A Blind Guide to Stinkville

Before Stinkville, Alice didn’t think albinismor the blindness that goes with itwas a big deal. Sure, she uses a magnifier to read books. And a cane keeps her from bruising her hips on tables. Putting on sunscreen and always wearing a hat are just part of life. But life has always been like this for Alice. Until Stinkville.

For the first time in her life, Alice feels differentlike she’s at a disadvantage. Back in her old neighborhood in Seattle, everyone knew Alice, and Alice knew her way around. In Stinkville, Alice finds herself flounderingshe can’t even get to the library on her own. But when her parents start looking into schools for the blind, Alice takes a stand. She’s going to show themand herselfthat blindness is just a part of who she is, not all that she can be. To prove it, Alice enters the Stinkville Success Stories essay contest. No one, not even her new friend Kerica, believes she can scout out her new town’s stories and write the essay by herself. The funny thing is, as Alice confronts her own blindness, everyone else seems to see her for the first time.

This is a stirring small-town story that explores many different issuesalbinism, blindness, depression, dyslexia, growing old, and morewith a light touch and lots of heart. Beth Vrabel’s characters are complicated and messy, but they come together in a story about the strength of community and friendship. This paperback edition includes a Q&A with the author and a sneak peek at the upcomingThe Blind Guide to Normal.

Beth Vrabel grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania. She won a short-story contest in fourth grade and promptly decided writing was what she was going to do with her life. Although her other plansbecoming a wolf biologist, a Yellowstone National Park ranger, and a professional roller skaterdidn’t come to fruition, she stuck with the writing. After graduating from Pennsylvania State University with a degree in journalism, she moved through the ranks of a local newspaper to become a lifestyle columnist and editor of two regional magazines. She is the author of Pack of Dorks and the upcomingPack of Dorks: Camp Dork. Beth lives with her wonderful husband, two charming children, a spoiled rotten puppy, and Frodo the guinea pig in Canton, Connecticut.