16 books like Give Me a Sign

By Anna Sortino,

Here are 16 books that Give Me a Sign fans have personally recommended if you like Give Me a Sign. Shepherd is a community of 11,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Mighty Mila

Bobbie Hinman Author Of The Knot Fairy

From my list on children’s picture books by first-time authors.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a former teacher, and grandmother of 13 now-grownup kids, I can’t begin to count the total number of children’s books I’ve read. A gazillion maybe? I have published 5 children’s books of my own and have read them to hundreds of classes all over the U.S. I have been an editor of children’s books for about 10 years and feel honored every time an author hands their precious manuscript over to me for assistance. I’ve read so, so many amazing books. It was difficult to name just a handful, but these books spoke to me, evoking emotions that stayed with me long after the last i was dotted and t was crossed. I hope you will feel that as well.

Bobbie's book list on children’s picture books by first-time authors

Bobbie Hinman Why did Bobbie love this book?

I love children’s books that teach values through the words and actions of believable characters. This is one of my favorites. Based on a true story, little Mila has cochlear implants, yet wants to prove that she is every bit as bright, as strong, and as brave as any other child. Her goal is to do everything herself and never ask for help. But when faced with a seemingly insurmountable challenge, she must prove how mighty she really is. Filled with bright, detailed illustrations that add so much to the story, this heartwarming tale is all about believing in yourself.

By Katie Petruzziello, Nadja Sarell (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Mighty Mila as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 5, 6, 7, and 8.

What is this book about?

Celebrate the power of believing in yourself with this multi-award winning, heartwarming and hilarious tale of a spunky deaf girl who’s determined to prove she can be a big kid!

Mila may be a kid, but she can act pretty grown up…at least that’s what she thinks. The trouble is, Mila’s parents still treat her like she’s little, so she’s decided to prove once and for all that she can do things “all on her own!” But when it turns out that being a big kid isn’t as easy as she thought, will Mila admit defeat, or will she find…


Book cover of Ada and the Helpers

Argyro Graphy Author Of The Adventures of Bentley Hippo: Inspiring Children to Accept Each Other

From my list on how disability does not define a person.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have seen a huge shift in the way others look at me and treat me since losing complete vision in one eye. I’m now labeled. It’s not fun, it’s disturbing and sad, and even though my appearance has slightly changed, I have not. “my disability does not define who I am” I may smile, but it doesn’t mean I don’t struggle and we can all use some kind words and encouragement and not be so judgmental.

Argyro's book list on how disability does not define a person

Argyro Graphy Why did Argyro love this book?

A wonderful story about a little fox who despite having cochlear implants, helps others see past their differences. This story teaches us to embrace our differences and accept ourselves as we are. The smallest act of kindness goes a long way. It even includes the American Sign Language Chart.

By Travis D. Peterson, Melissa Fischer (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Ada and the Helpers as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The 2022 Eric Hoffer Award recognizes the significance of Ada and the Helpers as: Grand Prize Finalist First Horizon Award Finalist (for debut authors) Honorable Mention in Children's Book Category
"Be bold! Be brave! Let you be you... and let's help others, too!" That's Ada's motto.

Ada is a dancing, deaf fox with cochlear implants who loves to help others. On her way to dance in a talent show one day, she meets three other creatures who are each facing a physical challenge or disability of their own. She decides to help each of her new friends to see past…


Book cover of Life After Deaf: My Misadventures in Hearing Loss and Recovery

Claudia Marseille Author Of But You Look So Normal: Lost and Found in a Hearing World

From my list on living with a severe hearing loss.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve had a severe hearing loss since birth and grew up dependent on lipreading and hearing aids. I’ve witnessed profound change in technology, from the large primitive hearing aid I had as a child, to digital and assistive listening technologies and the availability of cochlear implants. I’ve painfully navigated my way through public schools, and later at jobs, with an invisible disability. Today I am grateful for connectivity to the phone, captioning for movies and Zoom which enables me to lipread! I finally found my way to a life of creativity as a painter and writer. 

Claudia's book list on living with a severe hearing loss

Claudia Marseille Why did Claudia love this book?

Holston, a journalist and musician, went to bed one night and woke up the next morning virtually completely deaf.

