Rating: 4 for creating a sliding glass door into the author's life

My Thoughts:
At the beginning of this second Trump presidency, as the power barriers and balance scales were torn down, I vowed that for the next four years, I would not read any book authored by white authors. When I look at the publishing list, when I see what is coming up on my Net Galley feed, when I look at the books on the Goodreads challenges, they are predominantly white authors. As a professor of teacher education, specializing in middle and secondary language arts, I have always touted the idea that the western canonical literature should be a supplement equal to literature by indigenous authors, authors of color, and queer authors.

So why did I read this book?

I read this book because I saw the New York Times opinion video that Robinson created about his eye condition first. This video is part of a series on "overcoming your discomfort with disability." I realize, and I should have known this already, that disability is also part of the underrepresented narrative in our schools. This memoir is about the author's struggles with strabismus and other eye ailments that he simply calls whale eyes. There are many educators that did not have a clue on how to differentiate for him, and that is tragic. There are the taunts and how strangers do not look him in the eyes, but this is not a memoir full of pity and despair.

This memoir does not shy away from the fact that his world was not ready to teach a kid like him, however, it is also a way for non disabled kids to really read this as a sliding glass door into his condition. With line drawings by Brian Rea, the author and illustrator help readers to feel a little bit of what Robinson deals with. This is the beginning of the empathy journey for readers, but the author also offers up some advice and hope for disabled students. Even if the multiple surgeries, 3-D glasses, etc. did not work for him, Johnson shows them how their disability does not make a person abnormal.

At the most crucial teaching point of students' lives (middle school), this memoir will help all readers, abled and disabled to understand how to be better humans.

From the Publisher:
Told through an experimental mix of intimate anecdotes and interactive visuals, this book immerses readers in James’s experiences growing up with strabismus, allowing them to see the world through one eye at a time.

Readers will get lost as they chase words. They’ll stare into this book while taking a vision test. They’ll hold it upside down as they practice “pretend-reading”…and they’ll follow an unlikely trail toward discovering the power of words.

With poignant illustrations by Eisner Award–nominated artist Brian Rea, James’s story equips readers of all ages with the tools to confront their discomfort with disability and turn confused, blank stares into powerful connections.

Publication Information:
Author: James Robinson
Illustrator: Brian Rea
Publisher: Penguin Workshop (March 18, 2025)
Reading age: 10 and up

Robinson tells the story of growing up with eyes that see differently and look different. The book shares some visual illusions that attempt to give readers the best idea of what it's like to see through his eyes. His experiences are interesting but moreso, his interpretation of how disability works for him and for others. It's something that is aimed at tweens from the experiences but really, anyone can learn a lot from his life experience and the way he writes about it (and makes films about it, which is also very interesting).

This is a fascinating memoir that needs to be experienced as a hard copy, not as an e-book and certainly not as an audiobook. James Robinson uses the layout of the pages to give readers a glimpse inside his world as a student with a disabling eye condition that kept him from discovering the joy of reading -- such a personal window into a little-known disability. As Robinson is an award-winning filmmaker, it is no surprise that he sends the reader to view a documentary film he created to give you another glimpse into his experience. Such a unique memoir and one that I will recommend easily.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

A genius of a book. Compelling, educational, humble, a plea for equality and compassion and inclusion. All the things, all the feels.
I think this should be required reading in high school, certainly, and our library put a copy in both young adult and juvenile sections.
A terrific visual aid for all of us so that we may better understand and see each other better.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an e-ARC of Whale Eyes by James Robinson.
Whale Eyes is a non-fiction memoir detailing the struggles Robinson had growing up with exotropia. Told through the use of illustrations, upside pages, and graphics depicting words through Robinson's eyes. This is a book that needs to be read by people of all ages. Hopefully it won't get forgotten on a juvenile non-fiction shelf.

Whale Eyes brings to light some fascinating experiences growing up with a different way of seeing the world. Some apply to anyone with a disability like when your accommodation is pointed out to the whole class, and some directly explaining strabismus. The illustrations and format of the book are used well to demonstrate how James sees thing differently, and how we might do the same.

3.5/5 Stars

This is a memoir about James, born with an eye condition that makes it difficult for his eyes to focus simultaneously. It follows James through childhood leading up to when he was in film school and wrote a documentary about his condition.

I listened to this on audio, but I do think that the physical copy would have made it a higher star rating as there are pictures and interactive portions in the book. The audio tries to describe the pictures, but it is definitely not the same as if you could see them. It is an extremely quick read, that I finished in under 2 hours. I think this would be a great book to include in classrooms!

I predict kids will want multiple copies of this in my classroom. It begs to be read and manipulated. It also makes you think and ask questions. It’s colorful, fun, and intense all at the same time, but it’s a memoir!

I loved this book. It’s kind of written in two parts. The first part is really accessible to kids, packed with a lot of illustrations and examples of how James Robinson sees the world. Some of the illustrations show words written upside down or at different angles. One page includes an eye test that readers can perform by folding the page a certain way.

