Vision: A Memoir of Blindness and Justice, by David Tatel (Little, Brown and Company, 2024, 352pp, $32) Review by Skye Anderson
"If talking too much about my dog is a crime, . . . I plead guilty."
It's All About the Dog vs It's Not About the Dog!
A German Shepherd Dog (GSD) service dog graces the cover, along with a retired appellate judge - a cover you can't forget!
We first heard about Vision (and Vixen, the dog) about six months ago, finally obtained a copy of the book last week and nearly read it cover to cover overnight. Of course, this reviewer is a dog trainer and wanted to read about Vixen's life with Judge Tatel, but the author acknowledges up front and sets us straight: although a dog appears in the book, this is not the dog's book primarily. Nevertheless, he mentions Vixen a few times before her chapter - at the end.
Disappointment?
Nevertheless, we had read a sample (and loved it!) so we started in and soon found an engrossing story of a man we would like to meet, along with his four children.
David Tatel is a brilliant attorney* who just happened to be in the right place at the right time, most times, to snag an exciting job opportunity. But starting at about age 15, he was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a progressive type of blindness which is genetic. Tatel was embarrassed and didn't admit to being blind for many years. He learned to hide it by accommodating his condition and depending more on memory and hearing, but finally consented to using a cane.
Tatel worked to be known as a judge who happened to be blind - not to be known as a blind judge. And finally, decades later, he agreed to a service dog, Vixen, who changed his life and gave him (and his wife) more independence, even though learning to work with a service dog was the hardest thing he had ever done.
His book goes into detail, chapters of details, on the job of a federal appeals judge** (who happened to be, twice, considered for a Supreme Court Justice opening) and the decisions he made, as well as the evolution of the current Supreme Court which he does not totally agree with or approve of.
Tatel's writing style is so engrossing that you, too, may read it in nearly one sitting!
A fascinating tale of a fascinating man but if you are looking for a dog book, I just hope this last part of Tatel's book is turned into a children's book! Nevertheless, Tatel's personality and sense of humor shine through in his memoir. And on page 193, he gives advice to appeals attorneys on how to do a good job!
*educated at the University of Michigan and the University of Chicago
**appointed by President Clinton to succeed Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit Court
