
Eyes to the Wind
A Memoir of Love and Death, Hope and Resistance
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $19.49
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Bradley Whitford
-
Ady Barkan - acknowledgments
About this listen
In this inspirational and moving memoir - reminiscent of When Breath Becomes Air and The Bright Hour - activist Ady Barkan explores his life with ALS and how his diagnosis gave him a profound new understanding of his commitment to social justice for all.
Ady Barkan loved taking afternoon runs on the California coast and holding his newborn son, Carl. But one day, he noticed a troubling weakness in his hand. At first, he brushed it off as carpal tunnel syndrome, but after a week of neurological exams and two MRIs, he learned the cause of the problem: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease. At age 32, Ady was given just three to four years to live. Yet despite the devastating diagnosis, he refused to let his remaining days go to waste.
Eyes to the Wind is a rousing memoir featuring intertwining storylines about determination, perseverance, and how to live a life filled with purpose and intention. The first traces Ady’s battle with ALS: how he turned the initial shock and panic from his diagnosis into a renewed commitment to social justice - not despite his disability but because of it. The second, told in flashbacks, illustrates Ady’s journey from a goofy political nerd to a prominent figure in the enduring fight for equity and justice who is "willing to give [his] last breath to save our democracy" (CNN).
From one of today’s most vocal advocates for social justice, Eyes to the Wind is an evocative and unforgettable memoir about activism, dedication, love, and hope.
Includes an excerpt from the song "Eyes to the Wind" by The War on Drugs!
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2019 Ady Barkan (P)2019 Simon & SchusterListeners also enjoyed...
-
American Daughter
- A Memoir
- By: Stephanie Thornton Plymale, Elissa Wald
- Narrated by: Mozhan Marno
- Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The sharp and surprising true story of a woman who finally sets out to understand her past, and the mother she had one day hoped to forget. Full of unexpected twists and unbelievable revelations, American Daughter is an immersive memoir that will have you on the edge of your seat to the very last minute.
-
-
Amazing memoir
- By talltower4 on 09-02-21
By: Stephanie Thornton Plymale, and others
-
The Buddhist on Death Row
- How One Man Found Light in the Darkest Place
- By: David Sheff
- Narrated by: Michael Boatman
- Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At the time of his murder trial, Jarvis Jay Masters was in solitary confinement and spent 22 years in a five-foot-by-11-foot cell. This is where The Buddhist on Death Row takes off. With uncanny clarity, David Sheff describes Masters’ path to enlightenment - from being sullen and violent to discovering how easy and how hard it is to just sit and breathe, how those minutes spawn heightened perception and deepened compassion, the right way to remember one’s pain, and much more.
-
-
Really opened my eyes
- By MgnSanchez on 08-09-20
By: David Sheff
-
Little and Often
- A Memoir
- By: Trent Preszler
- Narrated by: Matt Bomer
- Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Trent Preszler thought he was living the life he always wanted, with a job at a winery and a seaside Long Island home, when he was called back to the life he left behind. After years of estrangement, his cancer-stricken father had invited him to South Dakota for Thanksgiving. It would be the last time he saw his father alive. Preszler’s only inheritance was a beat-up wooden toolbox that had belonged to his father, who was a cattle rancher, rodeo champion, and Vietnam War Bronze Star Medal recipient. This family heirloom befuddled Preszler.
-
-
So good
- By Trevor Stanco on 04-28-21
By: Trent Preszler
-
Nala's World
- One Man, His Rescue Cat, and a Bike Ride around the Globe
- By: Dean Nicholson, Garry Jenkins
- Narrated by: Angus King
- Length: 8 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Discover the heartwarming true story of a life-changing friendship between a man and his rescue cat, Nala, as they adventure together on a bike journey around the world - from the Instagram phenomenon @1bike1world. When 30-year-old Dean Nicholson set off from Scotland to cycle around the world, his aim was to learn as much as he could about our troubled planet. But he hadn't bargained on the lessons he'd learn from his unlikely companion.
-
-
The Story the World Needed!
