Customer Reviews

American Sign Language: Shattering the Myth, Essays by Larry G Stewart, Frances M Parsons, Otto J Menzel, Donald F Moores, Patrick W Seamans, Truman W Stelle.

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Being a DODA ASL instructor fluent in various other methods of communication (TC, SEE2, PSE, Oralism), I have found Bertling's publication a refreshing look into the other side of the entire ASL debate that encompasses the Deaf community as a whole. Expertise from Parsons, Stewart, and others shed light upon the dark corners of ASL that many are rarely exposed to. Topics regarding the failure of Deaf education, Bilingual-Bicultural, immoral intimidation tactics, Harlan Lane's Mask of Benevolence, and other pressing points are mentioned.

The reader also can take comfort in the fact that many of the contributing authors are Deaf themselves. They are not only speaking from the viewpoint of empirical research, but also from their own personal experiences. Personal accounts that go against the traditional ASL mindset are also given, serving as a reminder that no political faction in the Deaf world has the right answer to the education of each and every Deaf child.

With that in mind, Bertling's book is a very highly reccomended read for anyone who is interested in Deafness and the Deaf world. ASL: Shattering the Myth provides a (needed) balance to a very disproportionate war of propagandists.

When I bought this book, I was hoping to read about new arguments but all I found were old articles written by a very small group of these narrow-minded people who were so anti-ASL without any sound research backing up their allegations. Buying this book is a waste of money when one can easily find these articles on internet. This book is published by a very small publisher, probably at the writer's expense. Spend your money on a good book, not this one.

Being a DODA ASL instructor fluent in various other methods of communication (TC, SEE2, PSE, Oralism), I have found Bertling's publication a refreshing look into the other side of the entire ASL debate that encompasses the Deaf community as a whole. Expertise from Parsons, Stewart, and others shed light upon the dark corners of ASL that many are rarely exposed to. Topics regarding the failure of Deaf education, Bilingual-Bicultural, immoral intimidation tactics, Harlan Lane's Mask of Benevolence, and other pressing points are mentioned.

The reader also can take comfort in the fact that many of the contributing authors are Deaf themselves. They are not only speaking from the viewpoint of empirical research, but also from their own personal experiences. Personal accounts that go against the traditional ASL mindset are also given, serving as a reminder that no political faction in the Deaf world has the right answer to the education of each and every Deaf child.

With that in mind, Bertling's book is a very highly reccomended read for anyone who is interested in Deafness and the Deaf world. ASL: Shattering the Myth provides a (needed) balance to a very disproportionate war of propagandists.

Frances, you signed a book (I didn't hear the Dragon Roar) for a deaf student back in early 1990's. She would like to get in touch with you... Get in touch with kurzbemused@yahoo.com

ever hear of the crab theory? the "reviewer from vancouver, wa" is an example of how it works. why the heck does one judge a book on the size of the publisher? the "reviewer from vancouver,wa" is probably a disgrunted educator who has a lot to lose if ASL falls out of favor. there is two sides to every issue. educate yourself on both.

Being a DODA ASL instructor fluent in various other methods of communication (TC, SEE2, PSE, Oralism), I have found Bertling's publication a refreshing look into the other side of the entire ASL debate that encompasses the Deaf community as a whole. Expertise from Parsons, Stewart, and others shed light upon the dark corners of ASL that many are rarely exposed to. Topics regarding the failure of Deaf education, Bilingual-Bicultural, immoral intimidation tactics, Harlan Lane's Mask of Benevolence, and other pressing points are mentioned.

The reader also can take comfort in the fact that many of the contributing authors are Deaf themselves. They are not only speaking from the viewpoint of empirical research, but also from their own personal experiences. Personal accounts that go against the traditional ASL mindset are also given, serving as a reminder that no political faction in the Deaf world has the right answer to the education of each and every Deaf child.

With that in mind, Bertling's book is a very highly reccomended read for anyone who is interested in Deafness and the Deaf world. ASL: Shattering the Myth provides a (needed) balance to a very disproportionate war of propagandists.