Blog

Julia is a Deaf teen girl who is creative, artistic, and passionate. And she is an authentic portrayal of deafness.

You’re Welcome, Universe author Whitney Gardner sits down with Andrea Shettle and site editor Natasha Razi to discuss her debut novel!

Wonderstruck is wonderful. It is, to date, the most creative and ambitious novel about the d/Deaf experience in America I’ve ever come across.

One of the more authentic reflections I have seen of what it can be like to grow up deaf — this is the kind of book I wish I could have had when I was younger.

Despite some flaws, it is clear the author did his research. I enjoyed this book and recommend it.

The toughest chapter to write in El Deafo, by far, was the chapter in which I reject sign language.

It wasn’t until I was an adult that I could finally understand that from the time of my diagnosis, my education was not going to be “complete,” because I did not have the full access I needed. It was as if intensive speech therapy and itinerant teachers were more important than having a sign language interpreter in my classes.

Predictably, many of the tropes relating to D/deaf and hard of hearing characters deal with communication methods and degree of hearing loss. Most, if not all, of these tropes have to do with people’s assumptions and wishful thinking about hearing loss.