Chrissie Keighery

Bought this really for the book cover collection at work, but wanted to read it as I know nothing about being deaf and very little about living with or interacting with people who cannot hear. On the surface it is a typical YA book, although well-written, with none of the lazy characterisation or vocabulary that sometimes plagues writing for this audience. As far as I could tell it would engage such an audience in terms of its concerns, context and language. The main character's deafness (the result of an illness, not something she was born with) is important, in the same way that any particular difference is important to a story about growing up. The author carefully and (I think) sensitively explores the myriad ways in which people deal with being different from the social norm, without it feeling preachy or tick-box. And I felt I did learn quite a lot about how different people in the community (deliberate use of the word, as this is an important concept in the book) of the deaf might feel.
BTW the cover is just brilliant!… (more)