- By Kristin V. Johnson on 12-14-20
By: Dean Nicholson, and others
-
Baggage
- Tales from a Fully Packed Life
- By: Alan Cumming
- Narrated by: Alan Cumming
- Length: 8 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There is absolutely no logical reason why I am here. The life trajectory my nationality and class and circumstances portended for me was not even remotely close to the one I now navigate. But logic is a science and living is an art. The release I felt in writing my first memoir, Not My Father’s Son, was matched only by how my speaking out empowered so many to engage with their own trauma. I was reminded of the power of my words and the absolute duty of authenticity.
-
-
Entertaining but a little Helter-Skelter
- By Deborah N on 11-16-21
By: Alan Cumming
-
For Small Creatures Such as We
- Rituals for Finding Meaning in Our Unlikely World
- By: Sasha Sagan
- Narrated by: Sasha Sagan
- Length: 6 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Part memoir, part guidebook, and part social history, For Small Creatures Such as We is the first book from the daughter of Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan - a luminous exploration of Earth's marvels that require no faith in order to be believed. As Sagan shares these rituals, For Small Creatures Such as We becomes a moving tribute to a father, a newborn daughter, a marriage, and the natural world - a celebration of life itself, and the power of our families and beliefs to bring us together.
-
-
A Candle in the Dark
- By Imran on 11-12-19
By: Sasha Sagan
-
American Daughter
- A Memoir
- By: Stephanie Thornton Plymale, Elissa Wald
- Narrated by: Mozhan Marno
- Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The sharp and surprising true story of a woman who finally sets out to understand her past, and the mother she had one day hoped to forget. Full of unexpected twists and unbelievable revelations, American Daughter is an immersive memoir that will have you on the edge of your seat to the very last minute.
-
-
Amazing memoir
- By talltower4 on 09-02-21
By: Stephanie Thornton Plymale, and others
-
The Buddhist on Death Row
- How One Man Found Light in the Darkest Place
- By: David Sheff
- Narrated by: Michael Boatman
- Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At the time of his murder trial, Jarvis Jay Masters was in solitary confinement and spent 22 years in a five-foot-by-11-foot cell. This is where The Buddhist on Death Row takes off. With uncanny clarity, David Sheff describes Masters’ path to enlightenment - from being sullen and violent to discovering how easy and how hard it is to just sit and breathe, how those minutes spawn heightened perception and deepened compassion, the right way to remember one’s pain, and much more.
-
-
Really opened my eyes
- By MgnSanchez on 08-09-20
By: David Sheff
-
Little and Often
- A Memoir
- By: Trent Preszler
- Narrated by: Matt Bomer
- Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Trent Preszler thought he was living the life he always wanted, with a job at a winery and a seaside Long Island home, when he was called back to the life he left behind. After years of estrangement, his cancer-stricken father had invited him to South Dakota for Thanksgiving. It would be the last time he saw his father alive. Preszler’s only inheritance was a beat-up wooden toolbox that had belonged to his father, who was a cattle rancher, rodeo champion, and Vietnam War Bronze Star Medal recipient. This family heirloom befuddled Preszler.
-
-
So good
- By Trevor Stanco on 04-28-21
By: Trent Preszler
-
Nala's World
- One Man, His Rescue Cat, and a Bike Ride around the Globe
- By: Dean Nicholson, Garry Jenkins
- Narrated by: Angus King
- Length: 8 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Discover the heartwarming true story of a life-changing friendship between a man and his rescue cat, Nala, as they adventure together on a bike journey around the world - from the Instagram phenomenon @1bike1world. When 30-year-old Dean Nicholson set off from Scotland to cycle around the world, his aim was to learn as much as he could about our troubled planet. But he hadn't bargained on the lessons he'd learn from his unlikely companion.
-
-
The Story the World Needed!
- By Kristin V. Johnson on 12-14-20
By: Dean Nicholson, and others
-
Baggage
- Tales from a Fully Packed Life
- By: Alan Cumming
- Narrated by: Alan Cumming
- Length: 8 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There is absolutely no logical reason why I am here. The life trajectory my nationality and class and circumstances portended for me was not even remotely close to the one I now navigate. But logic is a science and living is an art. The release I felt in writing my first memoir, Not My Father’s Son, was matched only by how my speaking out empowered so many to engage with their own trauma. I was reminded of the power of my words and the absolute duty of authenticity.
