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A review by leigh_ann_15_deaf
Beyond Birds and Bees: Bringing Home a New Message to Our Kids about Sex, Love, and Equality by Bonnie J. Rough
4.0
This is about the author's personal journey towards self-discovery, cultural exploration, and parents' and children's navigation of taboo and knowledge, relationships, and identity. Rough brings up many valid points and research, all of which are important to fostering critical thinking and analysis, as well as implementation of theory and practice.
As a Deaf reader, I found one hiccup, of which I made the author aware. (She responded swiftly and positively to having this pointed out, but I am including it in my review so that other readers will be aware.) There is a jarring and highly disappointing use of the term "hearing impaired" on page 207. The correct term is "hard of hearing." The former is outdated and harmful.
As written many times throughout the book, language matters. Telling children and/or adults that they or an aspect of their identity is "impaired" (read: broken, insufficient, inferior, devalued) has lasting effects on their self-esteem. It took me 23 years to realize that nothing is wrong with me and that Deaf is a valid cultural identity.
Given how language-conscious the book as a whole is, I am aware that the use of "hearing impaired" stems from ignorance rather than intent, but it is still disheartening to see how prevalently and thoughtlessly it is being used.
Other than that, the book is definitely a must-read, especially for parents and for those questioning gender norms.
As a Deaf reader, I found one hiccup, of which I made the author aware. (She responded swiftly and positively to having this pointed out, but I am including it in my review so that other readers will be aware.) There is a jarring and highly disappointing use of the term "hearing impaired" on page 207. The correct term is "hard of hearing." The former is outdated and harmful.
As written many times throughout the book, language matters. Telling children and/or adults that they or an aspect of their identity is "impaired" (read: broken, insufficient, inferior, devalued) has lasting effects on their self-esteem. It took me 23 years to realize that nothing is wrong with me and that Deaf is a valid cultural identity.
Given how language-conscious the book as a whole is, I am aware that the use of "hearing impaired" stems from ignorance rather than intent, but it is still disheartening to see how prevalently and thoughtlessly it is being used.
Other than that, the book is definitely a must-read, especially for parents and for those questioning gender norms.