Rating: 3/5
Spoiler Alert! If you haven’t read the book, this review will contain spoilers so it’s up to you if you continue…
I've listened to a couple of audiobooks in my time (okay, yes, they were all Harry Potter books...) but this is the first time the book felt made for this format. Probably because it was.
It's Not What It Looks Like is a bit like a memoir, containing stories from Molly's life, but the way it's told also feels a lot like it could be a motivational speech. By alternating between her own experiences and life lessons, the tone is both friendly and educational; whilst getting to know more about Molly, you learn how she became who she is and why she offers the advise she does.
I'd be lying to say this was a revolutionary book for me. It was a good read, and Molly has a lot of sound advice, especially on the topic of how to interact with people who have disabilities, but it was also short and easy and didn't demand too much of me. I appreciate that ease in an audiobook as I find it harder to keep track of things when listening to (rather than reading) a book, but at the same time I was ready to hear more.
Following a largely chronological structure, It's Not What It Looks Like begins with an explanation of night blindness, a symptom of retinitis pigmentosa, and walks us through Molly's diagnosis, experience of getting a guide dog, and her move from Toronto to LA. My favourite part of this audiobook is Molly's ability to be both blunt about her disability and open to teaching people. She recognises her own capabilities and is upfront about the way people do - or should - treat her, and the changes that would make life easier for both disabled and able-bodied people, explaining the social model of disability. This is a way of viewing the world which says that people are disabled by barriers in society, not by their impairment or difference (i.e. buildings without ramps or disabled toilets). Despite the simplicity of this idea, it's one I had never come across before and one I will definitely be researching and sharing.
Another part I found particularly interesting - or maybe challenging is the word - was the idea of optimism being a choice. This was difficult to listen to not because it was especially emotional or because I disagreed, but because I agreed wholeheartedly but feel I still have a long way to go. The basic premise is that you can train yourself to be optimistic; it's your choice how you respond to a situation, so by choosing to remain positive even in the face of set backs, you will eventually get to the point where it comes naturally. This is definitely possible in my opinion, and whilst I have some way to go with it, it's probably the lesson that will stick with me most from Molly's memoir.
On the other hand, the final section of the audiobook was probably my least favourite bit. A large portion of chapter 10 was a recount of the lessons we'd learnt throughout the book. The lessons were a tad cliche - that's fine, life lessons tend to be - but listing them as Molly did at the end of the book made it feel like the whole point of the book was to teach me a lesson. Yes, it might have been similar to a motivational speech, but I picked it up interested in a memoir; the lessons were interesting, but they didn't need to collated at the end to remind me of them before I closed the book. They were better off integrated into the story she told.
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