Cockeyed: A Memoir

This surprisingly funny, upbeat memoir follows the author’s struggles with retinitis pigmentosa, an incurable congenital disease that slowly destroys the retinas, causing blindness. Knighton was diagnosed at the age of 18, after being dismissed as merely clumsy and “cockeyed” throughout his youth. He was even mistakenly labeled as having a bad attitude because, unable to perceive depth, he would routinely slam plates and glasses on the table at his restaurant job. Still, he spent years in denial about his condition, attempting to pass for a sighted person—and frequently succeeding. Knighton’s progress toward understanding and acceptance of his disability makes for a highly readable, and often darkly funny, account.