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ajoyr's review against another edition
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Medical content, and Body horror
Minor: Bullying, Forced institutionalization, Classism, Alcohol, and Drug use
clovetra's review
adventurous
dark
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
FUCKKKKK WAS THIS GOOD!!! I CANNOT RANT & RAVE ABOUT THIS BOOK ANYMORE THAN IM BOUT TO. EASILY MY FAVOURITE BOOK OF 2024 (so far)
this book has everything and more
- as a disabled person i go NUTS for representation. a book where most main characters are deaf, written by a deaf author? im a rabid dog im so thrilled
- the excerpts following charlie were so brilliant and added to this book quite a lot, such as the excerpt on alexander bell when she's learning about him in history class
- the excerpts about signs too!!!!! i loved them!!!!!
- the mention of the intersectionality between race & disability AND gender & disability.... chefs kiss
- highlighting BASL (which i didn't even know existed!) (granted im australian but still)!! this taught me so much about deaf culture in such an endearing and interesting form
- loved to see a CODA. i used to be able-bodied (long story) and as a child of disabled parents i resonated with february. obviously in very different ways, but mainly due to the underlying commonality between us (or at least a commonality that used to exist)
- wlw rep LETS GOOOOOOOO
- charlie and austin..... my loves. my little baby grills. i also loved kayla a LOT. couldn't stop picturing mel as mel buttle but u know what it works! every character felt like their own person, with motives and goals and a LIFE outside of the main plot.
- writing style was magnificent
- writing FORMAT????? ugh i was in love. the little italics to show when a character was signing vs orally speaking? perfect. the chapter titles being the main pov's initial fingerspelled???? magnificent.
this book accomplished so much. there were so many themes and none of them felt poorly fleshed out. this book covers everything - grief, eugenics, isolation, race, ableism, jealousy, teenage romance, rebellion, gentrification, community, ableism (both outright and unknowingly), and so much more.
i don't think i can truly put into words how much i loved this novel. this book is very clearly a love letter to the deaf community, and i have to say i fell hook line & sinker.
this book has everything and more
- as a disabled person i go NUTS for representation. a book where most main characters are deaf, written by a deaf author? im a rabid dog im so thrilled
- the excerpts following charlie were so brilliant and added to this book quite a lot, such as the excerpt on alexander bell when she's learning about him in history class
- the excerpts about signs too!!!!! i loved them!!!!!
- the mention of the intersectionality between race & disability AND gender & disability.... chefs kiss
- highlighting BASL (which i didn't even know existed!) (granted im australian but still)!! this taught me so much about deaf culture in such an endearing and interesting form
- loved to see a CODA. i used to be able-bodied (long story) and as a child of disabled parents i resonated with february. obviously in very different ways, but mainly due to the underlying commonality between us (or at least a commonality that used to exist)
- wlw rep LETS GOOOOOOOO
- charlie and austin..... my loves. my little baby grills. i also loved kayla a LOT. couldn't stop picturing mel as mel buttle but u know what it works! every character felt like their own person, with motives and goals and a LIFE outside of the main plot.
- writing style was magnificent
- writing FORMAT????? ugh i was in love. the little italics to show when a character was signing vs orally speaking? perfect. the chapter titles being the main pov's initial fingerspelled???? magnificent.
this book accomplished so much. there were so many themes and none of them felt poorly fleshed out. this book covers everything - grief, eugenics, isolation, race, ableism, jealousy, teenage romance, rebellion, gentrification, community, ableism (both outright and unknowingly), and so much more.
i don't think i can truly put into words how much i loved this novel. this book is very clearly a love letter to the deaf community, and i have to say i fell hook line & sinker.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Dementia, and Death of parent
Moderate: Drug use, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Racism, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Bullying, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Vomit, and Police brutality
merylmakreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Ableism, and Bullying
Moderate: Child abuse
anried's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Moderate: Drug use, Gaslighting, Medical trauma, Alcohol, Death of parent, and Medical content
Minor: Car accident and Child abuse
thebookgeek's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Ableism
abbysnofun's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
the asl / Deaf culture "textbook" sections that reflect the plot 😗👌
i know the format might not be for everyone but once i got into it i inhaled it
i know the format might not be for everyone but once i got into it i inhaled it
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Medical trauma, and Death of parent
Moderate: Drug use and Alcohol
claudine2's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
A very interesting book. A neat mixture of fiction and non-fiction. I love how it touched on so many different Deaf and Deaf-adjacent experiences. Very informative, while also being entertaining.
