Book Review: Turn A Deaf Ear; Chapters 7-9

A distinctly Italian chapter that ends on a teary note is followed by Linda's first attempt at interpreting, which came about from a chance meeting. Friendship develops and the circle is enlarged. As we get to know Molly, we learn of another heart-wrenching account of Hearing parents not embracing their Deaf daughter; not learning to communicate with her, and all that comes with that. And if that isn't bad enough, then she gets taken advantage of and like a human slave, forcefully enters the world of drugs and prostitution without knowing where else to turn. This book once again brings to light the controversial topics that plague the Deaf community. Weigh in on them... right here! How do you feel about Hearing parents not learning ASL? What about residential schools vs. public schools? Bimodal? How can we improve helpful public service messages for Deaf runaways? think about it... comment... become a blog follower:D Thank you for your interest.

Oh wow! Loving the book: Turn A Deaf Ear! Ch, 4-6

Well, chapters 4-6 did not disappoint and have me anxious to finish the book! Now we meet John, the Deaf man and feel the emotional issues introducing someone who communicates differently can bring about. I also learned that somewhere out there is a book about ASL that actually answers the questions my ASL 1-6 instructors have not answered... why does this sign mean that concept? In chapter 4 as the romance begins we learn that the sign for America resembles a log cabin... now that makes sense! I need these types of visual aids and my college classes have barely alluded to these concepts. Oh we were told "boy" was like grabbing a baseball cap, but that is about it. I am on the hunt now for the ASL dictionary that gives the visual definitions like America / log cabin because I am sure my comprehension and memory of signs will greatly improve with such visual aids. This makes sense, ASL is a visual language... why don't they teach hearing students to be more visual then? Back to the book, sorry, my passion for ASL took over just then. In chapters 5 & 6 we learn more about the challenges of growing up Deaf in a Hearing family and integrating the two. This book is full of all the controversial subjects that Deaf Culture has dealt with since the dawn of time. It at least touches on them to get the reader thinking about viewpoints and prejudices, but this is afterall a love story... so on we read...

Article re TSA mocking a deaf man... makes me sick!

TSA mocks deaf man, steals his candy, eats it in front of him

Book Review: Turn A Deaf Ear; Chapters 1-3

The first 3 chapters are engaging as we learn about an Italian family from New Jersey. The two teenage  children, the grown and married daughter, and their mother, all face life altering changes together and their family bonds are inspiring.  What I also love about this book so far is that I am learning about life in New Jersey and about being Italian, two things I couldn't even imagine before. I liked the inspirational quotes at the beginning of each chapter that I had to fan through the book to read the rest and behold, there are recipes and other goodies lurking in future chapters! I can't wait to read the next 3 chapters!