The Other Side of Silence: Sign Language and the Deaf Community in America

For anyone that is studying to be an Interpreter, Teacher of the Deaf, etc., or has a Deaf family member, this book is a necessity. All areas pertaining to American Sign Language and the Deaf community were thoroughly explored and thoughtfully portrayed. There was so much infomation, personal interviews and stories about all aspects. Arden Neisser went everywhere and talked to everyone. This book was very rich in text and left little to be discovered. Nothing was missing! An invaluable source that will leave a tremendous impact on its readers.

For anyone that is studying to be an Interpreter, Teacher of the Deaf, etc., or has a Deaf family member, this book is a necessity. Every single issue ever pertaninng to the Deaf community was thoroughly explored and thoughtfully portrayed. There was so much infomation, personal interviews and stories about every aspect of Deaf Life. Arden Neisser went everywhere and talked to everyone. This book was very rich in text and left little to be discovered. Nothing was missing! An invaluable source that will leave a tremendous impact on its readers.

The other side of silence is a well written and researched book. It seems that now-a-days books about the Deaf and the Deaf community fall into either the oralist or manualist camp, with very little falling in the center. As a sign language interpreter I am biased (of course) towards the manualist view, and generally dismiss oralist themed books out of hand. However, I was pleased and fascinated to read a thoughtful and unbiased exploration of both sides of the age old argument.

Though no easy read, this book lets you peek into the world that Deaf individuals (such as I) encounter. It shows you first hand the discrimination that deaf and hard of hearing people experience on a daily basis. It tells of such issues as oralism and making American Sign Language known as the foreign language that it is (and not simply "English on the hands").If you want to know more about the Deaf world, this book is full of interesting information, but be warned that you may have moments where you must return to the previous page to fully understand what you just read. Not for the light-hearted reader, this book is highly recommended by this Deafie. :v)

This book gave a good insight into many of the issues of the Deaf Community. I enjoyed the many interviews with famous Deaf and hearing members of the Community. The book was not light or airy in content, but gave a good portion of facts in an easily understood manner. I recomend this book.