-
-
Entertaining but a little Helter-Skelter
- By Deborah N on 11-16-21
By: Alan Cumming
-
For Small Creatures Such as We
- Rituals for Finding Meaning in Our Unlikely World
- By: Sasha Sagan
- Narrated by: Sasha Sagan
- Length: 6 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Part memoir, part guidebook, and part social history, For Small Creatures Such as We is the first book from the daughter of Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan - a luminous exploration of Earth's marvels that require no faith in order to be believed. As Sagan shares these rituals, For Small Creatures Such as We becomes a moving tribute to a father, a newborn daughter, a marriage, and the natural world - a celebration of life itself, and the power of our families and beliefs to bring us together.
-
-
A Candle in the Dark
- By Imran on 11-12-19
By: Sasha Sagan
-
A Promised Land
- By: Barack Obama
- Narrated by: Barack Obama
- Length: 29 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the stirring, highly anticipated first volume of his presidential memoirs, Barack Obama tells the story of his improbable odyssey from young man searching for his identity to leader of the free world, describing in strikingly personal detail both his political education and the landmark moments of the first term of his historic presidency - a time of dramatic transformation and turmoil.
-
-
Color me grateful.
- By Angela on 11-19-20
By: Barack Obama
-
The Eight Paradoxes of Great Leadership
- Embracing the Conflicting Demands of Today's Workplace
- By: Tim Elmore
- Narrated by: Tim Elmore
- Length: 7 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Eight Paradoxes of Great Leadership unpacks the fresh strategies and new mindset required today from a next-generation leader. Author Dr. Tim Elmore helps leaders of all kinds navigate increasingly complex, rapidly changing environments, as well as manage teams who bring a range of new demands and expectations to the workplace that haven’t been seen even one generation prior.
-
-
Same Leadership Book Formula, Content and advice
- By Patrick Bogart on 11-29-21
By: Tim Elmore
-
Nothing Is Missing
- A Memoir of Living Boldly
- By: Nicole Walters
- Narrated by: Nicole Walters
- Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nothing Is Missing is a “sparkling and impassioned story” (Glamour) of what it takes to show up for yourself—and the joy that can come once you do. Raised in a home where food was unstable and anger was the norm, Nicole learned that she needed to take charge of her own safety and security. So she did: She got into an elite private school by talking to a stranger in her dad’s cab, she strategized her way onto Wheel of Fortune to pay for college, she adopted three girls after meeting their mother panhandling, she quit her job to launch her own business, and she struggled.
-
-
Loved it
- By Nikki Lewis on 10-28-23
By: Nicole Walters
-
The Last Green Valley
- A Novel
- By: Mark Sullivan
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 16 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In late March 1944, as Stalin’s forces push into Ukraine, young Emil and Adeline Martel must make a terrible decision: Do they wait for the Soviet bear’s intrusion and risk being sent to Siberia? Or do they reluctantly follow the wolves - murderous Nazi officers who have pledged to protect “pure-blood” Germans? The Martels are one of many families of German heritage whose ancestors have farmed in Ukraine for more than a century.
-
-
Too Religious
- By Laurie N. on 06-02-21
By: Mark Sullivan
-
No Name in the Street
- By: James Baldwin
- Narrated by: Kevin Kenerly
- Length: 5 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This stunningly personal document and extraordinary history of the turbulent '60s and early '70s displays James Baldwin's fury and despair more deeply than any of his other works. In vivid detail he remembers the Harlem childhood that shaped his early consciousness, the later events that scored his heart with pain - the murders of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, his sojourns in Europe and in Hollywood, and his return to the American South to confront a violent America face-to-face.
