The Silents [Hardcover]

Charlotte Abrams (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1996

The hearing daughter of deaf parents presents a memoir about growing up in a close-knit, community-minded Jewish family in Chicago during the Depression and World War II, a time during which her mother began to go blind. UP.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Called the Silents by some, and the Shtimmers (its Yiddish equivalent) by others, deaf Joe and Ruthie Herzberg were simply mother and father to Abrams and her sister, Adelaide. In part, this is a straightforward story of growing up during the Depression and WWII. It's also a nice, but unremarkable story of a child discovering the difference between the image and the reality of her parents, as when Abrams discovers that her quick-tempered father had been a hobo, a boxer and a bootlegger. But much rarer and hence more affecting, are the scenes that are unique to a hearing child of deaf parents. These give insights into a different normalcy. Abrams describes how her parents tried to provide her and her sister a "regular" childhood by having hearing friends and relatives come to speak to them while they were young; and she recalls her mother's habit of calling out, when the doorbell-activated light flashed, "Who is it?" even though she would never hear the answer. There was a crisis, when Abrams was first given a radio and her father feared it as an activity that would divide the household into hearing and not. At least until he discovered that the fights were broadcast, and, surrounded by his deaf friends, he had the two girls sign and act out the parts of the contenders. Strangely, what stand out most, are the sounds: the knockings of a card player signaling a pass; the hmn, hmn that is Abrams's father's laugh; her mother's crying as she grapples with the additional hurdle of blindness; the whoops, groans and moans in a large, otherwise silent party.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 261 pages
• Publisher: Gallaudet University Press; 1st edition (August 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563680556
• ISBN-13: 978-1563680557
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #683,138 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars great tale of family love and compassion, May 1, 2003

By 

sheldon cohen (Crozet, Virginia USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Silents (Hardcover)

When I heard Charlotte Abrams wrote the silents, I had to get it immediately. I doubt she would remember me, but we went to Tuley High School at the same time. Reading the book for me was like a travel trough the past. The memories of the school. the park, the neighborhood, and the simpler times were wonderful. But I recommend the book for the story of love and affection it tells. A beautiful tale of the struggles of deaf parents attempting to raise their children in what was for them a silent world. And while they felt like outsiders their children lovingly guided them through the speaking world. As you read this well written book be prepared to be spellbound and also to shed a few tears.

5.0 out of 5 stars A very touching story about the deaf parents & children., May 26, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Silents (Hardcover)

This book tells me that deaf and mute people live lives that are very similar to hearing and speaking parents. The children of parents with handicaps have more responsibility. This book tells about the love and care the parents give to their children and the love and care the children return to their mother and father.

5.0 out of 5 stars "The Silents" were deaf but they never had a loss for words., November 15, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: The Silents (Hardcover)

The author, Charlotte, takes us through her childhood in depression era Chicago to living in Los Angeles with children of her own. What makes her story unique is that her parents were deaf. And we are graciously allowed into a world which is foreign to most. A world where there are no dogs barking, no music and no voices. It's a touching, inspiring, story full of rich memorable characters that stay with you long after you've turned the last page. After finishing "The Silents," I thought to myself, what a lucky woman Ms. Abrams must be to have had parents that were so utterly and indisputably in love. I look forward to reading more from this author and I hope "The Silents" receives the recognition it so greatly deserves.