FEBRUARY 2017 - AudioFile
Narrator Pat Young delivers this audiobook about our senses and how we interpret them. Sixteen-year-old Will, blind from birth, enters a mainstream public school for the first time and, in rapid succession, finds a strong coterie of pals, discovers friendship with a bright and troubled girl who is a photographer, undergoes experimental surgery on his eyes, and faces losing his newly gained vision. Young's voicing of the story's cast—Will's hovering mother, his insightful English teacher, the kids on the quiz team—enhances Sundquist's deft characterizations. In the audio format, the accounts of Will's world encourage listeners to reflect on their own sensory awareness. Add the well-developed romantic theme, and this is a perfect listening experience. F.M.R.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
10/17/2016
At the start of this engaging novel from motivational speaker and memoir writer Sundquist (We Should Hang Out Sometime), 16-year-old Will Porter enrolls at Toano High School. Blind since birth, Will knows that if he is going to become a journalist, he must prove that he can live independently in the sighted world. His first day is a fiasco, but Will acclimates quickly and befriends a girl named Cecily. Romance seems destined until Will undergoes a cornea transplant and discovers that Cecily hasn’t been entirely forthcoming about her appearance. Will’s trust in Cecily is shattered, and he’s left wondering whether their relationship is worth salvaging. The plot’s beats are predictable, and the interpersonal conflicts can ring false, but Sundquist writes eloquently about what it might be like for someone who was born blind to be given sight. He explores the physical, emotional, and psychological ramifications of Will’s change in a thoughtful and evocative manner, providing readers with a fresh perspective on how humans interact with each other and the world around them. Ages 12–up. Agent: Lucy Carson, Friedrich Agency. (Jan.)
From the Publisher
"Sensitively explores disability and its influence on identity...The juxtaposition of blindness with (not) judging by appearances is common, but the author gives depth to the trope by highlighting the betrayal Will feels at the exploitation of his blindness. Thought-provoking and insightful."—Kirkus Reviews
"Unique...will encourage young adults to think about their own biases related to physical attractiveness and body image. Readers will enjoy the humor and romance of the story while gaining a better understanding of life with a visual disability...A highly recommended and engaging story for most YA collections."—SLJ
"Sundquist writes eloquently about what it might be like for someone who was born blind to be given sight. He explores the physical, emotional, and psychological ramifications of Will's change in a thoughtful and evocative manner, providing readers with a fresh perspective on how humans interact with each other and the world around them."—Publishers Weekly
"Rich in sensory detail, this novel pulls readers into Will's world. Sundquist deftly shows the difference between the act of seeing and truly seeing. This fresh and funny coming-of-age story presents an opportunity for readers who take certain abilities for granted to take stock of challenges facing peers."—Booklist
"Sundquist does a nice job of getting inside the head of a person who has absolutely no visual frames of reference...without it feeling intrusive or overly clinical. For budding scientists and future doctors, these details offer new thoughts as well as context for understanding the real stories of people gaining eyesight after blindness and then wishing they hadn't; even readers who just came for the romance will find themselves understanding the "tyranny of the visual" in new ways."—BCCB
"In his debut novel, memoirist Josh Sundquist proves he's as adept at making up new stories as he is at recounting his old ones as he explores overcoming adversity, seeing the world through fresh eyes (literally), and keeping a sense of humor in the midst of life's tribulations. An exciting new voice in the world of YA fiction."—Tommy Wallach, New York Times bestselling author of We All Looked Up
"Is love blind? Should it be? With an intricate, intimate fiction debut, Josh Sundquist aims to find out."—Barry Lyga, New York Times bestselling author
Praise for We Should Hang Out Sometime:
An Amazon.ca Best Books of December 2014 for Children and Teens Selection
A YALSA 2015 Teens Top Ten Nominee
2015 Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee"You should read this book sometime. I loved it so much!"—Justine Ezarik, New York Times bestselling author of I, Justine: An Analog Memoir
"[A] laugh-out-loud memoir..."—SLJ
School Library Journal
11/01/2016
Gr 7 Up—Blind since birth, 16-year-old Will Porter has decided that he is ready to mainstream at a new high school rather than continue attending his former school for blind students. After a few minor missteps, which are presented with humor, he adjusts to the new school and makes some interesting friends along the way. The most unique aspect of this inspiring tale is that it is told exclusively from Will's point of view. The author succeeds at providing readers with a sense of the challenges of day-to-day life for someone with a visual disability, especially for a risk-taking teenager who is striving to be independent. A close friendship and budding romance between Will and fellow student Cecily add further layers. When Will considers surgery to restore his sight, the threat that this possibility poses to the teens' relationship will encourage young adults to think about their own biases related to physical attractiveness and body image. Readers will enjoy the humor and romance of the story while gaining a better understanding of life with a visual disability. Sundquist makes it clear that Will is not defined by his disability; he often has better "vision" than those with eyesight. VERDICT A highly recommended and engaging story for most YA collections.—Theresa Muraski, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
FEBRUARY 2017 - AudioFile
Narrator Pat Young delivers this audiobook about our senses and how we interpret them. Sixteen-year-old Will, blind from birth, enters a mainstream public school for the first time and, in rapid succession, finds a strong coterie of pals, discovers friendship with a bright and troubled girl who is a photographer, undergoes experimental surgery on his eyes, and faces losing his newly gained vision. Young's voicing of the story's cast—Will's hovering mother, his insightful English teacher, the kids on the quiz team—enhances Sundquist's deft characterizations. In the audio format, the accounts of Will's world encourage listeners to reflect on their own sensory awareness. Add the well-developed romantic theme, and this is a perfect listening experience. F.M.R.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2016-09-19
Sundquist (We Should Hang Out Sometime, 2014) explores blindness and sight in his first novel. Aspiring to be "the Stevie Wonder of journalism," white, congenitally blind Will Porter is confident that mainstreaming into high school at 16 will be a snap. But things get awkward when he falls for Cecily, an artistic, evasive white girl with a knack for explaining visual concepts. Soon, Will learns that he has the opportunity to gain eyesight via experimental retinal stem-cell implants. His difficult decision sensitively explores disability and its influence on identity. The author's research shows; there are frequent explanations of eyesight and its relationship to the brain. That information is critical for understanding the disorientation and frustration that Will experiences upon gaining eyesight. Sight requires him to learn colors, shapes, and perspective as if he's just been born—which, in a sense, he has. Such surprises as racial differences (when he sees African-American pal Whitford for the first time he thinks, “What’s the fuss about?”), paintings, and a "counterintuitive" snowstorm prompt interesting reflections, and his new perspective is tested when he realizes that Cecily's appearance significantly differs from his cheerfully nerdy new friends' descriptions of her. The juxtaposition of blindness with (not) judging by appearances is common, but the author gives depth to the trope by highlighting the betrayal Will feels at the exploitation of his blindness. The resolution is optimistic yet realistically open-ended. Thought-provoking and insightful. (author's note) (Romance. 13-18)
