The Whispering Dark by Kelly Andrew
Continue reading Read This!: THE WHISPERING DARK by Kelly Andrew
Category Archives: Reviews
SHE SPOKE TOO gets a starred review from SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL
Read This: DEER RUN HOME by Ann Clare LeZotte
Read This!: THE BUTTERFLY CAGE by Rachel Zemach
The Butterfly Cage by Rachel Zemach
Summary: A tender and perspective-shifting book that offers a rare level of understanding about the subtle and no-so-subtle layers of internalized oppression and deep feelings and dilemmas of Deaf people, written by former Deaf teacher Rachel Zemach. This mesmerizing, funny, and disruptive narrative invites you to be a fly on the wall in a Deaf classroom at a hearing school, experiencing the immense frustration, unbridled joy, and indelible humor that arise for Deaf adults and children in a hearing environment. Rachel struggles with staff, administration, and aides who sabotage her efforts at every turn. The students contend with a principal who removes their textbooks, intercom announcements that are totally inaccessible and a system that renders them all defenseless against these dysfunctional and often absurd forces. You’ll meet seven-year-old Laszlo, the brilliant, language-hungry boy who will capture your heart, and the political, fiercely intelligent elite members of the Deaf community who rally to change legislation after his life takes a shocking turn at age sixteen when he makes a heart-wrenching decision. In a series of short, distinctive chapters, Zemach shares her personal Deafhood journey, poignant scenes from the classroom, shocking individualized education meetings and their impact, and the larger political and historical picture surrounding Deaf education.
I LOVE this book. Honestly, I want to shove it into the hands of hearing people on the street and say, “Read this! Just read this, and maybe, maybe, you’ll start to understand.” Zemach introduces so many important concepts and historical moments that are crucial for understanding the Deaf world – and lends immediacy, context, and humanity to those abstract concepts by grounding them in her own story. She brings her classroom to life before our eyes, showing the wonder and promise of her Deaf students, and the mainstream education system that failed them time and time again. As a teacher/librarian/camp counselor and director who has worked with Deaf kids for many years, I was entranced at how well she shows how much Deaf kids ROCK. Zemach’s writing is lovely, filled with beautiful turns of phrase, elegant descriptions, and, when necessary, unpleasant but very necessary truths.
THE BUTTERFLY CAGE is out now.
Read This!: SAIL ME AWAY HOME by Ann Clare LeZotte
Sail Me Away Home by Ann Clare LeZotte
Summary: As a young teacher on Martha’s Vineyard, Mary Lambert feels restless and adrift. So when a league of missionaries invite her to travel abroad, she knows it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. Paris is home to a pioneering deaf school where she could meet its visionary instructors Jean Massieu and Laurent Clerc—and even bring back their methods to help advance formal deaf education in America!
But the endeavor comes at a cost: The missionaries’ plan to “save” deaf children is questionable at best—and requires Mary’s support. What’s more, the missionaries’ work threatens the Wampanoag and other native peoples’ freedom and safety. Is pursuing Mary’s own goals worth the price of betraying her friends and her own values?
Mary Lambert has always been a restless sort, so when she gets the opportunity to travel to Europe, of course she’s going to take it. But it comes at a cost – traveling with missionaries whose view of deaf people, and Mary herself, is patronizing and harmful. Mary learns hard lessons along the way about who to trust and how to weigh her own choices and actions. As in the previous books in the trilogy, LeZotte immerses her readers into Mary’s world. She seamlessly tackles topics like discrimination, privilege, and diversity within the Deaf community in a story that offers ample discussion starters without ever becoming preachy. Along the way, readers will meet many real historical figures from Deaf history. Mary finishes her trilogy sure of her home in the Deaf community, wherever her travels take her.
I was honored to be selected by Ann Clare LeZotte to write the reading guide for the trilogy, which contains discussion questions and classroom/programming activities. Check it out the reading guide here.
SAIL ME AWAY HOME is out now.
Stories By Hand with Kathy MacMillan 