Melanie Page

Finding Zoe is very much a feel-good book about stars aligning. Brandi and Tim Rarus find the daughter they want in Jess and BJ’s baby girl not only because she needs a home, but because they are the right home for a deaf infant. — thoughts by Melanie Page, originally published at Grab the Lapels

It truly feels like Piper is navigating the hearing world and constantly making choices about speaking, signing, hearing aids, interpreters, writing notes, etc. — thoughts by Melanie Page, originally published at Grab the Lapels

An interesting look into Lexington School for the Deaf because it was historically an oral school, teaching deaf children to speak, but had to recognize that ASL is an actual language and then find staff who are Deaf and/or use ASL. — thoughts by Melanie Page, originally published at Grab the Lapels

While Pizzo signed, Jonas interpreted into a tape recorder. There was an editorial time during which Pizzo and Jonas confirmed that what Jonas said into the tape recorder matched Pizzo’s intention. — thoughts by Melanie Page, originally published at Grab the Lapels

Childress Brown chooses anecdotes that allow the reader to see how being black, Deaf, poor, educated, and living before the Civil Rights Movement are all intersections where her parents exist. — thoughts by Melanie Page, originally published at Grab the Lapels

I’ve never read another memoir in which the parents are so unfailingly kind, modeling the kind of behavior we wish to see in society. — thoughts by Melanie Page, originally published at Grab the Lapels

“But the real issue, which Coppes describes both fairly and sternly, is how to train everyone else to communicate. Basically, communicating with a hard-of-hearing person means following polite rules, but because we love our family, know our co-workers, and trust out friends, they sometimes lapse into more casual conversation mode.”— thoughts by Melanie Page, originally…

“Normally [Austin] felt sorry for himself at these events, but today he thought of Charlie and realized this was a rare moment he had to experience the world — or rather, not experience it — the way most of his friends did at home.” — thoughts by Melanie Page, originally published at Grab the Lapels