Blindingly Obvious

This is the moving story of a woman who, throughout her life, has refused to be defined by what others think she can or cannot do.

Minnie Baragwanath was diagnosed, at the age of 15, with a congenital condition that left her legally blind. However, she did not meekly accept the limitations that blindness might have imposed on her: instead, she dug in her heels and set about improving not only her own life but also the lives of all New Zealanders with access needs.

The dramatic events of Minnie’s life – losing her sight, being admitted to a psychiatric hospital in Japan at 19, becoming a television presenter, participating in the New York Marathon, surviving life-threatening illnesses, founding and leading innovative organisations, receiving prestigious awards (including the New Zealand Order of Merit) – are related in vivid detail. Minnie looks candidly at both her challenges and her triumphs, giving the reader the opportunity to share her exceptional experiences.

This book has the potential to change our views of what ‘disability’ means. Minnie’s far-reaching ideas on how our society could be transformed – to everyone’s benefit – are not just intellectual speculations: they are based on her experiences, and on those of the many people with disability with whom she has worked.

There is a growing demand for information about ‘diversity and inclusion’. This book, with its keen insight into what it means to be in meaningful relationship ‘with’ one another, and in particular how we as a society choose to relate to leaders and pioneers of a more progressive world, breaks new ground on those subjects.

Author Biography

Minnie Baragwanath has always had a love of language and the written word. Before her sight deteriorated during her teenage years as a result of a congenital sight condition, she read widely and always imagined she would become a writer one day. However, this dream became more distant as her sight worsened and her access to the literary world gradually disappeared from view.

Despite struggling to see her books, Minnie persevered, majoring in English Literature during her Bachelor of Arts degree in her late teens, and then completing a Bachelor of Communications in her mid-20s. Today, 30 years on and thanks to the advent of new technology, including digital platforms and audio books, the literary world is now, finally, wide open to her.

At the time of writing ‘Blindingly Obvious’ Minnie was living in Auckland New Zealand with her niece Caitlin and wee dog Floyd. However, shortly after her book was published in 2023, Minnie made the decision to move to Whanganui, a small progressive town in the North Island of New Zealand with a vibrant creative community. Minnie consciously made this move so she could continue her writing and also be creative in other fields.

‘Blindingly Obvious’ is her first book, and she hopes it will not be her last.