![]() ![]() ![]() Deaf rights activist Nović incorporates so many issues that affect the Deaf community, including education inequality and the rise of cochlear implants. By the end of the book, each character is changed, and their transformations are explored with a beautifully subtle touch. The novel’s sense of emotion builds slowly, from Austin’s intensifying anger and February’s growing desperation to Charlie’s burgeoning confidence. The narrative moves in and out of the three main characters’ points of view, offering intimate glimpses into their inner lives. Interspersed among the chapters are school assignments and other ephemera that detail ASL lessons and exercises. ![]() Throughout the novel, signed conversations are translated into English, each chapter heading is an illustration of a character’s name sign, the first signed letter of their name. Though written in English, the book is bursting with ASL, offering an exploration into the power of language and the violence of language deprivation, the beauty of free and open communication, and the possibilities (and limitations) of translation. a remarkable book that is many things at once: a primer on Deaf history, a love story, a coming-of-age tale, a riotous political awakening, a family saga and a richly layered character study. ![]()
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