Commentary: "A Quiet Kind of Thunder" by Sara Barnard

A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard is a young adult, coming-of-age story about Steffi, a 16-year-old who is selectively mute, meaning there are times she can vocalize out loud and times she cannot. (“Selective” does not mean that Steffi has any choice in the matter.) She goes to school in London, where she spends time with her best friend, Tem, and works at a pet kennel with animals, where she’s happiest. There are times when it’s easier for her to speak, particularly with family and Tem, but when it comes to speaking in public, Steffi’s anxiety can thrust her into panic attacks, making communication feel impossible. But, when Steffi meets Rhys, a Deaf student at her school who speaks BSL (British Sign Language), communication takes on a whole new meaning.

Steffi works hard to talk. She attends therapy regularly, she sets goals for herself, and she tries to find other ways to be heard outside of talking, like signing BSL. But her mother sees sign language as a crutch. As much as Steffi tries to explain to her mother that signing is a legitimate form of communication, her mother wants her to talk “normally”— to meet the standards of the hearing world, where talking is everything. But Steffi and Rhys grow closer and Steffi begins to question the hearing world’s obsession with talking. Why does she have to talk? But she can’t shake the ingrained mentality that she is somehow lesser than when she doesn’t speak.

Even though Steffi is selectively mute, she is hearing, unlike Rhys. She isn’t fluent in BSL, but can sign conversationally. Rhys, on the other hand, is fluent in BSL but can vocalize on occasion when needed. Together, they can balance out one another’s communication styles. But when they take a secret trip to Edinburgh and Rhys falls, injuring him to the point where he can’t sign, Steffi is forced to balance both of their communication needs on her own. The stressful ordeal makes Steffi wonder if her parents were right about talking after all. But growing up is about making your own decisions and Steffi must ultimately steer the ship— will she choose to conform to the needs of the hearing world around her and talk or will she choose to communicate her own way?

A quick and easy read, A Quiet Kind of Thunder is perfect for those who enjoy a tender love story and who want to learn more about Deaf culture. Personally, I picked up this book because most books about Deaf culture that I’ve read over the last year have centered around ASL; I wanted a glimpse into BSL for the first time.

Sign language, from the perspective of the hearing world, is monolithic. For hearing Americans, the most specific it gets is often in reference to ASL (American Sign Language), which is sometimes misunderstood to represent all signed languages, as if “ASL” and “sign language” are interchangeable. But sign language is diverse and nuanced; it’s cultural, geographical, and rich in detail. Even for countries that share the same spoken language, for instance, English shared between the U.S, the U.K, and Australia, they each have their own variety of signed language (ASL, BSL, and Auslan respectively.) According to some estimates, there are between 138-300 signed languages used around the world, with new forms evolving every day. Like any other language, sign languages are complex, alive with meaning, and ceaselessly in motion— growing and changing to meet the needs of the current generation.

Looking at sign languages in this light, isn’t it easier to see how talking is just one communication preference out of many? For the hearing world, talking is the end-all-be-all. As a hearing person, I couldn’t fathom a reality where talking wasn’t absolutely necessary before I started learning about Deaf culture. Now, I see the hearing world in a totally new way. Rather than simply existing as the backdrop of my daily life— invisible to me, I see the hearing world for what it is: just one world of many. However, the fact remains that the hearing world— while one of many— still holds a lot of power. The hearing world’s rules, as arbitrary as they are sometimes, gate-keep who is seen as acceptable and who isn’t, who is capable of work and who isn’t, who is “normal” and who isn’t, who communicates well and who doesn’t. Those rules and world views delegitimize others’ experiences, particularly our Deaf and HOH friends. That is, the hearing world delegitimizes others in the eyes of the hearing world (a sort of internal propaganda). Because the Deaf world already knows that communication doesn’t require talking; they know well that their modes of communication are legitimate and meaningful, no matter what the hearing world thinks.

It’s on us hearing folks to educate ourselves about the ways in which our views on communication can be harmful and limiting. And the best way to do that is to explore Deaf culture RESPECTFULLY. To read, to watch, to listen. A Quiet Kind of Thunder is a perfect gateway for those who are new and want a place to begin. Even if you are American and don’t have a specific interest in BSL, this book is great because it’s focus is much more on selective mutism, Deaf culture in general, and discrimination against those who don’t vocalize.

What books have you read about sign language and/or Deafness?