His book is a fascinating account of how he clawed his way back to the hearing world through various misdiagnoses, a failed cochlear implant, and finally, after extensive rehabilitative therapy, a successful cochlear implant. I learned so much about the pros and cons and risks of cochlear implants, and how they have improved greatly over the years.

I loved the way he communicates his profound frustrations and fears through this painful process with a self-deprecating humor that makes the book, despite its serious subject matter, an entertaining as well as educational read.

By Noel Holston,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Life After Deaf as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From a renowned media critic to a man with sudden and full hearing loss, Noel Holston ran the gauntlet of diagnoses, health insurance, and cochlear implant surgery. On a spring night in 2010, Noel Holston, a journalist, songwriter, and storyteller, went to bed with reasonably intact hearing. By dawn, it was gone, thus beginning a long process of h


Book cover of Seeing Voices

Tony Sandy Author Of Logic List English: Rhyming Word etc. - Vol 1 A

From my list on honest communication and language usage.

Why am I passionate about this?

What qualifies me to compile this list of books, probably goes back to my childhood and the confusion I felt about human society and its conflict in word usage, compared to actual meaning. This fascination with psychology and linguistics, culminated in me reading perhaps hundreds of books, some of which are included here. My mother described me as a quiet baby and a child who would only say something, if they thought it was important, possible indicators of autism and the little professor syndrome of silent observation and study.

Tony's book list on honest communication and language usage

Tony Sandy Why did Tony love this book?

Here we have another of Oliver Sacks' brilliant books, the subject this time being the deaf. My brother’s wife is profoundly deaf as is her brother (heredity disease). He had a cochlear implant but she refused one and knowing my brother I can’t blame her. To me the most fascinating part of the book is the development of sign language and how different forms appeared in different countries. The creation of deaf schools, like the one started by Alexander Graham Bell, whose parents were both profoundly deaf, caused controversy because he didn’t believe in sign language and tried to force his pupils to use only speech in communication. As they had no feedback for sound, this was unbelievably stupid in my opinion as you can only change what you sense and can make sense of. Those who sign can ‘speak’ rapidly and clearly by ‘visual’ means, whereas those who try…

By Oliver Sacks,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Seeing Voices as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Oliver Sacks has been described (by "The New York Times Book Review") as "one of the great clinical writers of the 20th century," and his books, including the medical classics Migraine and Awakenings, have been widely praised by critics from W. H. Auden to Harold Pinter to Doris Lessing. In his last book, "The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat", Dr. Sacks undertook a fascinating journey into the world of the neurologically impaired, an exploration that Noel Perrin in the "Chicago Sun-Times" called "wise, compassionate, and very literate...the kind that restore(s) one's faith in humanity."Now, with "Seeing Voices",…


Book cover of Silent Fear

John Morris Author Of The Gatekeeper and the Guardian

From my list on fiction for curious minds.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love to read a good story, but I also get the greatest satisfaction from writing one, or several. I believe good fiction can say what factual books cannot, and done right, they can offer differing perspectives to any accepted norm. The trick is to let the characters speak, regardless of whether I agree with what they say, or not. The secret to good presentation is to offer the reader the choice to think about what has been said, consider and delve deeper, or not and pass by.

John's book list on fiction for curious minds

John Morris Why did John love this book?

Silent Fear is a stunning mystery novel, scary because it is set in an institute for the blind during a lockdown. There is a serial killer on the loose and no inmates have the ability to see their persecutor. Yes, this one gets right inside your mind and I felt privileged to read it.

By Lance Morcan, James Morcan,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Silent Fear as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

When you can't hear...death comes silently.

Scotland Yard detective Valerie Crowther is assigned to investigate the murder of a student at a university for the Deaf in London, England. The murder investigation coincides with a deadly flu virus outbreak, resulting in the university being quarantined from the outside world.

When more Deaf students are murdered, it becomes clear there is a serial killer operating within the sealed-off university. A chilling cat-and-mouse game evolves as the unknown killer targets Valerie and the virus claims more lives.

A stunning, claustrophobic, "whodunit" murder mystery, Silent Fear (A novel inspired by true crimes) is…


Book cover of The Deaf Way II Anthology: A Literary Collection by Deaf and Hard of Hearing Writers

Donna Jo Napoli Author Of In a Flash

From my list on deaf culture.

Why am I passionate about this?

