Customer Reviews

MindField

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

John Egbert seeks to creatively help his Deaf community in a novel of pandemic-spread-by-terrorists plot, where historic abuses to the Deaf community, common misconceptions, and on-going failures in deaf education are revealed in a palatable way by wrapping the message in a thriller. As a member of that community I wish I could recommend it, but it doesn't thrill, and its antiquated views of technology annoy.

It is a story with a point tidily summed up by the four and a half page "Author's Notes" (written by daughter Stella Egbert) at the end of the book. The 1880 Milan Congress fostered abuse and substandard education on generations of deaf people by insisting that they be taught only by oral methods. Even today school districts suppress the native language of the Deaf community by requiring that S.E.E. instead of ASL be used in classrooms.

But Egbert fails to create excitement or tension, and the characters speak in pretty much the same voice.

An illness resulting in the profound deafness of 3 million people -- in a population today of 300 million; 28 million with some hearing impairment, and about 1.5 million profoundly deaf already! -- is an event of utterly catastrophic consequences, shutting down travel, financial systems, and most forms of communication, we're told. Published in 2006, with the story set in the near future, the author shows little awareness of how common are text messages, video relay services, electronic banking and stock trading, and email. He talks about air traffic control becoming impossible, in a day when commercial airlines already use text instructions.

Can we believe that a post-Deaf President Now generation would allow the government to send deaf people to reeducation camps.

The book needs editing in mundane ways, too. Newly deafened "guests" are being subjected to indoctrination via Power Point at a Hearing Habitat assembly. We read that the sound of the remote control alerts them to the next slide. A remote make a sound?!? How do deaf people hear it?

For students looking for a "non-instructional" way of learning about Deaf culture, this book may do it, but I recommend an Amazon search for "deaf culture", where you'll find informative and even entertaining alternatives.

john egbert surely knows how to write a detailed story! imagine if 3 million americans went deaf from a bacteria- spinal meningitis. would the situation be far worse than you think? love, love this book!

Hearing is something that so many take for granted. "MindField" is the story of a terrorist plot. A rapid nationwide plague inflicts spinal meningitis throughout the country. While body count is minimal, the side effects are not, as many of the afflicted find themselves permanently without hearing. The government is faced with a rapid change, and a nation of people who can no longer hear. "MindField" is riveting reading that proposes a unique what-if scenario, and plays it out well.

Excerpts from student's book reflections
of MindField at a University.

Each quotation below is from different students


"MindField has absolutely helped me to better understand the deaf culture and really made me happy for choosing to take ASL course."

"This book was written in a style that made it easy and enjoyable to read, I would recommend this book to anyone that wants to know more about the deaf culture or get an idea of what it would be like to become deaf."

"You don't have to hear anything when someone you like or love smiles at you. That one simple visual says volumes and warms up your soul like words are hard to pressed to duplicate." (page 244) that is my favorite line in the book. I now understand that ASL is a language that is completely full of emotions. One simple facial expression can speak a thousand words."

"Although MindField was difficult to begin, once I got started, it flew by. The writing style was notably more expressive than most other works of fiction, especially with regards to vocal tone."

"This book has definitely helped me understand the deaf community and American Sign language better."

"Overall the book MindField is a creative way to introduce speaking students to the deaf culture and community. I enjoyed reading this book and took away a lot of facts and thoughts that I think will help me appreciate ASL and the culture a lot more than I used to."

"I think the book was filled with great metaphors for what is really going on in the world and how a lot of things go over looked and unseen if you allow them to. It is clever and insightful with a fictional story line that keeps your interests."

"The book was inspiring to me. I think overall this book has many underlying messages about the society, government, the deaf and what it really means to be human with what ever senses we have. It was a very well written and empowering book."

"MindField is a novel that gives a reader useful information while keeping them entranced in a beautifully put together piece of fiction. There is so much that I have learned from this test that I have never really thought of before. I have been very humbled by my ignorance of the complexities of deaf culture"

"MindField was a wonderful piece of very plausible fiction with a very powerful message. This book shows the deaf community in a light that I had previously never seen. I felt that the book was very well written and organized, the large number of chapters made it easy to keep up with the multitude of characters and events happening all around the world."

"Overall I am very grateful to have read this book, MindField, because I feel it gave me the best possible chance to be able to relate to the deaf culture. I feel like I understand it a little better now and understand a bit more how they perceive the world. I also really liked the plot. It had a hidden message that you didn't even realize you picked up on until the very end of the book."

"The novel MindField, provided me with such an important message about communication. This story provided me with a better understanding of the needs and desires of deaf people and caused me to have such a strong desire to learn sign language."

"I was most impressed with how much I enjoyed this book. Honestly, when reading the information about the book, I didn't think that I would be interested. However, after the first chapter I was hooked. I literally would not put the book down for hours on end. The book was very well researched as well as written."

"What impressed me most about the book is that not only was a captivating read with a great plot and believable characters, behind it was the stores and experiences of what people face every day of their lives. Making this realization gave the book much more depth and substance."

"I believe that this book has helped me to better understand the deaf culture as well as ASL. I had never really learned about either before taking this class and I think this book was a perfect supplemental reading."