Quiet Journey

Quiet Journey: Understanding The Rights Of Deaf Children by Joanne S Cripps
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm not sure if I have mentioned it here or not but I have taken up learning American Sign Language. I go every Sunday and meet with a study group and we are helping and learning from each other. As we were talking one day about Deaf culture, I was very saddened to hear how isolated a community they are. I thought it would be interesting to learn about Deaf Culture through a variety of resources. This was the first book that I read. It isn't quite textbook style but it is formatted like a textbook in that is has different chapters relating to different areas ie. School, family life, resources in the community etc. The main point that was scattered throughout the book was that Deaf people and their families,etc need to be aware of their rights as well as the importance of learning sign language. This book was written by a Canadian author from Ontario and at the time in early 2000, there were only 3 Deaf schools in Ontario. I found this appalling... I thought there has to be Deaf people everywhere, not just in the areas of these 3 schools. It turns out there are Deaf people everywhere but they tend to be together in communities and are very protective of said communities. Since sign language is really taught as another language option in school, and not all schools either, the amount of people that are hearing and can communicate fluently in sign is very limited. So while I am on my signing journey, I am going to immerse myself in Deaf culture. I want to read about families that are both Deaf and hearing. I want to read about the do's and don'ts when talking or being around Deaf people. I want to hear personal trials and tribulations and successes regarding sign language and Deaf culture. I want to learn so much about this language because I have wanted to do so for a very long time but was unable to teach myself for reasons you may understand. I watched the series Switched at Birth and there is TONS of signing in that show and it was a really great show. I also find sign language such a beautiful language. When you can watch people signing together and having a full out conversation it's such a beautiful thing and there's so much emotion AND sign language is very blunt and to the point. There's no skirting around things, people who sign just tell it like it is and I love that because that's how I live my life. While I am working on finishing the 52 book challenge from time to time you will see a book review about Deaf culture and it's really quite interesting... maybe it will spur your interest to take time to learn something new! Happy trails guys and a HUGE thank you to the people that come back every month and read my reviews on various items. Being accountable to you guys means a lot to me and definitely gives me a purpose.

Notice

Dear Readers/Followers,

I have some work to do this month. I am wanting to review NYFW (New York Fashion Week), LFW (London Fashion Week), and MFW (Milan Fashion Week).

I will be sure to break the posts up so that it is a post for each fashion week. I will be posting my reviews on the shows of interest and adding links for the ones that I think are fantastic.

Look forward to seeing it soon as it will not be posted in the end of March re-cap.

Please note, leave comments about anything you want on any of the previous or current posts. I'd love to hear what you guys have to say.

Thanks
Sg

Wonderstruck

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I have started learning American Sign Language and I want to learn more about Deaf culture and the Deaf community. I was looking for some resources that would give me information regarding the above stated topics. This book was in the list and it was at my library so I thought, 'what the hell, i'll give it a try.” This book is not information relating to Deaf culture or community. This is a fictional story with 2 main characters that are Deaf. There is a slight touch on the fact that Deaf people are shunned, they don't really fit in, people aren't willing to learn ASL to communicate with them in their language and often have to resort to communicating in writing. I was not a fan of the story itself, it didn't really interest me, (now that could be bc it was not what I thought it would be and also the story didn't grip my interest). Therefore I am going to be generous and give this story a 2 star rating. It could have been more if it was something I was reading in a different context. The book is majority illustrations but it is over 600 pages which fulfills my book over 600+ pages for the 52 book challenge.


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Dinotopia Lost

Dinotopia Lost by Alan Dean Foster
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was great bc I am a huge fan of dinosaurs and the book Dinotopia by Jame Gurney. This book has the same characters as Dinotopia but there are also some new characters bc the book is not the same. It's more about how the dinosaurs interact with the humans and humans that have chosen to stay on Dinotopia have adapted to a different way of life that is particular to the dinosaurs. There are mentions of a lot of the places that are in Dinotopia but my favourite was at the Tree Tops. It was an elaborate decision and if there was a wrong move a person or dinosaur could fall to their death. While in Dinotopa it is Will and his father that are stranded by a terrible storm, this book has people coming from England and getting trapped in a storm which leads them to Dinotopia. I also really enjoyed the Dinosaurs communicating with each other and how it sounded as well as how Will had to figure out if he could compromise and speak some of the language. The book brings the principles of working together/teamwork/assisting each other with situations that arise on the spot and also how to make the best out of a bad situation. While I would not give this book a 5 star rating, I would give it a 3.5 but being generous I will give it a 4.


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IT

It by Stephen King


I was super disappointed in this book. I am going to give it a ZERO bc it was just not good in my opinion. You get a small glimpse of Pennywise early on and then there is a lot of time where the people are just trying to get together. I wasn't able to get past 130 pages and that has taken me 5 weeks (a little more or less) to read. I feel I gave it a shot but that's not going to do it for me. I even reached out to a friend and said “Hey is this worth the read? Should I stick with it?” She said yes it was and that it was one of the best horror stories ever written. Clearly, not in my opinion. Sad really. If that is how Stephen King writes all his books Damn, that is really a shame.

Discontinued reading on Nov 9, 2017


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We Need to Talk About Kevin

We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is an epistolary novel from a wife written to her ex husband. This book kind of reminded me about Columbine but the difference was there was something strange about Kevin right from the start. He bonded with his father but had NO BOND whatsoever with his mother. If I were to guess maybe I would say that Kevin had Oppositional Defiant Disorder to some extent and then he just cracked. The court case part of the story is hard because (if you watch any court stuff on tv) things get pryed and looked in to which can be very troubling and disheartening. I did enjoy the book but I had read it before. Some of the things Eva says to Kevin are things that you would never expect to come out of a mother's mouth but she truly has no feeling and a disconnect with her son. This book also discusses the point of a successful career woman in the travel industry who is expected to give up her job, which she loves, and become a stay at home mum as per her husband's request and assumption. There are a lot of controversial points in this book but it does make for a good talking piece.


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The Tiger's Wife

The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Gave it a fair chance and couldn't read it. TERRIBLE. COULD NOT GET IN TO IT.


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