My Sense of Silence
Memoirs of a Childhood with Deafness
Published on 9. June 2008
Book
Paperback/Softback
176 pages
978-0-252-07577-3 (ISBN)
Description
Selected as an "Editors Choice" by the Chicago Tribune
Lennard J. Davis grew up as the hearing child of deaf parents. In this candid, affecting, and often funny memoir, he recalls the joys and confusions of this special world, especially his complex and sometimes difficult relationships with his working-class Jewish immigrant parents. Gracefully slipping through memory, regret, longing, and redemption, My Sense of Silence is an eloquent remembrance of human ties and human failings.
Lennard J. Davis grew up as the hearing child of deaf parents. In this candid, affecting, and often funny memoir, he recalls the joys and confusions of this special world, especially his complex and sometimes difficult relationships with his working-class Jewish immigrant parents. Gracefully slipping through memory, regret, longing, and redemption, My Sense of Silence is an eloquent remembrance of human ties and human failings.
Reviews / Votes
"This is a man revealing himself, touched and startled by his act of exposure, discovering and offering the old truth: every life matters. Reminding us of this is what memoir does best. . . . An engrossing contribution to the genre."--Margaret Diehl, New York Times Book Review"Davis's new memoir focuses on how his parents' deafness affected him. He writes frankly about the difficulties he encountered, such as his inability to call his parents when he needed comfort during the night and his having to serve as their interpreter. . . . The writer also infuses his writing with humor and the sense of love and respect he developed for his parents. . . . Davis's descriptions of the richness and complexity of sign language are the most fascinating portions of the book. Highly recommended."--Library Journal
"Good memoirs with staying power are hard to find any year. One of this year's very best is . . . My Sense of Silence. Davis succeeds brilliantly in doing many things. His is an outstanding personal and cultural study of deafness as well as a savvy and moving intellectual and political autobiography."--The Bloomsbury Review
More details
Edition
New edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Baltimore
United States
Edition type
New edition
Illustrations
9 black & white photographs
Dimensions
Height: 210 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 13 mm
Weight
254 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-252-07577-3 (9780252075773)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
05/2015
University of Illinois Press
€21.49
Available for download
Previous edition
Book
11/1999
University of Illinois Press
€25.99
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Person
Lennard J. Davis is a professor of English, Disability and Human Development, and Medical Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He has written several books and published essays in The Nation, the Chronicle of Higher Education, and other publications, and he has been a commentator on National Public Radio.
Content
Chapter 1 - The Grain of SoundsChapter 2 - Language and the Word of My FatherChapter 3 - The Two MothersChapter 4 - Brother's KeeperChapter 5 - Honeymoon with MomChapter 6 - SchoolingChapter 7 - AdolescenceChapter 8 - College and Other AwakeningsEpilogue