"From New York Times columnist and bestselling author Frank Bruni comes a wise and moving memoir about aging, affliction, and optimism after partially losing his eyesight. One morning in late 2017, New York Times columnist Frank Bruni woke up with strangely blurred vision. He wondered at first if some goo or gunk had worked its way into his right eye. But this was no fleeting annoyance, no fixable inconvenience. Overnight, a rare stroke had cut off blood to one of his optic nerves, rendering him functionally blind in that eye--forever. And he soon learned from doctors that the same disorder could ravage his left eye, too. He could lose his sight altogether. In The Beauty of Dusk, Bruni hauntingly recounts his adjustment to this daunting reality, a medical and spiritual odyssey that involved not only reappraising his own priorities but also reaching out to, and gathering wisdom from, longtime friends and new acquaintances who had navigated their own traumas and afflictions. The result is a poignant, probing, and ultimately uplifting examination of the limits that all of us inevitably encounter, the lenses through which we choose to evaluate them and the tools we have for perseverance. Bruni's world blurred in one sense, as he experienced his first real inklings that the day isn't forever and that light inexorably fades, but sharpened in another. Confronting unexpected hardship, he felt more blessed than ever before. There was vision lost. There was also vision found"-- - (Baker & Taylor)

A New York Times columnist, after a rare stroke renders him blind in his right eye, learns he could lose his sight altogether and recounts his adjustment to this daunting reality—a medical and spiritual journey on which he reappraised his own priorities. 125,000 first printing. - (Baker & Taylor)

From New York Times columnist and bestselling author Frank Bruni comes a wise and moving memoir about aging, affliction, and optimism after partially losing his eyesight.

One morning in late 2017, New York Times columnist Frank Bruni woke up with strangely blurred vision. He wondered at first if some goo or gunk had worked its way into his right eye. But this was no fleeting annoyance, no fixable inconvenience. Overnight, a rare stroke had cut off blood to one of his optic nerves, rendering him functionally blind in that eye—forever. And he soon learned from doctors that the same disorder could ravage his left eye, too. He could lose his sight altogether.

In The Beauty of Dusk, Bruni hauntingly recounts his adjustment to this daunting reality, a medical and spiritual odyssey that involved not only reappraising his own priorities but also reaching out to, and gathering wisdom from, longtime friends and new acquaintances who had navigated their own traumas and afflictions.

The result is a poignant, probing, and ultimately uplifting examination of the limits that all of us inevitably encounter, the lenses through which we choose to evaluate them and the tools we have for perseverance. Bruni’s world blurred in one sense, as he experienced his first real inklings that the day isn’t forever and that light inexorably fades, but sharpened in another. Confronting unexpected hardship, he felt more blessed than ever before. There was vision lost. There was also vision found. - (Simon and Schuster)

Frank Bruni has been a prominent journalist for more than three decades, including more than twenty-five years at The New York Times, in roles as diverse as op-ed columnist, White House correspondent, Rome bureau chief, and chief restaurant critic. He is the author of four New York Times bestsellers. In July 2021, he became a full professor at Duke University, teaching in the school of public policy. He currently writes his popular weekly newsletter for the Times and produces additional essays as one of the newspaper’s Contributing Opinion Writers. Contact him on X: @FrankBruni; Facebook: @FrankBruniNYT; Instagram/Threads: @frankabruni64 or his website Frank.Bruni.com. - (Simon and Schuster)

Booklist Reviews

*Starred Review* When New York Times columnist Bruni awakes one morning with the vision in one of his eyes blurred, his entire world is turned upside down. Bruni, a man who relies on his sight as a reader and writer, learns that a stroke has damaged his optic nerve and that his other eye may also be in danger. It's a point in his life when he has to make the decision to wallow in fear or explore his options, and, thankfully, Bruni throws himself into an investigation. A friend's comment, "When one eye closes, another opens," sums up Bruni's journey. As he visits specialists and enlists in experimental programs, he also tracks down and interviews people who have refused to let their physical limitations limit their dreams. Bruni is inspired by the optimism of a college friend with Parkinson's disease. He talks with a blind comedian with a successful stand-up routine, a blind politician who is becoming a priest, and a blind swimmer who has set records. Everywhere he perceives gratitude, optimism, hope, and courage in his interviewees, leading to a shift within himself to compassion and appreciation. The result is a book about vision loss that becomes testimony to human courage, a moving memoir that offers perspective, comfort, and hope. Copyright 2022 Booklist Reviews.