Scan barcode
A review by sc104906
Show Me a Sign by Ann Clare LeZotte
3.0
I received this as an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Set on Martha's Vineyard during the early 1800s, Mary has always loved her secluded home. Her community has a higher deaf population than other parts of the world. They use both spoken and sign language interchangeably. While this island has felt like paradise to Mary, after the death of her brother, mounting tensions between other townsfolk and native populations, as well as a scientist who is determined to figure out the cause of the deaf population numbers, Mary's world becomes a scary and sad place. She seeks harmony, grief and prejudice challenge her at every turn. When Mary is pushed further into the scientist's world, will she be able to survive his horrific experiments.
This book should be part of the Newbery discussion, though I don't necessarily believe that it is one of my front runners. This is a book that everyone should read. I moves quickly and shines a light on a lesser known history. I had no idea about this history of Martha's Vineyard. I think it is important to talk about deaf history, especially from an own voices perspective. This book is a conversation starter, should be taught in schools, which merits it for discussion in the Newbery award contender list. I think the writing could have been better, but the plot and characters were solidly built. The research was present, but not off-putting. The pieces were well-put-together.
Set on Martha's Vineyard during the early 1800s, Mary has always loved her secluded home. Her community has a higher deaf population than other parts of the world. They use both spoken and sign language interchangeably. While this island has felt like paradise to Mary, after the death of her brother, mounting tensions between other townsfolk and native populations, as well as a scientist who is determined to figure out the cause of the deaf population numbers, Mary's world becomes a scary and sad place. She seeks harmony, grief and prejudice challenge her at every turn. When Mary is pushed further into the scientist's world, will she be able to survive his horrific experiments.
This book should be part of the Newbery discussion, though I don't necessarily believe that it is one of my front runners. This is a book that everyone should read. I moves quickly and shines a light on a lesser known history. I had no idea about this history of Martha's Vineyard. I think it is important to talk about deaf history, especially from an own voices perspective. This book is a conversation starter, should be taught in schools, which merits it for discussion in the Newbery award contender list. I think the writing could have been better, but the plot and characters were solidly built. The research was present, but not off-putting. The pieces were well-put-together.