Do You Dream in Color? Insights from a Girl without Sight
Laurie Rubin
Colors, Rubin tells us, affect everyone through sound, smell, taste, and a vast array of emotions and atmospheres. She explains that although she has been blind since birth, she has experienced color all her life.
In her memoir Do You Dream in Color?, Laurie Rubin looks back on her life as an international opera singer who happens to be blind. From her loneliness and isolation as a middle school student to her experiences skiing, Rubin offers her young readers a life-story rich in detail and inspiration drawn from everyday challenges. Beginning with her childhood in California, Rubin tells the story of her life and the amazing experiences that led her to a career as an internationally celebrated mezzo-soprano.
Rubin describes her past as a "journey towards identity," one she hopes will resonate with young people struggling with two fundamental questions: "Who am I?" and "Where do I fit in?" Although most of us aren't blind, Rubin believes that many of us have traits that make us something other than "normal." These differences, like blindness, may seem like barriers but for the strong and the persistent, dreams can overcome barriers, no matter how large they may seem. This is what makes her story so unique yet universal and so important for young readers.
REVIEWS
"Laurie
Rubin shows that we need not be defined by what others may see as our
limitations. With her remarkable approach to life and her extraordinary
musical achievements, she is an inspiring example to all who are finding
their way."—Katherine Damkohler, Executive Director, Education Through Music
"I’ve
never met Laurie Rubin, but her voice and spirit leap off the page of
her riveting memoir. Despite all the obstacles and prejudice Rubin faced
growing up blind, reading Do You Dream in Color?
Left me feeling that she’s had a charmed life. . .Art, love, family,
and connectedness are the high notes Rubin hits again and again in this
unusually inspiring life story.” —Elizabeth Benedict, author of the novels Almost and The Practice of Deceit
“Do You Dream in Color? shows the same clarity, honesty, and devotion that Laurie has always had with her art. A wonderful book.”—Frederica von Stade, mezzo-soprano
“Laurie Rubin’s memoir should be required reading in that it underscores the triumph of the human spirit. The roles of teachers are prominent: a teacher in early elementary school loved music and introduced recordings of classical music to Laurie; a piano teacher advised her mother to give her voice lessons. Her parents are strong advocates and role models but it is Laurie herself who soars above her handicap and serves as a role model for all of us, whether or not we face a disability.”—Dr. Pola Rosen, Publisher, Education Update, Specialist in children with learning differences
"A highly readable memoir...Laurie’s stubborn perseverance guarantees plenty of colorful anecdotes.”—Kirkus Reviews
