Purchase options
Video
Mike and Jennifer May on Good Morning America
“Propulsive … A gripping adventure story.”
— Entertainment Weekly
Blinded at age three, Mike May defied expectations by breaking world records in downhill speed skiing, joining the CIA, and becoming a successful inventor, entrepreneur, and family man. He had never yearned for vision.
Then, in 1999, a chance encounter with a prominent ophthalmologist brought startling news: a revolutionary stem cell transplant surgery could restore May’s vision. It could allow him to drive, read, see his children’s faces. But the procedure was filled with risks, some deadly, others beyond May’s wildest dreams.
Fewer than twenty people in recorded history had vision restored after a lifetime of blindness. One might expect profound joy from such a miracle. But in each of the cases, the results were disastrous for the patient: depression, suicidal thoughts, self-seclusion in dark rooms, fury at the surgeons who cured them. By the time of May’s surgery in 2001, the odds seemed a million-to-one against him.
Crashing Through is a journey of suspense, daring, romance, and insight into the mysteries of vision and the brain. Based on Kurson's National Magazine Award-winning story in Esquire, the book is a fascinating account of one man’s choice to explore what it means to see–and to truly live.
Crashing Through debuted on the New York Times Bestseller list, and has been translated into seven languages.
Praise for Crashing Through
“A moving account [of an] extraordinary character. The science is fascinating [and] the tender moments resonate.”
— People Magazine
“An amazing story. You will love it when you read it.”
— Good Morning America
“Genuinely fascinating.”
— Washington Post
“An astonishing story memorably told. May is remarkable, [an] equally compelling medical and literary and subject. Don’t be surprised if your own vision mists over now and then.”
—Chicago Tribune
“Fascinating. Kurson artfully coaxes out every bit of tension, expertly captures May’s wonderment, [and] so deftly takes us along.”
— Miami Herald
“May’s story and Kurson’s telling of it are beyond eye-opening.”
— New York Daily News
“A remarkable story of courage and endurance.”
— Publisher's Weekly
“Crashing Through may be a subtler, more nuanced subject, but Kurson writes it for all he’s worth. Clearly Kurson is a man with natural curiosity and one who can feel the excitement life has to offer. One of his great gifts is he makes you feel it, too.”
— Kansas City Star
“An incredible human story told in gripping fashion. A great read.”
— Chicago Sun Times