Vision is an autobiography about the author's struggles being blind. The text is large spaced and short length on each page. There is a general intro that could fit all of the books within this series. Precious explains the struggles she had in school and with friends after being born premature and going blind. It would be interesting to see an edition of the book with both the braille and written text to expose readers to what Precious uses as well as create an inclusive material.

Motivational

Vision: My Story of Strength is a part of the I, Witness series which delivers narrative nonfiction for young people by young people. In this short story, we learn about Precious Perez's personal journey to becoming the musician she always believed she could be. Born two and a half months premature and weighing under one pound, her eyes did not develop normally. Precious is blind. Her life story has been one to the tune of everyone telling her what she can't do. While Precious focuses on the opposite: her love of singing.

When her high school teacher offers Precious an opportunity to pursue her dream she takes it and works very hard to accomplish her goals and do so against all odds. Later going on to become a professional musician and leader and young activist in the disabled community.

It's short and the messaging clear. I think the series and Precious' story is a great way to connect young people and have them share their stories of strength, resilience, and the power of faith and hard work.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an e-arc of this story in exchange for an honest review.

If you're an adult, this may feel a tad thin — like an essay or long blog post, for instance. Personally, I found myself wishing for deeper glimpses into Perez's emotions.

For kids, however, particularly reluctant readers, Vision is the sort of read that will build confidence and broaden horizons all at the same time. Its slim profile and straightforward writing shouldn't intimidate, and the author's age makes her that much easier to relate to. Kids ought to get a kick out of watching someone their own age succeed and also make a difference through activism.

Vision is part of a nonfiction book series called I, Witness, that tells stories of real life young people who have faced extraordinary challenges in their life. In Vision, Precious tells her own story of being born premature with resulting blindness. Music became an important part of her life, and she worked hard to build a life and career around it.
I love the format of this book. With short chapters and large print on the pages, it is accessible for multiple ages and abilities of readers. An introduction shares the heart behind the series. Supplemental sections include a question-and-answer style discussion, ideas to get involved, and a timeline of activism for the blind community. If you haven’t checked out this series for kids, I highly recommend it.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Honestly, I just didn't like how this book was written, it wasn't my style. I couldn't get into it. It didn't suck me in the way my favorite books do.

This is a truly wonderful and inspiring story about Precious Perez, as told by her. This demonstrates the resilience and strength that she has to ignore and overcome the obstacles that others tried to place in her way and highlights her passion for music and her drive to not only follow her dream, but pave the way for others as she smashes through every glass ceiling.

This book, though short, describes the early life and and career of Precious Perez, the author who is a singer/songwriter, music educator, and disability activist.

She focused on something her doctors used to say: "She can't do this, she can't do that" and set out to prove them wrong, doing what she was told she couldn't do, and more. The journey and achievements of the author were very inspiring, showing that disabilities are only one of the many things that define each and every person.

The writing itself wasn't the best, but the point was to share the author's story, which I think it did. There were also some important points raised such as how body image and blindness are related, which is something I've never thought about but makes so much sense.

Something that confused/bothered me a teensy bit was that the tenses were a bit iffy, with a paragraph starting in present tense and ending with a "this is what is now happening".

All in all, I'd say this book is a good read that tells an important story many people need to hear.