Here's an exciting, one-of-a-kind memoir that should appeal to lovers of man-against-nature adventure stories. The author has jumped from airplanes, bicycled distances that tested the limits of his endurance, run a marathon, and scaled some of the world's highest peaks. As if that weren't enough, he has been blind since he was a teenager. To reach the summit of Mount McKinley or El Capitan is achievement enough; it seems almost inconceivable that a blind man could do so. But the author is clearly a remarkable man, and he makes us believe that we, too, can do the virtually impossible, if we're determined enough. He looks back on his life, on his struggle to do what most of us could not summon the bravery to attempt, and we cannot help but admire him. He never presents himself as a hero, but his accomplishments speak for themselves. The word inspiring is used far too often in book reviews, but here is one case where it really is appropriate.