Friday, June 26, 2015

Book Review: Mobility Matters: Stepping Out in Faith by Amy Bovaird

Mobility Matters: Stepping Out in Faith
By Amy Bovaird
Publisher: Amy Bovaird
Published: Oct. 3, 2014
ASIN: B00O5P9MGY

Amazon Synopsis:

 Adventurous international teacher, Amy Bovaird, is diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa, a hereditary eye disease that will blind her. In spite of that, she manages to continue teaching overseas. Then her father’s final illness brings her back home for good. There, friends and acquaintances begin to notice that she doesn’t always recognize them and sometimes stumbles…as if drunk! Insensitive students ridicule her in the classroom. Unwilling to accept that she is truly losing her eyesight, Amy resists when the Bureau of Blindness schedules a mobility specialist to begin training her to use a white cane.  How can she, an independent world traveler, use something that screams 'I am a blind person'?  Will her faith prove strong enough to allow her to move forward and accept herself as she is

Available for $0.99 from June 27 - June 30 on Amazon

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 My Thoughts:

Amy’s memoirs of a time during her life as her vision worsens and she needs to come to grips with the necessity to admit her blindness and the requirement of the use of a white cane for her safety lead to a deepening of her faith.

At first unable to accept that her vision is severely limited, she refuses to tell anyone and prefers instead to trip and stumble in front of her students, sometimes even walking into walls. Amy felt such a terrible stigma associated to the word “blind”.

As a mobility specialist myself, I found this book of great interest to me for its subject matter. I was quite amazed that Amy could get around on her own with her genetic condition, particularly at night, since individuals with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) tend to lose their night vision and are using a cane at night much sooner than Amy was using any assistive device (even a bright light).

Another thing that intrigued me was that her mobility specialist was blind also. I was unaware that there were mobility specialists who are blind. As Amy stated, there are very few that are blind. Perhaps the difference is that I live in Canada and Amy lives in the USA.

Amy was inspiring in that she never got angry at God for her condition. She could have, but she didn’t. Instead she maintained her positive attitude, her faith and her sense of humour. If only we all could do that in times of crisis!

I was encouraged by the confidence and the change in attitude that overcame Amy as she completed her mobility training. She no longer looked at the word “blind” as having a negative meaning, but just accepted as part of who she is. I think her title says it all “Mobility Matters: Stepping Out in Faith” that God will lead her whether she can see or not.

I enjoyed reading this inspiring memoir. I rated it 4 stars out of 5.


Thank you to the author who provided a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. A positive opinion was not required. All thoughts are my own.

About the Author:

Although Amy suffers from a dual disability—progressive vision and hearing loss—she continues to enjoy running, hiking and traveling. Amy blogs about the challenges she faces and the lessons God reveals to her through her difficulties. You can read about her experiences at www.amybovaird.com.

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