In Things Are Different Here, readers will get a rare glimpse of the world of blindness. Entering the lives of blind characters as told by a blind storywriter is an intriguing experience, indeed. All of Rod Michalko's stories take place in blindness and, things are different here. Michalko tells of how blind people move through the world encountering sighted people resulting in tragic, daring, and humorous consequences. The characters in Michalko's stories invite us to 'come along for the ride' - a ride that will take us through the intrigue and mystery of creating a life in blindness. The university, restaurants and bars, on the street, even in martial arts - it is in these places that you will encounter blindness. These are stories of uncanny dimensions. There is Eli, a young man, who is compelled to engage the completeness of his total blindness as it slowly seeps into his entire being; Eli, ironically, goes blind ... again. The title story Things Are Different Here presents the mystery that Bradley faces in the "blinding light" as he moves, blind, in city streets. In these stories and in the rest of collection, Michalko leads us in to an unexpected image of blindness and things are different here. About the Author: Rod Michalko is a blind disability studies theorist and has recently retired from teaching at the University of Toronto. His books and essays are known internationally. Rod has now moved into the realm of short story writing and Things are Different Here is his first collection. He lives in Toronto. |
