Blindingly Obvious: The beautiful vision of Minnie B. Leader and blind social pioneer.

(Paperback)

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This is the moving story of a woman who, throughout her life, has refused to be defined by what others think she can or cannot do. Minnie Baragwanath was diagnosed, at the age of 15, with a congenital condition that left her legally blind. However, she did not meekly accept the limitations that blindness might have imposed on her: instead, she dug in her heels and set about improving not only her own life but also the lives of all New Zealanders with access needs. The dramatic events of Minnies life losing her sight, being admitted to a psychiatric hospital in Japan at 19, becoming a television presenter, participating in the New York Marathon, surviving life-threatening illnesses, founding and leading innovative organisations, receiving prestigious awards (including the New Zealand Order of Merit) are related in vivid detail. Minnie looks candidly at both her challenges and her triumphs, giving the reader the opportunity to share her exceptional experiences. This book has the potential to change our views of what disability means. Minnies far-reaching ideas on how our society could be transformed to everyones benefit are not just intellectual speculations: they are based on her experiences, and on those of the many people with disability with whom she has worked. There is a growing demand for information about diversity and inclusion. This book, with its keen insight into what it means to be in meaningful relationship with one another, and in particular how we as a society choose to relate to leaders and pioneers of a more progressive world, breaks new ground on those subjects.

Reviews

This book speaks to what is possible from the edges if you are willing to risk everything to make a real and lasting difference. Buy it, read it. You will be challenged and changed.JOHN ALLEN, CIVIC LEADER AND ACTIVIST; I encourage you to read this book with a sense of urgency because the sooner you do, the better chance we collectively have to see the blindingly obvious state of the world and why/how this needs to change. Minnies beautifully crafted words have shed a unique spectrum of light on what it takes to truly be and what it means to genuinely stand with each other as we look to design an accessible, inclusive and equitable future. VIV MULLAN

Author Bio

Minnie Baragwanath has always had a love of language and the written word. Before her sight deteriorated during her teenage years as a result of a congenital sight condition, she read widely and always imagined she would become a writer one day. However, this dream became more distant as her sight worsened and her access to the literary world gradually disappeared from view. Despite struggling to see her books, Minnie persevered, majoring in English Literature during her Bachelor of Arts degree in her late teens, and then completing a Bachelor of Communications in her mid-20s. Today, 30 years on and thanks to the advent of new technology, including digital platforms and audio books, the literary world is now, finally, wide open to her. At the time of writing 'Blindingly Obvious' Minnie was living in Auckland New Zealand with her niece Caitlin and wee dog Floyd. However, shortly after her book was published in 2023, Minnie made the decision to move to Whanganui, a small progressive town in the North Island of New Zealand with a vibrant creative community. Minnie consciously made this move so she could continue her writing and also be creative in other fields. 'Blindingly Obvious' is her first book, and she hopes it will not be her last.