Since the pioneers in this field, including Cattaneo, Vecchi, and Valvo, were all Italian, I gave Dr. Bianchi a similar ethnic heritage in their honor (although it should be noted that his grasp of the English language is far inferior to that of these scientists).
The techniques that Mrs. Chin taught Will—his ability to navigate and function in a sighted world—I myself learned through the thorough text The Art and Science of Teaching Orientation and Mobility to Persons with Visual Impairments by William Henry Jacobson.
As far as the writing and voice of Will, I tried to gain some understanding of the mind of a person with a visual impairment through memoirs of vision impairment, including the hilarious Cockeyed by Ryan Knighton, the haunting Planet of the Blind by Stephen Kuusisto, the poetic Touching the Rock by John Hull, the inspiring Touch the Top of the World by adventurist Erik Weihenmayer, and the wise As I See It by blind dynamo Tom Sullivan. I also enjoyed the classic thought-experiment novel Blindess by José Saramago.
I was also informed by a great many movies and documentaries about vision impairment, especially The Eyes of Me (which was particularly helpful in how it showed students transitioning between schools for the blind and mainstream schools and vice versa), Going Blind, Proof, Blindsight, and of course the Pacino classic Scent of a Woman.
The concept of the tyranny of the visual was first proposed by Marshall McLuhan in the 1962 book The Gutenberg Galaxy.
As a general note, I wish to remind the scientifically minded reader that even “normal eyesight” can sense only visible light, which itself occupies a tiny sliver of the electromagnetic spectrum. Just as a dog whistle makes a sound human ears can’t detect, the vast majority of electromagnetic wavelengths—including those used for Wi-Fi, X-rays, radar, cell phones, AM/FM radio, and broadcast television—are invisible to humans, despite occupying the same spectrum as visible light. So even eyes with twenty-twenty vision are blind to well over 99 percent (assuming a linear scale) of the electromagnetic energy passing through us each and every second.
Yet even just that fraction, which we are capable of perceiving with not only our eyes but with other senses as well, contains an infinity of observable phenomena. I was inspired by that fraction to tell this story—most of us are so caught up in our personal narratives of what we have versus what we want, our little worlds of selfies and how many likes they get, that we fail to notice the beauty around us, the infinite beauty that we possess the ability to appreciate.
And although I did extensively research visual impairment and endeavor to represent it accurately in this book, I want to stress that this is fundamentally a story about how we as human beings—both the sighted and the visually impaired—sense and experience the world. It’s not meant to be a scientifically accurate description of vision impairment or a textbook on the neurological development of the visual cortex. So I hope people with vision impairments will forgive the artistic liberties I’ve taken as a storyteller.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks to Ashley for encouraging me through many years of working on this, my first novel. Her enthusiasm is caffeine for the soul. Let’s keep dating.
To my assistant, Lisa McLaughlin, for not only enabling me to have the time to write this book but also for tracking down an incredibly rare manuscript with historic accounts of blind adults gaining sight. I hope Dr. Bianchi is the sort of eye-care specialist you’d want to go to.
To my agent, Lucy Carson (of The Friedrich Agency), for being Will and Cecily’s matchmaker. Her smart feedback on the early manuscript gave their relationship the love story it was missing. Also, thanks for all the retweets.
To my editor, Pam Gruber, who dedicated more time and attention to this book than anyone in the history of editing. Thank you. PS—I would love to see Andrew take on the academic quiz team in Settlers of Catan.
To my publicist Hallie Patterson, who continues to pitch me enthusiastically despite how many times I’ve mispronounced her name.
To editor-in-chief Alvina Ling, publisher Megan Tingley, and deputy publisher Andrew Smith: This house truly feels like a home. And that’s because of all of you. I’m honored to be on your list.
To Leslie Shumate for consuming more than the FDA’s recommended lifetime intake of cc’s.
To Nichole LeFebvre for her early read. Good luck with your new literary adventure.
To my copy editors, Annie McDonnell and Ana Deboo, who astounded me with their insight. I honestly think they know more about my characters than I do.
To proofreader Tracy Koontz for creating the illusion that I’m good at words.
To Marcie Lawrence in Design, and Virginia Lawther and David Klimowicz in Production for creating something I think Will would enjoy looking at.
To global domination expert Kristin Dulaney, one of my most enthusiastic supporters from day one.