100 books like Shouting Won't Help

This book has become a kind of Bible for those with hearing loss, certainly it has for me. Both authors share their own personal experiences with hearing loss, but this book is primarily a wonderful handbook for self-advocacy.

It is chock full of valuable information about how to navigate the hearing loss world; from the latest hearing technology to how to communicate more effectively in the world. I learned new things that I’ve now applied to my life.

I love movies, but unless they are foreign films with subtitles, I’ve always struggled to understand what is being said. But I discovered there are captioning devices that will download in real time what is being said. Just recently, I watched Barbie with a captioning device that fit into my seat’s cup holder. To my delight, I was able to glance down periodically and read all the dialogue. 

This is just one… show more.

I was so engrossed by this poignant memoir that I inhaled it one day. Hay describes how he lost all his hearing in his 20s due to a rare disease that causes tumors that required removal over many surgeries with major side effects and long and difficult rehabs. Honestly, I don’t know how he achieved all that he did while juggling a demanding job and three children.  

Delightfully woven throughout his account is a tale of his musical journey as he is determined to commit to memory the lyrics of his favorite songs while going deaf. I had fun learning about the music that informed his generation. I was also moved by the love between him and his devoted wife, Nora, who unfailingly stood beside him every step of the way.  

It is a poignant account of bravery and resilience as he works hard to live a life as normal… show more.

In 1986 I sobbed the whole way through the film Children of a Lesser God starring Marlee Matlin and William Hurt, about the doomed romance between a hearing teacher at a school for the Deaf and a young deaf woman who works as a janitor. So, when her autobiography came out in 2010, I just gobbled it up.

It is a soul-baring account of her life, starting with the total loss of her hearing at 18 months, her sexual abuse, addictions, and her various fraught romances. She is now a celebrated award-winning actress, an advocate for the Deaf community, and is actively involved in various charitable organizations.

I am amazed at how much she has accomplished, given her deafness and all that she has gone through. It gave me an important glimpse into a celebrity’s Deaf experience.

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.

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. 

An amazing story of a little boy that lives and enjoys life as any other. Once discovered that he has hearing issues, and receives a hearing aid, he can enjoy life even more. A story that inspires us to be considerate of everyone as disabilities are not always visible.

Like most readers, I like my science sandwiched between stories.

Tim Falconer delivers a winsome tale of a writer diagnosed with “amusia"—the clinical term for “tone deafness”—who nevertheless longs to sing. Bashful yet determined, he delves into the science of auditory deficits and musicality on a quest to uncover why he can’t sing in tune, and whether anything can be done about it.

I couldn’t help but cheer him on as he endures remedial singing lessons and a nail-biting buildup to a public performance. Will he pull it off? And is there hope for other bad singers out there? I loved how Falconer used himself as Exhibit A to prove that even extreme tone deficits needn’t keep us from the joys of making music. 

This book is a picture book for a younger audience. Can you imagine being born deaf but no one around you knows it? That's what this book shows through a Bear who isn't responding to his friends when they speak to him. Fortunately, his Dad figures it out and takes him to a doctor where he is fitted with hearing aids. This book will help children that are deaf and their friends who may not always understand what it's like to be deaf.

Paul Longmore assigned Everyone Here Spoke Sign Language for the “Disability in America” course I took. As a folklorist this book hooked me. It is totally unique, combining science (genetics), history, maritime culture, and community. It consolidates sign language “oral histories” documenting a Deaf community’s cultural heritage in Martha’s Vineyard passed through generations. Everyone Here Spoke Sign Language offers an essential message from this tight-knit community where deafness was more a trait than a disability. Understanding how Helen Keller had a Deafblind destiny shaped by her times (as earlier were Deafblind woman should be women Julia Brace and Laura Bridgman), I sometimes wonder if Keller would have been less stressed if she had not been pressured by proponents of auralism like Alexander Graham Bell to learn to speak aloud.

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.