deaf — Blog — Rebel-Mouthed Books

Commentary: "Sounds Like Home: Growing Up Black and Deaf in the South" by Mary Herring Wright

Mary Herring Wright (1924-2018) was a Black and Deaf writer and teacher who participated in the Black ASL Project, which researched the linguistic features that make Black ASL recognizable as a distinct variety of American Sign Language. Having attended the North Carolina School for the Colored Deaf and Blind (NCSCDB), Mary was deeply familiar with ‘Raleigh Sign Language’— a distinct North Carolina variety of Black American Sign Language primarily used by Black Deaf signers who has attended segregated schools for the deaf, making her position in the project invaluable. Her memoir, Sounds Like Home, mainly focuses on her school days at NCSCDB.

For Readers, CommentaryChava PossumDecember 14, 2020deaf, deaf in america, black and deaf, black history, black deaf history, sounds like home, sounds like home growing up black and deaf in the south, growing up black and deaf in the south, Black ASL, ASL, mary herring wrightComment

Commentary: Strong Deaf by Lynn E. McElfresh

A story of sibling rivalry, Deaf culture, sign language, and relationships between Deaf and hearing people, Strong Deaf is an emotionally rich children’s/middle grade book that doesn’t shy away from the precariousness of communication— the tension inherent to being understood.

Commentary, For ReadersChava PossumAugust 12, 2020Strong Deaf, Lynn E. McElfresh, deaf, Deaf, Deaf in America, Deafness, Deaf culture, books about signing, books about deaf characters, books about deaf culture, ASL, hard of hearing, hearing

Commentary: Anything But Silent by Mark Drolsbaugh

Mark Drolsbaugh is a Deaf writer and an educator at the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf. I chose to read Anything But Silent— a collection of his articles about deafness. He shares both insightful and funny stories about karate as a confidence-building tool for Deaf kids, being “on the fence” as a Hard-of-Hearing person, life as a Super Phony, as he calls himself, (finding ways to pass as hearing around hearing folks), misunderstandings about ASL, cochlear implants, and much more.

Commentary, For ReadersChava PossumAugust 5, 2020Anything But Silent, Mark Drolsbaugh, books about signing, books about deaf characters, books about deaf culture, books by deaf writers, Dr I King Jordan, Trudy Suggs, essay collections, articles about deaf culture, books about being deaf, deaf, deafness, cochlear implants, hard of hearing, "Ooh My Back"

Commentary: Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly

Written by a professional sign language interpreter, Song for a Whale is both a flamboyant tale of childhood and a learned tribute to sound. Ultimately, Song for a Whale is a story about being heard, about having a voice, and about sound’s relationship to communication. All of these topics are deeply embedded in Deaf culture.

Commentary, For ReadersChava PossumAugust 5, 2020deaf, Deafness, Deaf culture, Carol Padden, Tom Humphries, Inside Deaf Culture, Song for a Whale, Lynne Kelly, books about deaf characters, signing, sign language, books about signing, books with sign language, middle grade books, Blue 55

Commentary: Pet by Akwaeke Emezi

I've been on the hunt lately for books written by and/or about Deaf and HOH characters, or any character who signs to communicate. Jam is not Deaf or HOH. She signs because she wants to and chooses to. She voices (or speaks out loud) sometimes, and more as the story progresses and the drama intensifies, but the culture of signing is present and alive in her relationships with other characters.

Commentary, For ReadersChava PossumJuly 22, 2020Akwaeke Emezi, Pet, Pet the book, young adult, signing, books about signing, ASL, deaf, hard of hearing, sign language, books with sign language