Nerdette Book Club: Andrew Leland on ‘The Country of the Blind’
Happy To Be Here
Greta Johnsen
4.6 • 924 Ratings
🗓️ 1 August 2023
⏱️ 28 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Nerdette Book Club’s August selection is Andrew Leland’s memoir The Country of the Blind. Andrew is gradually losing his sight due to a rare degenerative eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa, which he was diagnosed with as a teen.
In this vulnerable, funny conversation, host Greta Johnsen shares her own experience with a degenerative eye disease. The two dig into how blind people have advocated for themselves throughout American history, the intersectionality of blindness, and the importance of getting lost.
We’ll be back with two guest readers on the last Tuesday of the month for an in-depth discussion of the book. You’re invited to read along with us and join the conversation! Record a voice memo on your smartphone and email the file to NerdettePodcast@gmail.com to contribute to the discussion. We can’t wait to hear what you think!
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | I'm Natalie Moore. I fell in love with soap operas when I was just five years old, and I still |
| 0:06.1 | watch them. Their television's longest scripted series and have zero reruns. Now let me tell you, |
| 0:12.7 | soap operas aren't just some silly art form. They are significant. In this season of making, |
| 0:18.0 | Stories Without End from WB EZ Chicago. |
| 0:25.7 | Join me as I share how the genre began, their social impact, and why these stories endure. |
| 0:28.3 | Listen wherever you get your podcast. |
| 0:39.5 | From WBEZ Chicago, I'm Greta Johnson, and this is the Nerdat Book Club. |
| 0:43.4 | It's just like a regular book club, except sometimes the author stops by. |
| 0:48.5 | Our August selection is Andrew Leland's memoir, The Country of the Blind. |
| 0:52.2 | It's about how he navigates his degenerative eye disease, |
| 0:54.6 | how blind people have advocated for themselves throughout American history and the intersectionality of blindness. |
| 0:58.7 | It explores a number of really evocative ideas around gaze and imagination and the importance |
| 1:04.3 | of getting lost. |
| 1:05.3 | It also happens to be very funny. |
| 1:07.7 | Andrew, welcome to Nerdette. |
| 1:09.5 | Thank you. |
| 1:10.5 | Thank you so much for having me and for including this book in the book club. |
| 1:12.8 | I'm super excited to see that. |
| 1:14.2 | I'm very happy to have you. |
| 1:15.3 | Thanks for coming on. |
| 1:16.6 | So you have retinitis pigmentosa, also known as RP. |
| 1:20.8 | For people who aren't familiar with it, can you explain what it is? |
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