I'll Scream Later

I normally shy away from celebrity memoirs, but when I saw Marlee Matlin's autobiography at an used bookstore, I picked it up. After all, she is Deaf like myself. Published in 2009, and written with Betsy Sharkey, this covers Marlee's life up to the Dancing With the Stars era -- since then, she has done more work including "Switched at Birth". As a funny aside, ever since she became famous by becoming the first Deaf actor to win an Academy Award, I've had hearing people tell me that I look like and/or remind them of Marlee Matlin. I think we look nothing alike, although we are nearly the same age (she is about two months older than I am). Deaf people have never ever told me this. I suspect, to some hearing people, all Deaf people are show more alike and that is why these comments happen.

Matlin does a lot of dishing on celebrities she has met or knows -- Henry Winkler and his wife are good friends and mentors, and let her stay at their pool house when she was first starting out in LA; she had a tempestuous relationship with William Hurt (her co-star in "Children of a Lesser God"); she lived with David Kelley for a while (he is now married to Michelle Pfieffer); and so on. Those type of disclosures are to be expected from a celebrity memoir.

Matlin occasionally touches upon the challenges of being Deaf and on how the Deaf world perceives her. I could relate to those moments more (obviously) than the celebrity angle of this memoir. While I was disappointed that she didn't go as deeply in Deaf issues whenever she did bring them up, I kind of think the reason for this is that she really wants to be seen as a person, and actress, first and foremost, and that she just happens to be Deaf. I can understand that -- also, she has her feet in both the Deaf and hearing worlds, as I do.

As Marlee Matlin states:

"Whether it was the Deaf or the hearing community, I've always fought against anyone defining me, stereotyping me, limiting me because of my deafness. At the same time, I've tried to be a strong advocate for Deaf issues -- working endlessly for close-captioning and educational opportunities for Deaf Children.
But I decided early on that I had to live my life the best way I knew how. I had strong opinions and a way of living in both the Deaf and hearing worlds that made some Deaf activists angry. But I was raised that way, and I wasn't then, or ever, going to apologize for that" (p. 90-91). show less

It was interesting to read about the extreme highs and lows of Marlee's life. Maybe the best thing I came away with was a sense of her as a *person* rather than an actress, a celebrity, or the most well-known Deaf person in America. She's just a gal with her share of grief and joy in life. Maybe a little more luck than the average person when it came to breaking into the acting business.

I loved this book. I really connected with Marlee. The things she mentions about growing up deaf.. the way she had to have the lyrics written out for her to understand a song... the preference for action or thriller movies and tv shows simply because they are easier to understand.. There was so many simliarities between Marlee and myself it was like a literary looking glass. Of course the similiarities stop there as you will certainly never see me on the cover of a magazine or in a movie! But I felt I could connect with her. I also loved the fact that she doesn't really seem "hollywoodish" or better than everybody else.. She seems "normal" and laid back.

Marlee pretty much holds nothing back in this. She talks about her parents and the show more tensions she has with her mother. She comes clean about her drug use, sexual abuse at the hands of a babysitter and later, a teacher. She tells all about boyfriends, friends, movies, and also how she has felt attacked by the deaf community at times and why she has done some of the things she did that has set them in such a turmoil. A prime example is when she spoke rather than signed name nominations at an awards ceremony.

There was a bit of jumping back and forth but it's her story and she will tell it the way she wants to. The only thing I did not like was the pages after pages about William Hurt aka Bill. I couldn't stand him and I will never watch a movie that has him in it. I would have preferred more details about her happier relationships and less Bill. I respect he had a major impact on her but their fighting and screaming at each other and his hurting her got frustating to read so much of. Maybe a bit more of Richard Dean Anderson would have improved it.

I know this is a book review and not Facebook or Twitter or whatever them websites are, but I want to take time to thank Marlee Matlin for her amazing work in getting close captioning installed in the televisions in 1993. Life before close captioning was hard. It was impossible to watch tv and understand. Everybody would be laughing and you would feel left out sitting there wondering "what is so funny...???" Closed captioning has made a huge and wonderful impact on the deaf and hearing impaired community. Marlee, thanks. Until I read this I had no idea she was behind it. Wow.

Amazing woman. Amazing story. Amazing actress. An absolute must read for deaf women everywhere. Marlee did it. We can do it too. Deafness does not have to stop anybody from doing what they want to do. show less

Somewhat saccharine. Somewhat whiny. Anything but intellectual. I am disappointed to have come out of this book respecting Marlee Matlin, a woman I hold in great esteem, less than I did going into it. I'll Scream Later seemed to be focus a lot on justifying life choices, as if sourced in deep personal insecurity. As such, there's minimal material here for people who aren't already invested as fans.

#1, Ack and eww to the cover. Don't know why, but it just seems... somehow like it doesn't fit the rest of the book. So, if you're considering reading this book, don't judge it by its cover. Though, maybe that's why the cover is the cover, Ms. Matlin seems to be one smart lady.

Other than that, an awesome book, touching, and uplifting, and hilariously funny. Which means a good writer.

Everyone should read it, you won't be sorry. But you may get a side stitch from the gales of laughter.

First let me say that I've been a fan of Matlin's since seeing Children of a Lesser God when I was about 13 or so (TV edited version first!). I watched it over and over...then loved Reasonable Doubts with Matlin and Mark Harmon. I didn't particularly follow tabloids and entertainment mags, so I knew very little about her life.

I'm not sure that non-fans would enjoy the book, but people who appreciate her work should enjoy reading about the struggles she has fought against stereotype and sometimes the Deaf community. She was certainly a wild child, growing up in the Chicago suburbs, wildly spoiled out of a sense of guilt her parents seemed to have over her Deafness (even though it wasn't their fault). Drugs and a number of boyfriends show more didn't deter her from reaching her dream of acting for a living.

The only thing I didn't care for was that the book often jumps around and isn't nicely chronological...but it wasn't too confusing to follow. She does dish on some other celebrities, but with the exception of Bill Hurt, most of them are the people she really liked and how good they were to work with or date. Hurt, on the other hand, comes off as a real jackass...abusive and selfish (although apparently the sex was great). Anybody who is a fan of Henry Winkler (The Fonz) might also enjoy reading how he really mentored and became a second father to Marlee.

Matlin seems to have managed a wonderful down-to-earth family and career - despite some difficult relationships along the way. Maybe this book will also help some of her critics in the Deaf community understand why she made some of the choices she made. show less

This was, to say the least, an interesting read. It was written in a different style than other memoirs I've read. People sometimes say, they write the way they speak. Well, Marlee Matlin does just this. A lot of her speech is short, to the point. Sometimes I would say not as descriptive as someone else might have written it, and this may have to do with her being deaf. I learned through a little outside research, that there is Signed English, which is an almost word for word, more precise form of sign, that's designed to teach rules of syntax and grammar, and then there's of course ASL, which is more of shorthand version, it conveys the general idea being discussed. Marlee, for the most part, uses ASL in her signing, and it comes show more across in her writing. Many of the sentences are short and to the point, the general idea is there, without all the fluff of extra words.
One thing I felt was somewhat confusing were the transitions into some of the other topics. I could see the general idea of them, but I thought they could have been handled somewhat better, because a lot of the time I found myself thinking, "Now how did those two fit together," and having to go back and rearead a little. show less