Crashing Through
The Extraordinary True Story of the Man Who Dared to See
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Narrated by:
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Doug Ordunio
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By:
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Robert Kurson
About this listen
Then, in 1999, a chance encounter brought startling news: a revolutionary stem-cell transplant surgery could restore May's vision. The procedure was filled with risks, some of them deadly, others beyond May's wildest dreams. There were countless reasons for May to pass on vision. He could think of only a single reason to go forward. Whatever his decision, he knew it would change his life.
Beautifully written and thrillingly told, Crashing Through is a journey of suspense, daring, romance, and insight into the mysteries of vision and the brain. Robert Kurson gives us a fascinating account of one man's choice to explore what it means to see - and to truly live.
©2007 Robert Kurson (P)2007 Books on TapeListeners also enjoyed...
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Story
In this poignant and uplifting memoir, Dancing with the Stars sensation Amy Purdy reveals the story of how losing her legs led her to find a spiritual path. When the Las Vegas native was just nineteen, she came down with bacterial meningitis and was given less than a two percent chance of survival. In a near-death experience, she saw three figures who told her: “You can come with us, or you can stay. No matter what happens in your life, it's all going to make sense in the end." In that moment, Amy chose to live.
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A Powerful Memoir of Truimph over Tragedy
- By ElizOF on 01-31-22
By: Amy Purdy, and others
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Not Fade Away
- A Memoir of Senses Lost and Found
- By: Rebecca Alexander, Sascha Alper
- Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
- Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Thirty-four-year-old Rebecca Alexander is a psychotherapist, a spin instructor, a volunteer, and an athlete. She is also almost completely blind, with significantly deteriorated hearing. Not Fade Away is a deeply moving exploration of the obstacles we all face-physical, psychological, and philosophical. Rebecca's story is an exquisite reminder to live each day to its fullest.
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Loved this!
- By Daryl on 11-24-14
By: Rebecca Alexander, and others
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The Silent History
- By: Eli Horowitz, Matthew Derby, Kevin Moffett
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman, LJ Ganser
- Length: 14 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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It begins as a statistical oddity: a spike in children born with acute speech delays. Physically normal in every way, these children never speak and do not respond to speech; they don't learn to read, don't learn to write. As the number of cases grows to an epidemic level, theories spread. Maybe it's related to a popular antidepressant; maybe it's environmental. Or maybe these children have special skills all their own.
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A Thought-Provoking Premise
- By Doug - Audible on 03-31-15
By: Eli Horowitz, and others
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My Year with Eleanor
- A Memoir
- By: Noelle Hancock
- Narrated by: Emily Beresford
- Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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After losing her high-octane job as an entertainment blogger, Noelle Hancock was lost. About to turn 29, she'd spent her career writing about celebrities' lives and had forgotten how to live her own. Unemployed and full of self-doubt, she had no idea what she wanted out of life. She feared change - in fact, she feared almost everything. Once confident and ambitious, she had become crippled by anxiety, lacking the courage required even to attend a dinner party - until inspiration struck one day in the form of a quote on a chalkboard in a coffee shop.
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Right on time!
- By Leah on 02-19-18
By: Noelle Hancock
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The Book of Help
- A Memoir in Remedies
- By: Megan Griswold
- Narrated by: Megan Griswold
- Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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A hilarious and heartbreaking memoir-in-remedies by a self-described "professional soul-searcher" that details a journey of self-discovery through more than 160 tonics, seminars, regimens, and transformative therapies. With a voice that is at once intimate and hilarious, Megan captures the openness and honesty necessary for people to take a new path in life. Listeners will open the audiobook with curiosity about all the different healing therapies that Megan tries, but leave with a new understanding of themselves.
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Mr. Toad's Wild Ride has some serious competition!
- By Elisa R. Goodman on 02-15-19
By: Megan Griswold
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Insomniac City
- New York, Oliver, and Me
- By: Bill Hayes
- Narrated by: Stephen Bel Davies
- Length: 6 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Bill Hayes came to New York City in 2009 with a one-way ticket and only the vaguest idea of how he would get by. But, at 48 years old, having spent decades in San Francisco, he craved change. Grieving over the death of his partner, he quickly discovered the profound consolations of the city's incessant rhythms, the sight of the Empire State Building against the night sky, and New Yorkers themselves, kindred souls that Hayes, a lifelong insomniac, encountered on late-night strolls with his camera.
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Touching and Intimate Portrait
- By Amazon Customer on 01-18-19
By: Bill Hayes
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The Priority List
- A Teacher's Final Quest to Discover Life's Greatest Lessons
- By: David Menasche
- Narrated by: David Menasche
- Length: 4 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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David Menasche lived for his work as a high school English teacher. His passion inspired his students, and between lessons on Shakespeare and sentence structure, he forged a unique bond with his kids, buoying them through personal struggles while sharing valuable life lessons.
