Blind Ambition

I read this book in one sitting. It was so engaging I couldn't put it down. It was well written, to the point, emotional and funny, without trying too hard to be inspirational. This was a story of living life to the fullest, as well as an excellent insight into living with a disability.

Apart from the author's achievements and his amazing biography, what I found interesting was getting a look into the specifics of living with such a disability. Also, I liked how the author captured the transition from being a sighted person to blindness, and dealing with the adjustment while confronting his own preconceptions. Like I said, this book doesn't try too hard to be inspirational. Instead, it shows a journey that is based on resilience instead of making excuses, which I appreciated. And again, all that aside, it was such an fascinating story.

I would definitely recommend this book. I loved it and I would like to see more books like this because such realistic, honest and normalised representation of disability, and blindness in particular, is scarce.

"I could not correct my vision, but I could control how I chose to see the world." This quote from the book remained with me. The story is really touching and inspiring. Sometimes we need to know that achieving certain goals is possible and examples like the one in this book inspires for the next step of achievement in life.

Enjoyed this book a lot. Chad struck a good balance between covering his guide dog, his corporate excellence, the struggles he had to face in turning from victim to visionary. Its triple path book of overcoming your blindspots, achieving career excellence, revealing your true and multiple idnetities to self that are as energizing as your working self. Interesting to learn how the bidding process is done. Amazing to know how your trailblazer path can be scaled to open new paths for others.
After a long time, I have come across a book as powerful as Erik Weihenmayer's.

Chad Foster shares his inspiring story in this book that challenges readers to turn tragedies upside down. Diagnosed as a childhood with Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) Foster learned early that he would eventually lose his sight. During college, Foster fell into a group of friends embracing the free-college lifestyle, partying and drinking and basically looking for anything that would numb the reality that his sight was failing. When his older cousin challenged him to rethink his behavior, he didn’t accept. Continued....https://booksuplift.com/blind-ambition-how-to-go-from-victim-to-visionary/

I am frankly entirely surprised at how much I enjoyed Blind Ambition. I nearly set it down twice after reading about Foster’s college escapades (smoking/drinking, primarily), but once his brother shared with him some blunt truth about the fraternity-like situation, I found myself reading on. Oorah to Older Brother!

… and kudos, too, because this book is a gem. While Foster and I may vary on personal-faith convictions (and granted, he really doesn’t go into his own in the book–all inferences are my own based on the “usual suspects” of admitted parties, drink, smokes, and language), I still gained so much from the read and also related to a shocking amount. Foster and I are more or less contemporaries; he graduated from college a few years before I did. Many company names are ever so familiar, too (likely thanks to living in a home city to several industry giants).

I thoroughly appreciated Foster’s life experience in the business world and saw myself in so much of that, with my own share of working government and private-sector contracts (not to mention software lifecycle pivots). Oh, haiiii, Lotus Notes … you used that too, Foster?! LOL. I truly felt encouraged and revitalized in my own career path while reading about his.

Foster shares forthrightly about his experiences with guide dogs, navigating the huuuge life shift from vision to blindness, discrimination both within America and without, the importance of mentors and supportive friends and family, and more. The surprisingly quick read packs quite a punch! (I wish I could interject some skiing reference here–because I’m dumbfounded in the best way that he learned to ski after becoming blind!–but yeah, my knowledge of winter-sport terminology is nil. Ha!)

Tacked on to the end of the book is a series of reflection questions; while I’ve not yet gone through them, I do look forward to it, journal at the ready. I’m sure they’ll be all too incisive…in a great way–challenging me to see my own blind spots.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own

As the wife of an RP husband, this title is great. I thoroughly enjoyed Chad"s writing. I keep saying parts of the book with hubby. He is like the author in he works full time even though legally blind. Chad well inspire many with this title.

Blind Ambition is a great read. I thoroughly enjoyed the author's stories and extraordinary path from sighted to blind, including the emotions and challenges that go with it. Chad E. Foster exemplifies the idea that we control the stories that we tell ourselves in the face of adversity. Lots of positive lessons told here.