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A review by jojodoug55
Deaf Utopia: A Memoir—and a Love Letter to a Way of Life by Nyle DiMarco
4.0
I first came across this book in a galley, but decided to purchase it when it came out because I knew that I would enjoy it, as I am a fan of Nyle's work–I have been following his career since ANTM and Switched At Birth.
Despite originally wanting to read his memoir because of the career he has led, I found myself more so enjoying the personal stories that he shares about growing up as a Deaf kid in a hearing world. I learned so much valuable information about Deaf culture and history, Deaf education, Deaf languages (beyond ASL), Deaf experiences, audism, and more! Nyle writes with a clear, authentic voice that speaks truth into the hearing space about the reality of Deaf life. What he has to share has been well researched and written (in his second language yet!). I love that he is inventive with the words in his writing, manipulating idiomatic expressions that use words like "voice," "mouth," "tongue," "hear," "sound," etc. and alters them to match his experience as a Deaf community member. It is not only creative, but also indicative of how relative basic life experiences can actually be. In this way, among many others, he explores the theme of perspectivism, giving a point of view that is often lacking in the hearing world; additionally, he navigates themes of language deprivation, trauma, abuse, childhood, growing up, relationships, the entertainment industry, reality television, and so much more....
Despite originally wanting to read his memoir because of the career he has led, I found myself more so enjoying the personal stories that he shares about growing up as a Deaf kid in a hearing world. I learned so much valuable information about Deaf culture and history, Deaf education, Deaf languages (beyond ASL), Deaf experiences, audism, and more! Nyle writes with a clear, authentic voice that speaks truth into the hearing space about the reality of Deaf life. What he has to share has been well researched and written (in his second language yet!). I love that he is inventive with the words in his writing, manipulating idiomatic expressions that use words like "voice," "mouth," "tongue," "hear," "sound," etc. and alters them to match his experience as a Deaf community member. It is not only creative, but also indicative of how relative basic life experiences can actually be. In this way, among many others, he explores the theme of perspectivism, giving a point of view that is often lacking in the hearing world; additionally, he navigates themes of language deprivation, trauma, abuse, childhood, growing up, relationships, the entertainment industry, reality television, and so much more....