Thomas S. Spradley

Deaf Like Me is an inspiring story about having a child with a hearing disability. The first two thirds of the book are devoted to having to teach spoken language, in the form of lip reading and vocal training, to deaf children. Personally I was frustrated at the fact that this part of the book is so long and repetitive, and I felt relieved when sign language was finally introduced to the book´s main subject, the deaf child Lynn. Then I realized that this must be exactly how Lynn´s parents felt when they discovered the pleasures of sign language. This book has some very interesting and important things to say about deaf children who grow up in an "oral" environment, and how sign language can be of vital importance to these children. I personally know no deaf people, but read this book for a university course dealing with sociolinguistics and sign language. The writing is approachable, and I would recommend this book to anyone, not just those who are in contact with the deaf or take a particular interest to this topic.… (mais)