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Truly Inspiring!!
- By Trish on 07-13-14
By: David Menasche
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I'll Be There
- By: Holly Goldberg Sloan
- Narrated by: Laura Jennings
- Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Emily Bell believes in destiny. To her, being forced to sing a solo in the church choir - despite her average voice - is fate: because it's while she's singing that she first sees Sam. At first sight they are connected. Sam Border wishes he could escape, but there's nowhere for him to run. He and his little brother, Riddle, have spent their entire lives constantly uprooted by their unstable father. As Sam and Riddle are welcomed into the Bells' lives, they witness the warmth and protection of a family for the first time.
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Needs to be a film!
- By TreasureHunter on 06-25-16
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Privileged Information
- Alan Gregory, Book 1
- By: Stephen White
- Narrated by: Dick Hill
- Length: 12 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Alan Gregory is a clinical psychologist with a thriving practice in Boulder, Colorado. His life begins to unravel when one of his female patients is found in an apparent suicide and the local paper begins printing accusations from an unnamed source of sexual impropriety between the woman and Dr. Gregory. He launches a psychological and personal quest for the truth that rapidly intensifies when more of his patients die untimely deaths, and Gregory suspects not only that the deaths are related but that another one of his patients may be somehow involved. Lacking facts but roused by suspicion and troubled by seemingly random acts of terror around him, Gregory starts to fear for the safety of the people he loves. The question of the inviolability of confidential disclosures made to Gregory by his patients - privileged information - becomes crucial as the psychologist pursues an unsettling romance with Lauren Crowder, a lovely deputy district attorney investigating one of the deaths. Bound to silence, Gregory follows the psychological tracks of someone he fears may be a cunning and disturbed killer, while turning to his enigmatic but supportive partner, Diane Estevez, for counsel, and to his tart-tongued female urologist neighbor for support. The sinister, surprising drama unfolds against Boulder's Rocky Mountain backdrop, in the arresting natural beauty of Aspen, and in the midst of a baroque Halloween costume party in downtown Boulder. Finally, in a lonely mountain lodge enshrouded in menace, the story comes to its breathtaking climax.
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Four and a half stars, actually....
- By karen on 10-11-13
By: Stephen White
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I'll Push You
- A Journey of 500 Miles, Two Best Friends, and One Wheelchair
- By: Patrick Gray, Justin Skeesuck
- Narrated by: Patrick Gray, Justin Skeesuck
- Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Meet Justin and Patrick. Born in the same hospital two days apart, they grew up together, faced life shoulder to shoulder, and were best man in each other's weddings. It was the way things had always been. It was the way things were always going to be. But then the unexpected struck - Justin was diagnosed with a progressive neuromuscular disease that robbed him of the use of his arms and legs. As Justin transitioned to life lived in a wheelchair, Patrick stayed by his side, and together they refused to give in to despair or physical limitations.
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Mixed Feelings!
- By Sharpie on 02-13-20
By: Patrick Gray, and others
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Expecting Adam
- A True Story of Birth, Rebirth, and Everyday Magic
- By: Martha Beck
- Narrated by: Joyce Bean
- Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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From the moment Martha and her husband, John, conceived their second child, all hell broke loose. They were a couple obsessed with success. After years of matching IQs and test scores with less driven peers, they had two Harvard degrees apiece and were gunning for more. But the dream had begun to disintegrate. Then, when their unborn son, Adam, was diagnosed with Down syndrome, doctors, advisers, and friends in the Harvard community warned them not to keep the baby.
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True Life Fairy Tale
- By Desarae on 11-27-13
By: Martha Beck
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If It's Not One Thing, It's Your Mother
- By: Julia Sweeney
- Narrated by: Julia Sweeney
- Length: 6 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Since her time on Saturday Night Live, where she created the infamous androgynous character "Pat", Julia Sweeney has gone on to establish herself as a witty, captivating performer of one-woman shows, like God Said Ha!, In the Family Way, and Letting Go of God. She gave a TED talk sharing how she explained the birds and the bees to her eight-year-old daughter, Mulan, which ignited an incredible response. Now, when it comes to talking about motherhood, people want to hear what Julia has to say.
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I Love Julia Sweeney
- By Lisa on 04-05-13
By: Julia Sweeney
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Chicken Soup for the Soul: Think Positive
- 101 Inspirational Stories about Counting Your Blessings and Having a Positive Attitude
- By: Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Amy Newmark, and others
- Narrated by: Tanya Eby, Jim Bond
- Length: 10 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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101 True Stories about how Positive Thinking can change your life! Everyone needs a little attitude adjustment once in a while, and these amazing true life stories reveal how real people used positive thinking to improve their lives and overcome challenges. You’ll read stories about how you can make every day a special day, incorporate gratitude and joy into your daily life, count your blessings and change your outlook, use a few well-chosen words to reorient your life, manage cancer and other health challenges through a positive attitude, simplify and have a more meaningful life and more!
