SuitabookGive Me a Sign
Anna Sortino
- Reading
- Read alongside a conversation about the range of Deaf and hard-of-hearing experiences rather than treating Lilah as representative of everyone. Pause after distressing scenes, especially police-related fear or interpersonal withdrawal, if needed.
- Themes
- Belonging and Deaf identity: Lilah returns to a Deaf and blind summer camp while feeling caught between hearing and Deaf worlds and uncertain about her place within Deaf culture. The story appears to present Deaf identity as varied and complex, while following Lilah’s movement towards greater self-understanding.
- Communication and access: Lilah has used hearing aids, FM units and lip reading, seeks ASL, and encounters people with different relationships to oral communication and cochlear implants. The book appears to explore communication choices and access as lived experiences rather than presenting one single route as universally correct.
- Romance and communication: Lilah develops a relationship with Isaac at camp; one account describes him withdrawing after a traumatic situation instead of explaining that he was not ready to talk. The romance is presented as a light subplot, but communication failures create additional stress and may offer material for discussing emotional responsibility.
- Worth knowing
- Expect romance as a subplot, including Lilah’s relationship with Isaac. The book also includes belittling or restricting ASL, condescending behaviour, hearing-device choices, and a frightening interaction with police.