Kris L. (miss-info) reviewed on 1/11/2010 + 386 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 2

The inside look at the Lexington School is only a part of this book. The author weaves its history with her own (she only lived at the school until she was 7, and did not learn to sign there), her father's (he is the superintendent of the school, and the hearing son of deaf parents), an inner-city student named James, and a Russian-born, multi-lingual deaf girl named Sofia. James' family gives him no support; at times there is not even enough food to go around. If he could hear, would he be in jail with his brother, or peddling drugs? Did his deafness save him from the culture of his family, and does he see that as a good thing? Sofia's parents, who do not sign, speak Russian at home. They do not support Sofia learning Hebrew so she can have a bat mitzvah, nor do they want her to go to college and leave them stuck with a younger deaf daughter that Sofia has been raising for them. Which culture does Sofia belong to: Jewish, Russian, American, or Deaf? Is it more important to fulfill her own potential, or her parents' wishes? All in all, a very interesting book.

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