Deaf Culture Our Way: Anecdotes from the Deaf Community

When I was a freshman in college, I had to buy this book for my ASL One class. We not only read it in class, but signed the stories too. While in this class, I learned a great deal of the culture and hardships of the Deaf through this book. I still have it today and look through it from time to time to have a little laugh. The stories are easy to read and easy to sign too.

This book is an easy read. All you have to do is sit back and it will entertain you. It has many humorous parts, but they're all realistic as well. Being a Deaf woman, I know. There are some cute sketches, but nothing really eye-catching in the way of illustrations. My only (and I DO mean ONLY) criticism is the price. It is a rather small book (a square with only about 100 pages) and much better suited in the used price range.If you're hearing and you want to learn abour the REAL Deaf world, pick this book up. It's worth it. If you're Deaf and you want to chuckle and sigh as you read about things you know all-too-well, this book is a fun read. I recommend it whole-heartedly! :o)

"You get into a fight with a friend. She gets tired of fighting and locks herself in a room. You are determined to get the last word in, so you write a note and pass it under the door . . . You go to a restaurant with a friend. The first thing you do after being seated is to remove the centerpiece so that you have an unobstructed view of your friend's hands . . . Even though you have installed an elaborate cordless doorbell light system, the pizza delivery man uses the knocker on the door. You wonder why your pizza has not been delivered." These are just three of the Holcombs' classic "anecdotes from the Deaf community." This book is the third edition, and the first on which the Holcomb sons have collaborated with their father. It includes sections on hazards of new technology, the relay system, obsolete hazards, and classic Deaf jokes. These anecdotes are so universal that I had to stop myself from filling in the end of several of the jokes in conversation. All in all, for the hearing person who wants insights into the daily experiences of Deaf people (or, I would imagine, for the Deaf person who wants a chuckle), this book is irreplaceable.

This book has aloud me and others in my ASL class to havean inside look into the deaf culuture. I was once told "You need to learn from the inside before you stand and watch from the outside." This book really helped me to look around me more instead of always listening.