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bmpicc's review
4.0
Papa signs. "We can't hide from our ancestors' misdeeds."
I interrupt, "But we can make our own choices now."
This middle grade book talks of forgiveness (of ourselves and others), not judging others, leading by example, family, courage... there is a lot to take away from this one. I'm excited to talk to our middle school book club about this one tomorrow.
I interrupt, "But we can make our own choices now."
This middle grade book talks of forgiveness (of ourselves and others), not judging others, leading by example, family, courage... there is a lot to take away from this one. I'm excited to talk to our middle school book club about this one tomorrow.
jwinchell's review
4.0
Mary lives on the island of Martha’s Vineyard in the year 1805. She is deaf, so is her father, and so are many others in her village, going back to her deaf great great grandfather, who came from England. Mary loves her life and feels proud of this lineage. Mary’s family is living with the grief from the premature loss of her brother George. There is conflict among the American settlers and the native Wampanoag. Life is upended when a mainland scientist arrives and takes Mary as a “live specimen” and studies her deafness, looking for a solution to this problem of human imperfection. The adventure greatly increases after that and the solution is satisfying. Read the author’s notes before you begin for fascinating information about deaf history, American Sign Language, the Wampanoag and natives on Martha’s Vineyard and more. Most fascinating was how LeZote, deaf herself, differentiates between sign and spoken language.
cemills's review
3.0
I'm always wary when I got to read a children's books because, while I still really relate to YA and teen books, I always think I'll have a hard time connecting to children's stories. This was not the case at all! The book started off a little slow and I was thiiiiiiiis close to dropping it but I went back and read what the story is actually about and saw that the main character becomes an "experiment" (I'm pretty sure that is not a spoiler, it's in the synopsis). I'm glad I ended up sticking it out because the book turned out to be quite good (if a little simple for an older reader) and shared a lot of information about deaf culture and the history of Martha's Vineyard.
mbrandmaier's review
5.0
Parts of this story kept me on the edge of my seat!!!
Mary is a young Deaf girl living in the town of Chilmark on Martha’s Vineyard in the early 19th century. She is living with guilt thinking that her brother’s death is her fault.
A young man comes to her town to study why there is such a large number of Deaf residents on the island, but makes his disdain for them very clear. He seems mostly harmless at first, but this turns out to not be the case at all.
It was interesting to read the backstory about the residents of Martha’s Vineyard and the origins of there being so many Deaf residents. There was also a side plot about a Wampanoag man (and his family) who works for Mary’s father, but the family was very minimally mentioned throughout the story.
Mary is a young Deaf girl living in the town of Chilmark on Martha’s Vineyard in the early 19th century. She is living with guilt thinking that her brother’s death is her fault.
A young man comes to her town to study why there is such a large number of Deaf residents on the island, but makes his disdain for them very clear. He seems mostly harmless at first, but this turns out to not be the case at all.
It was interesting to read the backstory about the residents of Martha’s Vineyard and the origins of there being so many Deaf residents. There was also a side plot about a Wampanoag man (and his family) who works for Mary’s father, but the family was very minimally mentioned throughout the story.
libraryjen's review
adventurous
informative
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
4.5
A quick, but powerful read with relatable characters and a huge twist I didn't see coming, but makes sense in the context of the story. Lots of great information about the Deaf community on Martha's Vineyard in the 1800s and commentary on ableism, racism, and prejudice without being in the least bit didactic or preachy! I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the history and anyone interested in Deaf history/culture.
smalltownbookmom's review against another edition
4.0
A really interesting middle grade historical fiction novel about a small community on Martha’s Vineyard in 1805 where a large percentage of the population are born deaf. Told from 11-year old Mary Lambert’s eyes the author does an amazing job giving readers an insight into what it’s like to be deaf with the extra layers of able bodied discrimination from outsiders but also of a strong community that has connections to the local Indigenous peoples and who have created their own version of sign language (formal ASL wasn’t created until much later on). A painful, raw, heartbreaking but ultimately uplifting and eye-opening story that is sure to encourage greater empathy for people living with extra challenges. An amazing debut from Ann Clare Lezotte told with the insight and sensitivity only a fellow deaf person could achieve. Highly recommend - I learned so much about a community of people I never knew even existed.
Favourite quote:
“Deafness is not an affliction, the only thing it stops me from doing is hearing.”
Favourite quote:
“Deafness is not an affliction, the only thing it stops me from doing is hearing.”
blkwwwaffle's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
d_kotamilburn's review against another edition
3.0
The character writing was very dry which made it hard to get into at the beginning. The culture and historical tidbits of Deaf people in the region at this time was great
blogginboutbooks's review
4.0
I'm not sure how much this novel will appeal to middle graders, for whom historical stories can be a hard sell (unless they're of the I Survived ... variety), but I enjoyed it. I learned a lot about deafness and deaf culture through our heroine, Mary Lambert, through her interactions with people of her deaf community and outside of it. LeZotte's author's notes at the end of the book were also fascinating. Most of the characters in SHOW ME A SIGN are warm and likable, although they remain realistic in their imperfections. Action-wise, this novel starts off slowly (which I believe will be an obstacle for young readers), but if definitely picks up in the second half. Overall, I found it an interesting, heartfelt, and thought-provoking read. It was an enlightening book for me and I hope it finds its way into the hands of MG readers. Regardless, readers of any age can benefit from the lessons taught in ShOW ME A SIGN.