The second half of the book is a little more dense and is where Robinson talks more deeply about his journey with documentary filmmaking. It describes how he began filming about a passion project and then, in college, made a twenty-four-minute video about his visual disability, strabismus. That project led him to collaborate with the New York Times to make a series of videos about different people’s experiences living with disabilities.

Even though this part of the book will appeal more to older readers, I think Robinson relates important reflections about his childhood, what he’s realized about disability, and what he wishes adults had told him about it when he was younger. The writing throughout the book is smart and appealing.

Whale Eyes is a memoir about an unusual eye disorder and a look at disability in general. I really appreciated the unique format of the book -- it plays with words and letters on the page in a way to mimic the issues caused by strabismus --and I also really liked thinking about disability and how schools and society are not accommodating. The first half was a strong 5-star read for me but the second part, as James got older, just didn't work as well. I think a middle grade memoir that focused primarily on the middle grade years would have been more powerful.

Whale eyes is a memoir about one who had been born a condition that prevents his eyes from focusing simultaneously, This makes reading a time-consuming and tedious task. He felt embarrassed when he began to fall behind his classmates and especially so, when strangers would stare at his outward-turned eyes. In middle school, his architecture professor mother took time off to home-school him and his dyslexic older brother. She helped her son, James, discover helpful reading strategies and he developed a passion for documentary films, which led to him studying film at Duke University.. In 2021, the New York Times published his autobiographical short film, Whale Eyes, which is another term for his condition. Whale Eyes is written by Jams Robinson himself and illustrated by award winning artist, Brian Rae. The illustrations really highlight the text with tactics such as…..
switching from white to black backgrounds, spiraling sentences, and words and letters scattered across the pages, which often need to be turned sideways or upside down.

For this reason it is better to read this book in paper format as E-readers won’t allow you to turn the text upside down.

This is a really interesting memoir about a condition I’ve never come across in my 41 years as an elementary school teacher.

Readers in grades 5-8 with an interest in medical conditions should find this book intriguing.

Born with strabismus, filmmaker Robinson has a condition where his eyes do not track correctly and has eye misalignment. Growing up, he struggled with performance, relating to others, and how others perceived him. Included are illustrations that show readers what it’s like to navigate life with strabismus.

The memoir is well written, informative, and offers a fresh perspective. The illustrations are detailed, helpful, and add depth to the author’s story. An inspiration to those who have disabilities, readers who like memoirs, non-fiction, and books about filmmakers will want to pick this one up. Recommended for most library collections. 4 stars, Gr 5 to 8

Whale Eyes is the memoir written by James Robinson that chronicles his experience with an eye condition. James writes his story through anecdotes and visuals so we can literally see the world through his eyes. Readers will understand the complexity of his condition and empathize with his experiences. This is a book that will stay with you, prompting reflection and fostering greater understanding.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an arc in exchange for this honest review.

This was a very interesting book. I had seen the documentary he made about his condition in the NYT in 2021. It was interesting to read more about it and his experience. It would be a good companion book to "Wonder". The interactive elements are a nice touch to help you visualize what his condition is like. Students interested in medical topics, differences or interested in documentary making will like this book.

This book has been surprisingly educational for both me and my middle grader! We really got to understand James' point of view, and it’s been such an interesting read.

Wow!
What an incredible biography! I was totally immersed in Robinson's explanations of his early life and education. As a mom of a son who has dyslexia, I quickly identified with Robinson and his dyslexic older brother. Their need to find alternative ways to learn hit me hard, remembering all the accommodations and modifications my own son needed in order to learn and be successful. Robinson's desire to truly be seen despite his condition reminded me of former students I have encountered as a veteran educator and challenged me to find better ways to truly 'see' them.
This biography will say with me for a long time. I'm so grateful I had the opportunity to read Whale Eyes.

Insightful read and powerful, simple illustrations accompany the text. The second half of the books gets too slow for elementary readers as the authors delves into the making of his documentary

James has issues with his eyes, in that they never figured out how to be stereoscopic. He has made it work for him, but it took a long time in grade school and beyond to figure out how to make it work for him. I found the first part with his childhood fascinating having never experienced something like this, and trying to figure out how he was describing things. I liked the introduction of the artwork and the mild "House of Leaves" style of the book in places. I got disappointed in the second half. Not because he was figuring out how to share this or make people aware, but it felt that he moved away from the tone of the first part. There was a lot of "you can do it!" vibe in the second half, and I'm glad people are adapting and becoming nicer to those with differences. It just felt that in a book for middle graders it went from understanding and adjusting from a disability to now I'm famous because I had an article in NYT. I think if you have a child struggling with a difference this could be intriguing.

Whale eyes is part biography, part documentary into disability. Through the use of strong visuals, and brief notes to starers, James brings to life his eye condition and this makes him see things differently and engages readers to understand whale eyes.