True Biz
Fiction
Random House
April 5, 2022
Hardcover/Audio
400
Purchased
True biz (adj/exclamation; American Sign Language): really, seriously, definitely, real-talk
True biz? The students at the River Valley School for the Deaf just want to hook up, pass their history final, and have doctors, politicians, and their parents stop telling them what to do with their bodies. This revelatory novel plunges readers into the halls of a residential school for the deaf, where they'll meet Charlie, a rebellious transfer student who's never met another deaf person before; Austin, the school's golden boy, whose world is rocked when his baby sister is born hearing; and February, the headmistress, who is fighting to keep her school open and her marriage intact, but might not be able to do both. As a series of crises both personal and political threaten to unravel each of them, Charlie, Austin, and February find their lives inextricable from one another--and changed forever.
This is a story of sign language and lip-reading, cochlear implants and civil rights, isolation and injustice, first love and loss, and, above all, great persistence, daring, and joy. Absorbing and assured, idiosyncratic and relatable, this is an unforgettable journey into the Deaf community and a universal celebration of human connection.
My review:
This book was not really on my radar, but I picked it as my Book of the Month selection mainly for the disability representation. I have not read many (if any) books centered around the deaf community, and it was time I rectified that. I found this book to be not only a really well crafted story about the lives of three wonderfully fleshed out characters, but also a learning experience about American Sign Language (ASL). I listened to this on audio, which was a great experience, but I was very glad that I had a physical copy of the book to refer to. In between some of the character chapters were different references to signing, with accompanying pictures to create a unique visual within the book. I've always been fascinated with sign language and wish that I had taken the time to fully learn it. When my oldest daughter was diagnosed with severe dyspraxia at age two, we used a few signs to teach her how to communicate things like eat, drink, more, etc. while she was undergoing numerous hours of speech therapy. I love that this book is an own voices story, as the author herself is a member of the deaf community. There was a very interesting commentary on the use (or non-use) of cochlear implants that I had never contemplated before. The only ultimate downfall of this book was that the ending did not have anywhere near enough resolution for me. I wanted to know more about what happens to these characters who I grew to care so much about.
An excellent look at the ever present issues presented to the deaf community, with lots of information to absorb and process. Jut go in knowing that you may not get the full resolution you want at the end.