Years ago, I visited a school for the deaf to see how the children learn to read. It opened my eyes: It is exceedingly difficult to learn to read a language you cannot hear. I am a linguist and a writer for children. So this experience lit a fire under me – I wanted to learn about the deaf experience, sign languages, and what sorts of ways I might be able to support the effort to learn to read. I now analyze sign languages, work with a team to advocate for deaf children’s language rights, and am co-director of the RISE project, producing videobooks for deaf children and their families.

Donna's book list on deaf culture

Donna Jo Napoli Why did Donna love this book?

This has poetry, essays, short stories, and a play, all by internationally acclaimed deaf writers.  These give you a starting point. From there, you need to take a sign language course and start watching videos of deaf poems, stories, and jokes. What a grand world of wonder awaits you!

By Tonya M. Stremlau,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Deaf Way II Anthology as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Deaf Way II Anthology brings together stellar contributions by 16 international writers who are deaf or hard of hearing. This remarkable collection features poetry, essays, short stories, and one play, all of which offer thought-provoking perspectives on elements from the personal universes of these gifted authors. Many are United States writers well-known for their past publications, such as Douglas Bullard, Willy Conley, Christopher Heuer, and Raymond Luczak, while the outstanding work of John Lee Clark, volume editor Tonya Stremlau, Melissa Whalen, and several others have been collected for the first time in this volume. The international contributions further distinguish…


Book cover of Deaf Culture: Exploring Deaf Communities in the United States

Donna Jo Napoli Author Of In a Flash

From my list on deaf culture.

Why am I passionate about this?

Years ago, I visited a school for the deaf to see how the children learn to read. It opened my eyes: It is exceedingly difficult to learn to read a language you cannot hear. I am a linguist and a writer for children. So this experience lit a fire under me – I wanted to learn about the deaf experience, sign languages, and what sorts of ways I might be able to support the effort to learn to read. I now analyze sign languages, work with a team to advocate for deaf children’s language rights, and am co-director of the RISE project, producing videobooks for deaf children and their families.

Donna's book list on deaf culture

Donna Jo Napoli Why did Donna love this book?

The authors explore the complexity of deaf identities, looking at race, sexual behavior/orientation, disability, and the range of different experiences deaf people have, from being born into a family that signs to not even learning about sign languages until they are (nearly) adults.

By Irene Leigh, Jean Andrews, Raychelle Harris , Topher Gonzáles Ávila

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Deaf Culture as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A contemporary and vibrant Deaf culture is found within Deaf communities, including Deaf Persons of Color and those who are DeafDisabled and DeafBlind. Taking a more people-centered view, the second edition of Deaf Culture: Exploring Deaf Communities in the United States critically examines how Deaf culture fits into education, psychology, cultural studies, technology, and the arts. With the acknowledgment of signed languages all over the world as bona fide languages, the perception of Deaf people has evolved into the recognition and acceptance of a vibrant Deaf culture centered around the use of signed languages and the communities of Deaf peoples.…


Book cover of But You Look So Normal: Lost and Found in a Hearing World

Elaine Lin Hering Author Of Unlearning Silence: How to Speak Your Mind, Unleash Talent, and Live More Fully

From my list on helping you realize you’re not the problem.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve finally realized that you can’t outwork yourself out of systemic problems and that so many of the messages we receive have got the problem wrong. Growing up, I was taught to respect my elders. To defer to those who know what they are talking about. But just because someone says something with conviction doesn’t mean they are right. What we’ve been told is imposter syndrome could actually be imposter treatment, and it messes deeply with our sense of self. So even if I’ve taught at brand name institutions, at corporate heavyweights, and on six continents, I’m always seeking to learn.

Elaine's book list on helping you realize you’re not the problem

Elaine Lin Hering Why did Elaine love this book?

We have more in common than we realize. I’m not hard of hearing, nor did I grow up in a generation before digital hearing aids existed. But Claudia’s book transported me through that experience and stresses that while our experiences and identities might be different, the pain of unseen, unheard, and isolated is universally human.

When I’m impatient with progress, Claudia’s journey reminds me of how far we can come with technology, understanding, and awareness in a generation, how deeply impacted we are by the people in our families and communities, and how we can each make a difference in how we experience the world. 

