Seeing Beyond the Shadows

by Meredith Leigh Burton

Diverse literature seeks to highlight those whose voices are not always heard. Seeing Beyond the Shadows provides a window into the life of a blind individual.

Burton addresses some of the obstacles that people with visual impairments encounter, such as the issue of transportation, the low employment problem, and the overall lack of opportunities that impede progress. She provides firsthand accounts of her own experiences navigating these obstacles and relates her faith journey as she has come to rely on God’s guidance.

Seeing Beyond the shadows is not heavy-handed or acerbic in nature. The memoir is lighthearted and contains many amusing anecdotes and insightful reflections on the beauty of God’s creation. Visual imagery as well as a vast array of tactile, olfactory, and auditory details immerse the reader in the author’s world. Burton discusses her family and the love of literature they imparted to her. She also relates the life lessons she has learned through her studies, writing journey, half-marathon participation, and travel.

The memoir will serve as a book to counterpoint more liberal titles in the disability nonfiction genre. The world needs many diverse voices. Seeing Beyond the Shadows will be relatable not only to the disabled community but the nondisabled one as well. As readers discover Burton’s story, empathy and knowledge can be gained by everyone. Seeing with your eyes is only one of the myriad ways God enables a person to experience the world. Through this memoir, much joy and insight can be unearthed.

The memoir also includes an appendix of frequently asked questions the author has been asked during speaking events. The book also contains two fictional short stories. In “Pagae’s Way,” a young woman sent to gather fruit for a festival must face danger in the forest when her path converges with a soldier. In a land ruled by hatred, Aleasha must discover courage when her best friend is in danger. In “The Trailor Park Girl’s Gift,” a teacher receives a lesson in love from an often overlooked student.

Both stories embody the themes present in this memoir.

370 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 8, 2024

About the author

Meredith Leigh Burton was born on July 4, 1983. As a result of a premature birth, she was placed under oxygen to develop her lungs. The three month's exposure to the oxygen led to the development of retinopathy of prematurity. Meredith attended the Tennessee School for the Blind in Nashville, where she enjoyed choir, theater classes, and participating on the forensics team. After high school, Meredith attended Middle Tennessee State University where she received her Bachelors' of Arts Degree in English and theater. She is a certified English teacher for grades 7-12.Meredith loves assisting with church activities, spending time with family and friends, and reading any book she can get her hands on. She is a chocoholic and Mexican food fanatic. She has always devoured allegorical books, and was first introduced to the fantasy genre by a teacher who whetted her appetite by taking her to the Narnia books in the elementary school library. "The kids in these stories go to another world," the teacher whispered enticingly. That was just the hook Meredith needed. Her favorite fiction book is To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, and her favorite nonfiction book is The Holy Bible. Meredith lives in Lynchburg, Tennessee with her parents and an adorable tabby cat named Simba. She has two precious nieces, Aliya Davine and Tristyn Layla.

Reviews

[Stephanie Ricker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I make it a rule never to leave reviews for books I've worked on in any editing or beta-reading capacity, but I had to make an exception in this case. Meredith poured herself into writing this memoir and did a brilliant job of narrating the audiobook, in spite of many challenges along the way. This book reminds me a little of Being Seen by Elsa Sjunneson, but from a Christian perspective, in that it makes sighted readers (or listeners) aware of things that they might have never thought about. Navigating the world as a sighted person gives me the luxury of ignorance, a luxury that a blind or visually impaired person cannot afford. In this book, Meredith teaches the reader as she no doubt teaches her Sunday school students: accurately and with grace and patience. This is such an important read, and I guarantee it will make you think about our visually dominated world differently.

[Meredith L.]

Seeing Beyond the Shadows is my first attempt at publishing a nonfiction work. The memoir was a joy to write, and I owe thanks to my incredible designer and editor who both encouraged me to tackle this project.
Seeing Beyond the Shadows also contains two short fictional pieces, a fantasy story and a contemporary story. The pieces coincide with themes explored in the memoir.
In addition, an appendix containing frequently asked questions and answers is also included.

[E.F. Buckles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was gifted an audio copy of this book by the author. No review was required. The following review is my honest opinion.

Seeing Beyond Shadows is a memoir by author Meredith Leigh Burton who has been blind for her whole life. I first encountered Meredith online through the Rooglewood Fairytale Retelling contests, which we both entered and interacted in the online community that developed around it. I have followed her work ever since, and have read a few of her fiction works already. This was the first non-fiction that I’ve read by her.

I was truly impressed by this memoir and the way that Meredith handled telling her story. She skillfully gives the reader a taste of what life is like for someone who has never had sight and vividly shows us that just because she cannot see, it doesn’t mean that life is any less vibrant for her. I especially loved the part where she describes how she perceives color in terms of her other senses and emotion rather than sight.

This book takes us through Meredith’s life from birth to present day, addressing life experiences she’s had, both positive and negative, her opinions on different things, and even her thoughts on the way the media has (sometimes problematically) portrayed disabled people. I learned a lot of things about her that I didn’t know before, and also about the experience of blind and visually impaired people in general. I especially appreciated that it’s all through a Christian lense, as she makes clear how important her faith is to her, and tells of the ways that God has guided her through it all, and continues to guide her. She shows such grace through it all, even showing understanding and kindness toward people who did not understand or show kindness to her.

I highly recommend this book, not just to learn about the author as an individual, but to think about the world from another perspective. I especially recommend the audiobook version as Meredith does an excellent job narrating it herself.



Content Advisory:

Language:

None.

Violence/Scariness:

Meredith talks about instances of bullying when she was a child. It was emotionally hurtful but not extreme or violent. She also talks a couple of times about injuries she’s dealt with for one reason or another. (Mildly described.)

Sexual/Romance:

Nothing sexual is addressed.

Meredith talks briefly about marriage and why she isn’t married yet. (It just hasn’t happened yet, and she mentions the possibility that she might be asexual.) Marriage is something she has chosen to leave in God’s hands to work out as He sees fit.

Spiritual:

Meredith is a Christian. She talks throughout the book about her faith and the powerful impact Jesus has had on her life.

Other:

Meredith discusses the prejudices people can have toward the disabled, including in her own experience. She also touches on some specific instances where media has crafted problematic portrayals of the disabled. She is very fair and balanced in her explanation about why specific portrayals have been problematic and how they made her and others in the disabled community feel.