Touching the Rock

Touching the Rock is a memoir by John Hull documenting his experience of going blind in middle age. Through diary entries written between 1983 and 1986, Hull records his transition from sighted to totally blind professor in Birmingham, England. Hull captures the day-to-day reality of blindness, from teaching university classes to caring for his young children. The entries track changes in his spatial awareness, memory, and relationship with the physical world as he adapts to his new circumstances. The narrative focuses on Hull's internal experiences rather than external events, examining dreams, sensory perceptions, and shifting concepts of time and space. His background as a religious scholar and academic influences his approach to documenting and analyzing his condition. This memoir explores fundamental questions about consciousness, identity, and what it means to perceive reality. Through Hull's precise observations, the text illuminates how blindness can reshape one's entire way of being in the world.

Readers describe this memoir as a raw, intimate account of Hull's journey into blindness. Many note its philosophical depth and Hull's detailed observations about how blindness transformed his perception of reality, time, and space. Readers appreciate: - Vivid descriptions that help sighted people understand blindness - The balance between personal narrative and intellectual analysis - Hull's honesty about depression and struggles - Unique insights into how other senses become enhanced Common criticisms: - Writing can be dense and academic at times - Some sections feel repetitive - Religious references don't resonate with all readers Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (126 ratings) Amazon: 4.4/5 (31 ratings) Reader Quote: "Hull takes you deep into his world of darkness and shows you how he learned to 'see' in entirely new ways." - Amazon reviewer Another reader notes: "The dream sequences were particularly powerful in conveying the psychological impact of vision loss." - Goodreads review

Notes from a Blind Pianist by Zoltan Szabo A concert pianist's chronicle documents his journey of losing sight while maintaining his musical career, paralleling Hull's examination of how blindness transforms perception and identity.

Planet of the Blind by Stephen Kuusisto A poet's memoir details his experience of partial blindness from birth and his navigation through a world of blurred boundaries and heightened senses.

And There Was Light by Jacques Lusseyran The account of a French resistance fighter who lost his sight at age eight reveals how blindness shaped his understanding of courage and resistance during World War II.

Not Fade Away by Rebecca Alexander A woman's documentation of her gradual loss of both sight and hearing presents a perspective on sensory loss that complements Hull's exploration of adapted perception.

Sight Unseen by Georgina Kleege An analysis of blindness in culture and literature interweaves personal experience with critical examination of how vision loss affects daily life and social interaction.

🔹 John Hull gradually lost his sight over many years until going completely blind in 1983, and wrote this deeply personal memoir by recording his thoughts on tape during his first three years of total blindness. 🔹 The author, a professor of religious education, describes how blindness changed his perception of time - noting that sighted people live in a world of space, while blind individuals experience the world through time. 🔹 Hull developed what he called "deep blindness" or "whole-body seeing," where he learned to understand his environment through sound, touch, and even the pressure of rain on his face. 🔹 The book's unique observations about the nature of consciousness and perception have made it required reading in many university courses on disability studies and phenomenology. 🔹 Oliver Sacks, the renowned neurologist and author, called this book "the most extraordinary, precise, deep and beautiful account of blindness" he had ever read or could ever imagine.