By Claudia Marseille,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked But You Look So Normal as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

By age four, Claudia Marseille had hardly uttered a word. When her parents finally had her hearing tested and learned she had a severe hearing loss, they chose to mainstream her, hoping this would offer her the most "normal" childhood possible. With the help of a primitive hearing aid, Claudia worked hard to learn to hear, lipread, and speak even as she tried to hide her disability in order to fit in. As a result, she was often misunderstood, lonely, and isolated-fitting into neither the hearing world nor the Deaf culture.

This memoir explores Claudia's relationships with her German refugee…


Book cover of Deaf Culture, Our Way: Anecdotes from the Deaf Community

Michael Thal Author Of The Lip Reader

From my list on effect of deafness and understanding deaf people.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was a teacher when I awoke one morning to an unnatural silence. The ENT specialist said the rare virus would return and I’d become deaf one day. Six years later he was proven right, and I had to accept disability because I couldn’t understand my students. I took American Sign Language classes at a local community college, and I taught myself to write. I penned six novels; two about deafness. At the turn of the century, I met Jila, an amazing deaf woman. She told me stories about growing up deaf and Jewish in Iran. After her death from colon cancer, I put her stories together and novelized her life in The Lip Reader.

Michael's book list on effect of deafness and understanding deaf people

Michael Thal Why did Michael love this book?

The pandemic ended Deaf bowling and morning breakfasts with Deaf friends. Having more to learn about the culture is why I read Deaf Culture Our Way: Anecdotes from the Deaf Community. Many of the stories recalled things that happened to me since becoming deaf.

Like many deaf people, I feel the dashboard of my car to make sure it has started. At noisy family gatherings I remove my hearing aids for blessed silence. I also capitalize on my deafness when visiting my brother in Atlanta. Before boarding a plane, I let the gatekeeper know I’m deaf and she always lets me on first. (Deafness has its perks.)

If you have a deaf relative, friend, or just interested in Deaf Culture, or learning ASL, read Deaf Culture Our Way: Anecdotes from the Deaf Community. It’s an eye-opener.

By Roy Holcomb, Samuel Holcomb, Thomas Holcomb , Frank Paul (illustrator) , Valerie Nelson-Metlay (illustrator)

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Deaf Culture, Our Way as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Using humorous stories with illustrations, this classic collection brings deaf culture to life through personal experiences and practical day-to-day information. Various aspects of the deaf world are illuminated through anecdotes, updated in this edition to include new stories about the foibles of the latest communication technologies, including VRS, videophones, email, and instant messaging. Also provided is classroom material for teachers that can be used as excellent supplemental reading for deaf studies, ASL, or interpreting classes, as well as a springboard for discussions about deaf culture.


Book cover of Inside Deaf Culture

Donna Jo Napoli Author Of In a Flash

From my list on deaf culture.

Why am I passionate about this?

Years ago, I visited a school for the deaf to see how the children learn to read. It opened my eyes: It is exceedingly difficult to learn to read a language you cannot hear. I am a linguist and a writer for children. So this experience lit a fire under me – I wanted to learn about the deaf experience, sign languages, and what sorts of ways I might be able to support the effort to learn to read. I now analyze sign languages, work with a team to advocate for deaf children’s language rights, and am co-director of the RISE project, producing videobooks for deaf children and their families.

Donna's book list on deaf culture

Donna Jo Napoli Why did Donna love this book?

This book looks at the history of hearing people’s attitudes toward deaf people and sign languages in America over the past two centuries, and how those attitudes and the social institutions that stem from them have affected the ways deaf people see themselves. Despite the suppression of their language, deaf signers managed to keep American Sign Language alive through clubs and theater. Today, sign languages have achieved recognition of their full status as natural human languages.

By Carol Padden, Tom Humphries,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Inside Deaf Culture as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this absorbing story of the changing life of a community, the authors of Deaf in America reveal historical events and forces that have shaped the ways that Deaf people define themselves today. Inside Deaf Culture relates Deaf people's search for a voice of their own, and their proud self-discovery and self-description as a flourishing culture.

Padden and Humphries show how the nineteenth-century schools for the deaf, with their denigration of sign language and their insistence on oralist teaching, shaped the lives of Deaf people for generations to come. They describe how Deaf culture and art thrived in mid-twentieth century…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in deaf culture, sign language, and problem solving?

Deaf Culture 12 books
Sign Language 21 books
Problem Solving 38 books