There were a few parts that I struggled with, but in the end, it did make sense why things happened the way they did. I didn't see where it was going until there were only about 40 pages left.
There were a few parts that I struggled with, but in the end, it did make sense why things happened the way they did. I didn't see where it was going until there were only about 40 pages left.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Ableism, Drug use, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Child abuse, Car accident, and Dementia
Minor: Infidelity, Medical content, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Alcohol
invaderday's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
i really really really enjoyed this book! it also probably benefits from the way i have only read romance novels for like over a month so the literary writing was like a nice warm bath
anywayy this book was really super cool and kept my attention the whole time. i kind of left wanting a bit more from the ending but overall it was a satisfying story and just an all around good fucking read
anywayy this book was really super cool and kept my attention the whole time. i kind of left wanting a bit more from the ending but overall it was a satisfying story and just an all around good fucking read
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Medical trauma, Drug use, Ableism, Child abuse, Racism, and Alcohol
Minor: Sexual content and Vomit
lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I received a copy of this book as a gift.
"True Biz" is a story that follows several students, and the headmistress, at a school for deaf students. The students at River Valley School for the Deaf just want to act like every other teenager in the world. February, the headmistress, is fighting to keep the school open, because she knows how important a school like this is for deaf students. Charlie is a transfer student who has never spent much time with other deaf people. Austin is trying to come to terms with the fact that his baby sister was just born and can hear, despite being born into a predominantly deaf family.
I believe this is the first novel I have read that has deaf representation. I found the commentary on ableism and racism associated with American Sign Language to be fascinating, and something that I had never really thought about. When segregation was still mandated, there were separate deaf schools for those who were white versus black. Because of this separation, American Sign Language developed differently, and some signs actually mean different things depending on which community the person is a part of. I always thought American Sign Language was seen as a universal language, and it was really eye-oping to realize it is not, and it too suffered from racism.
Overall, I enjoyed the story and themes in this book more than the characters. I think it was great that we got to read from a few different perspectives, and they all had a different relationship towards being deaf or the deaf community in general, but I was not overly invested in any specific character's story. I think all of the characters represent an important experience, but as a whole, I did not find any of them especially interesting.
I think this is a great story, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to read about deaf characters or who wants to read a story about human connection.
"True Biz" is a story that follows several students, and the headmistress, at a school for deaf students. The students at River Valley School for the Deaf just want to act like every other teenager in the world. February, the headmistress, is fighting to keep the school open, because she knows how important a school like this is for deaf students. Charlie is a transfer student who has never spent much time with other deaf people. Austin is trying to come to terms with the fact that his baby sister was just born and can hear, despite being born into a predominantly deaf family.
I believe this is the first novel I have read that has deaf representation. I found the commentary on ableism and racism associated with American Sign Language to be fascinating, and something that I had never really thought about. When segregation was still mandated, there were separate deaf schools for those who were white versus black. Because of this separation, American Sign Language developed differently, and some signs actually mean different things depending on which community the person is a part of. I always thought American Sign Language was seen as a universal language, and it was really eye-oping to realize it is not, and it too suffered from racism.
Overall, I enjoyed the story and themes in this book more than the characters. I think it was great that we got to read from a few different perspectives, and they all had a different relationship towards being deaf or the deaf community in general, but I was not overly invested in any specific character's story. I think all of the characters represent an important experience, but as a whole, I did not find any of them especially interesting.
I think this is a great story, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to read about deaf characters or who wants to read a story about human connection.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Physical abuse, Grief, Toxic relationship, Violence, Torture, and Ableism
Moderate: Pregnancy and Racism
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
jennp28's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
This book was a really fascinating and arresting look into deaf culture. The cast of characters and the varying POV really worked to show all the angles of the story and the interstitials of non-fiction deaf history, sign language etc really added to the book. I listened to the audiobook, perhaps ironically, but I really appreciated the inclusion of the sound of the signs being made.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
Moderate: Medical content, Car accident, Grief, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Violence