Books I Reviewed
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I Have A Sister. My Sister Is Deaf is a story by Jeanne Whitehouse Peterson about a girl whose sister is deaf. The sister is perceived as a child who is "special". The main character, as well as her sister, is never given a name throughout the entire story. The main character goes throughout the book explaining how her sister does everyday activities different from everyone else. She even brings attention to the fact that other children notice these differences and get excited when she says basics words at school. The main character is frustrated by this fact because she has seen her sister say these basic words and doesn’t understand why the students haven’t realized this.
Overall, this piece of literature allows an individual to see into the eyes of a family member when it comes to having a deaf sibling. This text allows individuals to really understand what being deaf looks like from the outside and how this contributes to the child’s struggle. However, this text never digs deeper and allows the individual to experience the child who is deaf as more than an object. She is compared to and talked about as a person but her perspective is never completely given. Therefore, I find it problematic that this child’s own frustrations about others and her physical disability are never given. What is given to the reader is a list of things that the sister who is deaf can and can’t do, and how her feelings are hurt when she isn’t understood.
Peterson, J. W. (1977). I have a sister. my sister is deaf. New York: Harper Collins Publishers.
Overall, this piece of literature allows an individual to see into the eyes of a family member when it comes to having a deaf sibling. This text allows individuals to really understand what being deaf looks like from the outside and how this contributes to the child’s struggle. However, this text never digs deeper and allows the individual to experience the child who is deaf as more than an object. She is compared to and talked about as a person but her perspective is never completely given. Therefore, I find it problematic that this child’s own frustrations about others and her physical disability are never given. What is given to the reader is a list of things that the sister who is deaf can and can’t do, and how her feelings are hurt when she isn’t understood.
Peterson, J. W. (1977). I have a sister. my sister is deaf. New York: Harper Collins Publishers.
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The Grump by Mark Ludy is a story about an old man, Mr. McCurry Brogan Howlweister, who walks through the streets of Dinkerwink being grumpy. Everyone in the town is afraid of him. He only comes to town once a week, and when he does, no one gets in his way, walks near him, or says a word to him. However, Lydia, a deaf and mute child of the store owner turns the grump into a happy man by giving him gifts. He eventually becomes a happy person and thanks Lydia for what she has done to help him.
Overall, I found this text to allow for the diversity of albeism. We see Lydia’s muteness and deafness in a whole new perspective. This is portrayed as a loving disability which helps the girl have a heart for anyone. Also, this text allows readers to see the differences in types of deafness.
Ludy, M. (2000). The grump. Longmont: Green Pastures Publishing.
Overall, I found this text to allow for the diversity of albeism. We see Lydia’s muteness and deafness in a whole new perspective. This is portrayed as a loving disability which helps the girl have a heart for anyone. Also, this text allows readers to see the differences in types of deafness.
Ludy, M. (2000). The grump. Longmont: Green Pastures Publishing.
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Moses Goes to a Concert by Isaac Millman is a story about a boy who is deaf named Moses. He goes to a school for the deaf. His classmates, who are also deaf, go on a field trip to a concert. While the students cannot hear the music, they can feel the vibrations of the sounds as they travel through the balloons that their teacher gave them. The children also learn that the percussionist of the band is also deaf. Another exciting part of this story is that there is sign language throughout the entire story. The sign language highlights key points of the words on the page and shows how to say these words in sign language.
As a piece of literature, this allows one to portray the idea of normality between deafness. These groups of children have gone through the experience together and are able to function as normal citizens of life. The sign language throughout the books allows this book to be set apart in terms of diversity. Anyone can follow along through the life that Moses and his classmates are experiencing.
Millman, I. (1998). Moses goes to a concert. New York: Frances Foster Books.
As a piece of literature, this allows one to portray the idea of normality between deafness. These groups of children have gone through the experience together and are able to function as normal citizens of life. The sign language throughout the books allows this book to be set apart in terms of diversity. Anyone can follow along through the life that Moses and his classmates are experiencing.
Millman, I. (1998). Moses goes to a concert. New York: Frances Foster Books.
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Silent Lotus by Jeanne M. Lee is a story about a girl named Lotus who is deaf. Lotus learns to dance and is eventually discovered for her talents in dancing. She finds ways to express herself through this experience of dancing. She eventually even performs her dancing for the king and queen. The other characters in the story find her dancing to be beautiful and don’t see Lotus as any different than themselves.
Overall, this text is set in a historical era. The story brings in the thousand-year-old tradition of the Cambodian court ballet. This allows the literature itself to be very diverse from other deaf literature texts. The reader is able to see what life was like for Lotus and understand what she had to overcome to triumph in dancing.
Lee, J. (1994). Silent lotus. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
Overall, this text is set in a historical era. The story brings in the thousand-year-old tradition of the Cambodian court ballet. This allows the literature itself to be very diverse from other deaf literature texts. The reader is able to see what life was like for Lotus and understand what she had to overcome to triumph in dancing.
Lee, J. (1994). Silent lotus. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
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The
Deaf Musicians by Pete Seeger and Paul Dubois Jacobs
is the story of a man named Lee who lost his hearing while he was a piano
player in a band playing jazz music. He is asked to leave the band, and feels
lonely. He stumbles across other musicians who are also deaf. Lee eventually
learns sign language and is able to communicate with this man. Together, they
form their own band, full of deaf members on the subway. In the end, everyone
ends up listening to the music by all of the deaf musicians, and enjoying it.
Overall, this is a diverse piece of literature because it allows the reader to see how one could lose their hearing and become deaf. Also, the main character is an older gentleman, which is different from the main characters of other deaf literature stories that I have found. The only problem with this story is that I feel the ending is too perfect. While I understand that eventually Lee would find other means to communicate, finding other band members on a subway just seems impractical.
Seeger, P., & Jacobs, P. D. (2006). The deaf musicians. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.
Overall, this is a diverse piece of literature because it allows the reader to see how one could lose their hearing and become deaf. Also, the main character is an older gentleman, which is different from the main characters of other deaf literature stories that I have found. The only problem with this story is that I feel the ending is too perfect. While I understand that eventually Lee would find other means to communicate, finding other band members on a subway just seems impractical.
Seeger, P., & Jacobs, P. D. (2006). The deaf musicians. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.
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A Screaming Kind of Day byRachna Gilmore is the story of a child, Scully, who has hearing aids. Throughout the story, Scully is continually told to be quiet and not make so much noise. Scully is seen as a child who does not listen and isn’t interested in following the rules.
Overall, I find this story to be very diverse in terms of albeism. First, the child has a hearing aid, which is something that isn’t always realized in deaf literature. However, this book portrays the negative side of being deaf. The mother in this story is always annoyed with her child and tells her to constantly be quiet. While all the child wants to do is play, the mother never has time for her. This is something that I find to be very upsetting and problematic. The child is immediately seen as a nuisance and a pain. This is something that I didn’t appreciate with the literature.
Gilmore, R. (1999). A screaming kind of day. Toronto: Fitshenry & Whiteside.
Overall, I find this story to be very diverse in terms of albeism. First, the child has a hearing aid, which is something that isn’t always realized in deaf literature. However, this book portrays the negative side of being deaf. The mother in this story is always annoyed with her child and tells her to constantly be quiet. While all the child wants to do is play, the mother never has time for her. This is something that I find to be very upsetting and problematic. The child is immediately seen as a nuisance and a pain. This is something that I didn’t appreciate with the literature.
Gilmore, R. (1999). A screaming kind of day. Toronto: Fitshenry & Whiteside.