Whale Eyes: A Memoir About Seeing and Being Seen

Filmmaker Robinson crafts an accessible and immersive account of growing up with strabismus, a condition of eye misalignment that causes difficulties with tracking objects, depth perception, and reading. Intermittent abstract artwork by Rea (Fixing Flamingos) depicts sight tests for readers to engage with throughout and help to illustrate how the subject navigated the world: how strabismus affected his performance in school, how he related to others, and how others perceived him. Using frank language, Robinson details the ableism he encountered from those he addresses as “starers”; he also recounts the loving efforts his mother took to ensure that he could engage with the world in meaningful ways, which influenced his path toward filmmaking. The debut author additionally describes the process of making a documentary, also titled Whale Eyes, about his youth, and how the film connected him to other people with visual impairments. Hoping to use his story to “entice the world into caring” about his experiences—and those of people like him—Robinson presents a sincere reflection on childhood experiences of growing up in a world not built with him in mind. Ages 10–up. (Mar.)