-
-
A strange and terrible vehicle
- By Darwin8u on 02-07-20
By: James Baldwin
-
Unthinkable
- Trauma, Truth, and the Trials of American Democracy
- By: Jamie Raskin
- Narrated by: Jamie Raskin
- Length: 15 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this searing memoir, Congressman Jamie Raskin tells the story of the forty-five days at the start of 2021 that permanently changed his life—and his family’s—as he confronted the painful loss of his son to suicide, lived through the violent insurrection in our nation’s Capitol, and led the impeachment effort to hold President Trump accountable for inciting the political violence.
-
-
Must reading/listening for every American who has despaired of losing our democracy.
- By Shirley Anderson on 01-06-22
By: Jamie Raskin
-
Speak
- Find Your Voice, Trust Your Gut, and Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be
- By: Tunde Oyeneyin
- Narrated by: Tunde Oyeneyin
- Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On any given day, thousands of devoted people clip into their bikes and have their lives changed by Tunde Oyeneyin. From her platform in a Peloton studio, she encourages riders with her trademark blend of positivity, empathy, and motivational “Tunde-isms,” to push themselves to their limits both on and off the bike. Now, fans and readers everywhere can learn about her personal journey, and discover how they too can “live a life of purpose, on purpose” with Speak, a memoir-manifesto-guide to life inspired by her immensely popular Instagram Live series of the same name.
-
-
Your story is your story
- By sydney Webster on 07-04-22
By: Tunde Oyeneyin
-
The Women with Silver Wings
- The Inspiring True Story of the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II
- By: Katherine Sharp Landdeck
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
- Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, Cornelia Fort was already in the air. At 22, Fort had escaped Nashville’s debutante scene for a fresh start as a flight instructor in Hawaii. She and her student were in the middle of a lesson when the bombs began to fall, and they barely made it back to ground. Still, when the US Army Air Forces put out a call for women pilots to aid the war effort, Fort was one of the first to respond. She became one of just over 1,100 women from across the nation to make it through the Army’s rigorous selection process and earn her silver wings.
-
-
To Remember
- By erica skipton on 05-11-20
-
For Such a Time as This
- My Faith Journey Through the White House and Beyond
- By: Kayleigh McEnany
- Narrated by: Kayleigh McEnany
- Length: 6 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
If you would have told me that in the year 2020 I would stand at the White House podium and communicate with the American people as COVID-19 ravaged the globe and violent protests beset the nation, I would have told you that you were crazy. But Jesus Christ had this very plan for my life.
-
-
Everyone should read this book
- By Amazon Customer on 12-10-21
By: Kayleigh McEnany
-
Everything in Its Place
- First Loves and Last Tales
- By: Oliver Sacks
- Narrated by: Dan Woren
- Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the best-selling author of Gratitude and On the Move, a final volume of essays that showcase Sacks's broad range of interests - from his passion for ferns, swimming, and horsetails, to his final case histories exploring schizophrenia, dementia, and Alzheimer's.
-
-
Missing Sacks
- By Brandy on 12-02-19
By: Oliver Sacks
-
Funny Farm
- My Unexpected Life with 600 Rescue Animals
- By: Laurie Zaleski
- Narrated by: Erin Moon
- Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Laurie Zaleski never aspired to run an animal rescue; that was her mother Annie’s dream. But from girlhood, Laurie was determined to make the dream come true. Thirty years later as a successful businesswoman, she did it, buying a 15-acre farm deep in the Pinelands of South Jersey. She was planning to relocate Annie and her caravan of ragtag rescues - horses and goats, dogs and cats, chickens and pigs - when Annie died, just two weeks before moving day. In her heartbreak, Laurie resolved to make her mother’s dream her own.
-
-
Heartwarming
- By Petfan on 04-13-22
By: Laurie Zaleski
-
No Time Like the Future
- An Optimist Considers Mortality
- By: Michael J. Fox
- Narrated by: Michael J. Fox
- Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The entire world knows Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly, the teenage sidekick of Doc Brown in Back to the Future; as Alex P. Keaton in Family Ties; as Mike Flaherty in Spin City; and through numerous other movie roles and guest appearances on shows such as The Good Wife and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Diagnosed at age 29, Michael is equally engaged in Parkinson’s advocacy work, raising global awareness of the disease and helping find a cure through The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, the world's leading nonprofit funder of PD science.