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Good overall.
- By Sergey Makeev on 02-21-24
By: Jack Canfield, and others
What listeners say about Crashing Through
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- adam
- 10-15-15
Great Story... Sooooo long.
The story is amazing. The narration is on point. Overall I really enjoyed listening to this audio book. My only negative to point out would be some slow points where the author felt the need to re-emphasize points he had already made. Perhaps in an attempt to make the story more dramatic. I felt it was often just wasted time and would almost make me lose interest. However I would push through these points only to be left feeling happy I did because the next turn in the adventure of Mike May always seemed awesome.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Kathy in CA
- 12-12-15
Amazing and Unforgettable--Must Read Non-fiction!
If I had nothing going on in my life, I would have listened to this true account in one sitting. I don't think I have ever said that about a book before.
This is the true story of Mike May, a forty-something married man who lost his sight in a chemical explosion at the age of 3 and who subsequently regained sight as an adult. This is not a common occurrence--possibly 20 other people have ever been documented with similar circumstances. Many of those who were documented shared similar occurrences of depression and even suicide. Nothing is ever as simple as it seems.
There was nothing whatsoever about Mike, pre-sight, to make anyone feel sorry for his handicap. You see, Mike did not think of it as a handicap and was raised to not let blindness stop him from living life to the fullest--thus the title of this book. As a child (and adult), Mike was determined to do whatever sighted people do and so, he frequently charged onward, crashing through whatever was in his way.
So, you can imagine that the decision to accept all the serious and possibly life-threatening consequences of this attempt to acquire sight was not an easy choice for Mike. Due to the rarity of this set of circumstances--acquiring sight late in life--neither Mike nor the doctors had any idea what a successful outcome would look like.
I came to have the greatest admiration for Mike May. He was a superior human being without sight. He was even more amazing during the process of attempting new sight.
In addition to the story, the author interviews Mike at the end of the book.
If I have stimulated your interest at all, this is a no-brainer. Get this book now!
(Disclaimer: I had no idea upon purchasing this book that Mike lived in my town, nor have I ever met him.)
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8 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 08-20-15
a different kind of adventure
I was skeptical but thoroughly enjoyed it. the man in the story became one. it was very well done.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Jean
- 11-02-15
A honest look at the pros and cons of blindness
Would you consider the audio edition of Crashing Through to be better than the print version?
There are a few parts where I wanted to look back at and it's hard to do with audio.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Crashing Through?
When he realizes that his brain has to learn what he's looking at. Tactile exploration was the connection to his new world.
Which scene was your favorite?
When his sons treated him the same whether he could see or not.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
yes but really intense and needed a break to think about what had happened
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Overall
- Terri Jones
- 05-31-07
Astounding!
If you think you have even an "idea" of what it would mean for a blind person to regain sight, this book will "open your eyes". I couldn't stop listening... Kurson does an incredible job of blending the emotional, the technical, and the theoretical aspects of Mike May's story.
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8 people found this helpful
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- P. Okie
- 06-12-18
Incredibly Inspiring
Loved the book from start to finish, and the optimism of the subject. The author did a great job with the details.
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1 person found this helpful
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- J Good
- 02-13-16
insightful..no pun intended
I didn't pay close attention to what audio book I had downloaded. this story grabbed me from the very beginning. Going on a journey with a person that lost his sight and now has to choose whether he'll take the risks to get it back...with no guarentees...was such a personal story. what a courageous person surrounded by people that loved and respected him with or without sight.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Ann
- 02-04-08
Inspirational
Mike May's courage to live life to the fullest is an inspiration to everyone, especially those of us who are visually handicapped.
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- Vickia
- 11-15-15
A must read for those who are visually impaired and those who wish to know what it is like
This is the best book I have read in many years. I am legally blind and lost my ability to read only a few years ago, so I am relatively new to the audiobook experience. Is Michael may states in the epilogue, the first important aspect of an audiobook is its content. I believe this book is the best source of information on the subject of blindness and low vision.The insights and perspectives of what it is like to be blind and what it is like to have vision are impeccably described. For the blind or low vision reader, there is so much here to relate with. For those who are fully cited, this book offers the best description I ever have read of what it is like to be visually impaired. The story is exciting, emotional, and inspiring. The narration is the best I have experienced. As one who continually is losing vision, Michael Mays words of encouragement to continue being curious, and his story and example, are the most unique and powerful words of encouragement I have heard. I am extremely grateful to Michael May, author Robert Cursin, and this gifted narrator. This review has been dictated, so please excuse any miss spellings or other errors.
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- CBlox
- 12-28-11
Ambitious
After Shadow Divers Robert Kurson delivers again!
A story of one man who although blind has accomplished more than most of us do in a lifetime. Inspiring
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