for sustenance."

I found the essays to be a mixed bag: some were too deeply philosophical for my taste (I found them obscure), but others were exceedingly good. I found it a little disconcerting when he made statements that appeared to be grounded in visual cues (e.g., "The Icelandic countryside was more severe than the emptiness of Lapland"). Such comments might be explained, however, by the running commentary provided by his friends and travel companions, as well as Kuusisto's amazing breadth of knowledge and vivid imagination.

Whether enduring humanity's smothering benevolence (lots of strangers ask if they can pray for him), vacationing alone on a small forested island, or trying to sightsee in Venice by ears alone, I found Kuusisto to be a stalwart and courageous guy.

[mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first heard Kuusisto reading excerpts from this book on a radio broadcast. The passages conjured vivid imagery--surprising to me because the author is blind. The powerful visual nature of his writing intrigued me. The book is, really, about listening. I frequently found myself putting down the book, closing my eyes and paying attention to the sounds all around me. The world looks different, populated with a different set of priorities, when perceived through senses other than sight.

This is a loose collection of essays and stories without an overarching narrative, but bound by Kuusisto's experience and perception of the world through an alternate set of senses. I enjoyed letting his poetic descriptions settle around me like a comfortable blanket. I think, however, that the best way to consume these words would probably be aurally instead of visually. To read this book is enjoyable; to hear this book read is transcendental. I think I will look for this in audio book format.

[Kitty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be read like a passeggiata, taking a leisurely stroll to discover the world -- but this time through listening. Kuusisto quotes Whitman and brings alive the SOUNDS of his language, as well as 15th century Marcilio Ficino, the Florentine translator of Plato: The world is just shapes and sounds. From Roethke he takes: "The eye, of course, is not enough. But the outer eye serves the inner, that’s the point."

Living by intelligent guesswork, through attentive listening, when the author recounts "getting lost" so as to increase understanding of someone else's wonder, I am struck by his unusual ability to go beyond academic training.

I had the pleasure to hear him read his poetry and immediately was struck by the high quality of thought and sensitivity you find in this memoir.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book on cross-country plane flight, and then entered the airport and experienced its soundscape in an utterly different way, thanks to the few hours immersed with this book. Kuusisto has a way with sound. I would love to hear an audio version of this book. He visited my Intro to Creative Writing class and was so generous and encouraging with my students. And of course they loved the dog.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Kuusisto has developed an ability to "see" his surroundings through his ears and an equally admirable ability to share those impressions through his writing. I love the idea of being able to identify a specific street corner by the sounds of wind and reflections off the different buildings. I met him at a reading last month and I am eager to read the next memoir that includes his journey into the sighted world following cataract surgery.

[Jill Nolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book because it was included on the book list for Chautauqua's Literary and Scientfic Circle one summer. It's a very interesting book that I may not have found or chosen on my own. The author writes about his experiences as a blind man from the perspective of listening to his surroundings. It's fascinating and, at times, his travel narratives almost make you forget he is blind. He has a very accomplished career and is a lovely writer.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book a lot. The author writes beautifully and in an interesting way about their experience of listening and blindness. The images he uses are powerful and evocative. While he has had a very rich and interesting life - it is the way he perceives that life that makes it shimmer. It is a powerful meditation on life and living - as much as anything else. It really made me think. I’m very glad I read it.

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a gorgeous book. I've only read the first couple of chapters and am in love with the prose and the subject. Fascinating memoir of a person who's missing the sense of sight. A friend told me it was poetic. When I ordered the book, I thought, How is he going to write about the world poetically if he's missing sight? Read the book. You'll "see."

[Will Baxley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really articulate text written from the perspective of a blind author that loves classical/jazz music and classical literature. Reflects on loneliness as a child, learning to be an expert listener, and wrestling with the stigmas people assigned to him for being blind. Authentic and without excessive gratification, in the best way.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read, interesting perspective. This man accomplished more without sight than most people do with it. I think it made me more aware of my inability to listen well or for a long time. I liked the way he compared normal sounds to different sounds than you'd normally correlate.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephen Kuusisto is blind. He is a poet, a teacher, a dog trainer and a wonderful, joyful human being. Here he is talking to us, telling us about his journey and we can't put him down for a second. What a compelling story.

[Dave · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a struggle at times, but the descriptions of sound were vivid. If that strikes you as odd, it struck me the same way. I think that's what the author wanted. After reading this book, I have a much stronger desire to listen to the world.

[Carl · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think that Kuusisto's Planet of the Blind is a fabulous memoir. This book is interesting to start with, but it reads more like a series of articles, and unfortunately, it gets repetitive by the middle.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not to be read before Kuusisto's "Planet of the Blind" -- this work is a collection of disparate essays rather than a sequence. Still satisfying and almost as worthwhile as his earlier work (but knowing his life from the earlier work is important for appreciating these essays).

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

What this blind man can see is amazing.

[Vivien]

His reading last year was amaaaazing.

[Neeka27 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Loved his descriptions of places but unfortunately I'm not big into classical/opera so many of the references were lost on me :(