Wednesday, January 17, 2018

No End In Sight


Rachael Scdoris was born in February 1985, the same year that Libby Riddles became the first woman to win the Iditarod. She was also born legally blind.
"Yes, I am legally blind, but blindness has not stopped me. In fact, the question of my vision would rarely come up if I gave in to my blindness, but I refuse to. Especially when there are so many activities I enjoy:  rock climbing, swimming, running competitively, and racing on a tandem bicycle. But my passion, the reason I believe I exist, is to raise, train, and race sled dogs. I am a musher, a sled dog racer, and I live for those moments when everything in the universe seems to align into a delicate balance of perfection. In those moments my vision is never an issue."
This interesting and inspiring memoir chronicles Rachael's life from her early school days when she was teased and bullied on a daily basis, to her dog-racing days where she experienced her first taste of true freedom. I think what I admired most about Rachael is how she never let fear stop her from trying something new, and how she got back up every time she fell, ready to try again. Talk about never giving up! I also really admired how she pursued her goal of racing in the Iditarod despite all the odds (and the people!) stacked against her. Not all non-fiction reads well, but this book does.
It's an amazing read about a truly remarkable young woman, and I loved it.

Happy Reading!

Another fantastic read:


Favorite Quote from the book:

"Every time I overcome my personal fears and prove something to myself, I want to set the bar a little higher.  In my life, and in all our lives, there should be no limitations, only possibilities."
--Rachael Scdoris

21 comments:

  1. The courage and persistence Rachael exhibits is impressive! I love nonfiction that reads well, factual and entertaining at the same time. Thanks for a great review, Lark!

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    1. This non-fiction read checked all the boxes for me. And I just really liked Rachael. She sounds like she'd be fun to hang around. :)

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  2. Beautiful quote and what an inspiring story!

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  3. You always find the most interesting-sounding books that I've never heard of! I made a goal to read more non-fiction this year -- I might have to start with this one. Sounds utterly fascinating.

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    1. It is! Just reading about Rachael's growing up years and how she dealt with her impairment and with the other kids at school is really interesting. (I really liked the dog racing bits, too.)

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  4. This does sound like an amazing story.

    With our "ice-pocalypse" in Houston, I am too cold right now to read about Alaska ;)

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    1. Most of this story actually takes place in Oregon, but I TOTALLY understand why you don't want to read about anything cold or snowy right now. :D

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  5. This sounds like an inspiring story! Wonderful review, Lark! :)

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  6. I have a weakness for dog sled woofers!

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    1. There's certainly plenty of dogs in this book. :)

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  7. What a brave and inspiring young woman. I'm sensing she probably had parents too that encouraged her dreams.

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    1. Her Dad was her biggest supporter, although it was really hard for him to learn to let go of her hand.

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  8. I wish I read more memoirs. No End in Sight sounds like both a moving and inspiring story.

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    1. I forget how much I like non-fiction until I read something as good as this book. :)

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  9. What an amazing and inspiring woman and story. I think I would like this one too. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.

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    1. This is a good one! Hope you get a chance to read it. :)

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