The Sight Sickness

by Christine Faltz Grassman

It was an epidemic. It was a plague that shocked both those who got it and those who did not. It was coined ?the white sickness.? For inexplicable reasons, random citizens became blind, and the sickness was believed to be contagious. Instead of teaching people to manage their disability, the government rounded up the newly-blind and caged them like animals. The quarantine facilities had no organization, no plumbing, no electricity, and no law and order. Both the blind and the seeing were terrified.When the crisis subsided, the officials in charge were tried for their role in the inhumane treatment of the citizens; they were acquitted. One vigilante group is not satisfied with the verdict. Calling themselves the Cellmates, they kidnap seven people and hold them hostage?keeping them blinded so they can experience the same fears as those who were blinded in the plague.A blend of social commentary, criticism, parody, and polemic, author Christine Faltz Grassman offers an anti-sequel to Blindness, a psychological thriller written by Jos‚ Saramago. The Sight Sickness, Grassman?s personal response to the public?s fear of blindness, works to show that with the right attitude, the right tools, and the right techniques, blindness is manageable.

140 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2009

Reviews

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, I have to admit that I hated the book Blindness by Jose Saramago. I found the representations of the blind in the book to be horrible, and believe that if any other class or group of people (such as blacks, asians, muslims, jews, autistics, deafs, etc) had been represented the same way blind people were represented, the book would never has been so highly reviewed by so many.
The Sight Sickness is a interesting "anti-sequel" to Blindness. Written by a totally blind author, this book gives a very interesting look at what might have happened after the white sickness portrayed in Blindness, and how those who were blind for other reasons may have reacted to what happened. I believe this book is meant to invoke commentary, and is meant to make people stop and think about how they really view blind individuals. The book also shows that blindness is not the horror that is represented in the Saramago book, but that (to quote from the back of the book) "with the right attitude, the right tools, and the right techniques, blindness is manageable." And since the author of this book is totally blind herself, I think she would know.