Description
Book SynopsisWritten by authors who are themselves Deaf, this unique book illuminates the life and culture of Deaf people from the inside, through their everyday talk, their shared myths, their art and performances, and the lessons they teach one another.
Trade ReviewA fascinating glimpse into a world unfamiliar to most of us. * New York Times Book Review *
To be deaf, it seems obvious, must be to live in a world of silence. That, say the authors of
Deaf in America, is where most people get it wrong… [Padden and Humphries] challenge their readers to imagine a world, one with a ‘different center’—one in which ability or inability to hear is not at the core. The thing that links it all together is sign language, which
Deaf in America contemplates, illustrates, and celebrates. -- Paul Berg * Washington Post *
A long, painful experience of hearing intolerance has generally kept Deaf culture fairly closed to outsiders, even sympathetic ones. But now Padden and Humphries…have written a charming small book that invites the rest of us at least part way in… A most welcome addition to that very small shelf of books that truly illuminate the experience of being deaf. -- Beryl Lieff Benderly * Psychology Today *
Through the use of folklore, apocryphal stories, poetry, jokes, and discussion of split factions and advocacy organizations, Padden and Humphries gracefully explain how deaf culture works, what it means to its members, how they define themselves within it, and how they interact with the world outside. Providing rare insight into this universe of silence, this volume conveys the joy and satisfaction that many deaf people have in their lives and shows that being deaf is not a handicap that most hearing people think. * Booklist *
In this wonderful book, we see Deaf culture from inside out and from outside in at the same time—a miracle and a delight. -- Harlan Lane, author of
When the Mind Hears: A History of the DeafTable of ContentsIntroduction 1. Learning to Be Deaf 2. Images of Being 3. A Different Center 4. Living in Others' World 5. A Changing Consciousness 6. The Meaning of Sound 7. Historically Created Lives References Index
