A Loss for Words: The Story of Deafness in a Family [Paperback]

Lou Ann Walker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 16, 1987

From the time she was a toddler, Lou Ann Walker was the ears and voice for her deaf parents. Their family life was warm and loving, but outside the home, they faced a world that misunderstood and often rejected them.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This is much more of a story than the subtitle suggests, beautifully written and deeply affecting. Born in the Midwest in 1952, Walker is one of three hearing daughters of Gale and Doris Jean Walker, both deafened as babies by illnesses. As the oldest child, the author served as her parents' "interpreter," dealing with outsiders. There is humor in her recollections but nothing lighthearted in accounts of crude or condescending reactions to her father and mother from indifferent people. Walker is candid in detailing her own frustrations and the burdens of life with the deaf. Having graduated from Harvard, she eagerly went her own way, establishing a writing career in New York, but she reunites frequently with the family in a home warm with love and shared memories. The reader says a fervent amen when the author declares, "I'd seen plenty of families where there was more communication and less love."
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Readers will come away from this book informed, deeply moved and full of admiration for Walker's marvelous parents." -- -- People

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (September 16, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060914254
• ISBN-13: 978-0060914257
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,443 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #9 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Specific Groups > Special Needs
  • #12 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Languages > Instruction > Sign Language
  • #27 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Professionals & Academics > Journalists

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A true story of a CODA, November 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Loss for Words: The Story of Deafness in a Family (Paperback)

As a child of Deaf adults (CODA), I found this book to be a mirror of my upbringing. Ms. Walker's stories of negotiating the hearing world for her parents are right on. Anyone who wants to know what growing up hearing in a Deaf world was like MUST read this book.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Historical Perspective, September 5, 2000

By 

Anna Cochran (Corpus Christi, Texas USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Loss for Words: The Story of Deafness in a Family (Paperback)

I was assigned to read this book while taking an ASL class (American Sign Language). Usually, the books that are assigned aren't of the biggest interest to me, but in this case, it was well worth my time. I think that it is a great insight into the historical and present day happenings that effect the daily lives of those who are members of the Deaf Culture. I thought the book was helpful in understanding a small aspect of a world I know that I will never completely understand.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read for anyone interested in Deaf people or culture., August 8, 1998

By 

Tom Moran ([e-mail]) (Northridge, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Loss for Words: The Story of Deafness in a Family (Paperback)

Walker's account of her relationship with her Deaf parents, the Deaf community, and by extension herself, is a touching, poignant and well-balanced treatement of a very important topic. It is a brave account, at once respectful of her parents and all Deaf people and at the same time unblinking in its honest approach to Deaf culture and the paternalism of many hearing people. Not only are readers treated to a portrait of a loving family, they come away with an in-depth understanding of Deaf people, their position as "other" in a dominant hearing culture, and the importance of the norms and language of that culture. Moreover, readers come away understanding a relatively unknown and unique group of people: CODAs, hearing children of Deaf adults.

Walker's first person account will be interesting for readers unfamiliar with deafness and deaf culture. She carefully weaves her experiences as a child into her adult life in ways that are important for anyone. Th! ese experiences, however, are exceedingly important for those raised in the unique circumstances of being the hearing children of deaf adults.

This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the subject of Deaf peole. It is a thoughtful, comprehensive, and brave treatment written in a delightful, honest, easy-to-read style.