-
-
Thankful
- By Michelle J Swanson on 11-18-20
By: Michael J. Fox
What listeners say about Eyes to the Wind
Highly rated for:
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Monique Fasquelle
- 11-02-21
Inspirational and beautiful Memoir
Being a RN in California and part of NNU has kept me active in the Medicare for All struggle for many years. Ady is the most inspirational warrior in this fight and I’m grateful he has shared his personal life story with the world to motivate us to continue fighting for a Single Payer Universal health system in America!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kris
- 10-19-19
Inspiring!
This is well narrated by Bradley Whitford. I absolutely recommend this. I’ve listened the past 2 days on a solo road trip. I have teared up a few times, but it’s mostly inspiring. It’s reinforced a lot of what I’ve recently been grappling with regarding civic action and political resistance as well as humanity in general.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- FW TSD à Paris
- 09-18-19
Stop whatever you are doing and read this now
A heartfelt and humbling reminder that if you are unhappy with the current US administration and its absurdities, you must do everything in your power to work to save our democracy. If you don’t have kids, do it for Ady’s son, Carl. Thank you, Ady, for your amazing work — pre & post-ALS.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- William Sullivan
- 09-21-19
Incredible
Eyes to the Wind is an incredible story that will leave you inspired, laughing, and crying. I’m so grateful to Ady for taking his precious time and attention to write this book.
The narration by Whitford is moving and powerful. Five stars to both the story and the narration.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Christine Craig
- 10-27-19
Everyone should read/listen to this book
Ady’s story is both sad and joyous. The diagnosis of ALS focuses his fight for equality in ways one wonders would happen without it. A brilliant mind in a deteriorating body, Ady turns his advocacy for justice issues into a specific fight for healthcare. His story is empowering in the face of tragedy and I found myself crying at the unfairness yet inspired by his continued fight for his fellow humans.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- M. Smothers
- 09-14-19
Inspirational!
Ady-Your memoir was touching, candid and inspirational! Thank you for sharing your passion for human rights and democracy and for sharing the tribulations you face with ALS. You have touched me forever.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- William
- 01-04-22
Father's beware
This is a story about a father's personal actionamd conviction, in the face of a gut-wrenchingly early disease, while he aims to leave a legacy for his newborn son.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Sarah Gregory
- 09-18-19
Best Book of the Year!
Ady encouraged me to keep up my personal resistance and the national resistance! Keep fighting, Comrade.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- aquapt
- 10-16-19
Narration could have been better
I really like Bradley Whitford as an actor, and was excited to listen to his reading of Ady's memoir. My disappointment surprised me. I've heard Ady on video, pre-ALS, and what has always been striking about him is his relentless energy. Whitford doesn't convey that; rather, he sounds fatigued. Bradley Whitford shines as an actor when he performs fast-paced dialogue like Aaron Sorkin's West Wing banter; but it seems as if the back-and-forth with his scene partners is what energizes him. When reading on his own, he sounds as if getting through the sentences exhausts him. Given the subject matter, this raises the level of pathos to a degree that, IMHO, detracts from the drive and passion of Ady's message. I understand why Ady and his publisher couldn't pass up a celebrity narrator who is also a personal friend, but I feel as if a voice actor with more strength in this genre could have given the reading a lot more energy.
That said, I'm very glad to have read the book - it strikes a great balance between recounting Ady's personal story, and delivering a real education in progressive organizing and activism. I just think that I might have gotten a truer sense of Ady's tone and energy by reading the Kindle book rather than listening to the Audible edition. Of course, Ady himself is the one to judge whether Whitford captures his intent - perhaps he feels the performance is perfect. I just felt like it came off a bit more listless than Ady's driven activism deserves.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Leigh
- 12-12-19
Inspirational, sad, ultimately uplifting
A compelling story about facing life's biggest challenges with courage, integrity, grace, and even humor. Ady's passion for life and for democracy shine through.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!