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No End in Sight: My Life as a Blind Iditarod Racer
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No End in Sight: My Life as a Blind Iditarod Racer
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by Rachael Scdoris and Rick Steber
Sales Rank : 993329
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Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press February 21, 2006
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312352735
ISBN-13: 978-0312352738
Product Dimensions:
8.4 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
From Publishers Weekly
Twenty-year-old Scdoris, afflicted with a rare eye disorder that makes her 20-200 vision impervious to correction, recounts her journey to Alaska's famous sled dog race in this slow but straightforward memoir written with family friend Steber. Born with congenital achromatopsia, Scdoris spent her childhood struggling to gain independence, even though crossing a busy street was a life-or-death challenge. During her childhood in Oregon, Scdoris's father introduced her to his love of sled dog racing, a livelihood he temporarily abandoned in order to move closer to urban areas where state programs for the blind were readily available. Scdoris expends equal amounts of time on the details of racing and the trials of being a blind teenager in a school where she endured merciless teasing on a daily basis. While negotiating those difficulties, she also had to stand up to resentment and disbelief in the racing community (many seasoned racers believed a young girl with a disability had no place in the sport). Yet Scdoris pursued her love of racing and ends the memoir intending to race the Iditarod in 2006. Her inspiring life story is unfortunately dulled by a lackluster presentation. 22 b&w photos not seen by PW. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From School Library Journal
Grade 8 Up-Born in Oregon, the daughter of a sled musher, Scdoris has a passion for sled dogs and racing. Athletic and hard-driven, she set her sights on racing the Iditarod. Incredibly, sight is the one thing she doesn't have. Legally blind since birth, Scdoris not only passed the qualifying races without any help, but was also able to run in the 2005 Iditarod using only a visual interpreter to caution her of obstacles ahead. A wonderful backstory leads up to the excitement of the big race, in which the author gives a candid account of her childhood, from the earliest memories to the present. Her autobiography has a strong voice and a perfect mix of action and dialogue. In school, she was taunted and teased by bullies. Her athleticism helped her find a niche on the junior high and high school track team and her determination to find ways to overcome obstacles helped her become more independent. The author's desire to be normal was paramount the day she missed the school bus and, rather than tell her father, ran the 26 miles to school. The page-turning episodes, however, revolve around the races in which she pushes herself to the limit, dealing with naysayers, crashes, and sick dogs. Readers will feel every twist and turn in the course, and will eagerly follow the progress of this inspiring athlete.-Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia High School, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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