By Faith, Not by Sight--MacIntyre

By Faith, Not by Sight
Scott MacIntyre with Jennifer Schuchmann
(Thomas Nelson, 2012, 271pp)

The Inspirational Story of a Blind Prodigy, a Life-Threatening Illness, & an Unexpected Gift

***

Scott MacIntyre is a budding young musician in the process of gaining a name for himself in the pop Christian music industry. As a part of that agenda, this book is his candid first-person account at 27 years of age of what it's been like so far. Born all but blind into a musical family, he discovered the piano as a toddler, was found to have perfect pitch and was enrolled in lessons early on. As a homeschooler, he excelled academically and began university at the age of 14, winning a scholarship to study music in a prestigious London college. As an accomplished classical pianist he switched to songwriting and pop music-- his first love. This would seem remarkable enough for a nearly blind person without the added challenge of kidney failure in the midst of pursuing his dreams. His story becomes a saga interweaving the challenges of blindness, the trials of dialysis and getting a kidney transplant, and the relentless pursuit of a reputation as a singer/songwriter. Throughout each of these he demonstrates a strong and practical faith in a personal God who is 'for him'.

Scott's book is an education on 'seeing life' from a blind person's vantage point. It illustrates the trials of kidney disease. And it portrays close-up the high intensity life of a touring singer/songwriter. It underlines the necessity of having good teachers and mentors and others willing to make sacrifices along the way to insure one's success. But the real hero of the book stands in the wings. Scott's mom was the wind in his sails and the hero who gave her life energies for his success from the very beginning. His brother and blind sister and father also lived sacrificially for his success. His is a story of the importance of family to an individual's fulfilling their dreams.

Although I enjoyed the personal interest and faith aspects of his story and the way it opened up the world of musicians, the blind and those with kidney disease, I confess I found the emphasis on competition and fame tiring. An inside look at the fierce competitive world of the American Idol industry and Scott's own climb to 'fame' takes up ten of the final chapters of the book. While an American Idol "wanna-be" or other devotees to this world of rising stardom would perhaps find his detailed account of interest, it came across as an egotistical attempt to 'sell himself' to new fans. In light of his youth, the book could have been considerably shortened from its 271 pages. It closes with his marriage, which is really only the beginning of a lifetime of challenges.

--LS

[A complimentary copy of this book was provided to me by the BookSneeze Blogger’s program in exchange for an honest review]