Customer Reviews

Of Sound Mind

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ages 11 and up. "Of Sound Mind" is about high school senior Theo, who is your average, everyday higschooler. He plays basketball with friends, goes through the motions of school everyday and avoids being with his parents -mostly his mother- at all costs. But a catch is that Theo's entire family, consisting of his younger brother Jeremy, who is in the 5th grade, his mother, a prema-donna, and his father, a humble carpenter, are all deaf. Theo is stuck in between a deaf world and a hearing world, where he is his family's only line to the outside world. This book follows him as he goes through high school, meets new friends,and faces the challenges of everyday life -for himself and his family. Full of themes and life lessons about everything from love to self-identity, this book is a feel-good book for readers, showing insight into the lives of those who are deaf and live with deaf people. Also full of emotion, you won't want to read this one without a tissue box beside you.

Of Sound Mind doesn't fit into any neat little box in my head. Though there is a sort of romance in it, it isn't anything like a typical teen romance book. The real story is about family relationships. It's a young adult novel, best for around age 12 plus. It's contemporary fiction, and a good read for both genders.

The central character is a high school senior named Theo. Theo is a gifted math student, but otherwise we know very little about his life at school. The majority of the novel is set at Theo's home, where he is the only hearing person. His high-strung, artist mother is deaf, as is his more level-headed Dad and his gentle younger brother, Jeremy. Theo is the family interpreter, a role that he resents yet is also proud of fulfilling. He's been the main source of communication with the hearing world since he was very young, and he has perfected the art of selective translation. When his mother signs rudely and accuses her dealer of not preparing adequately for her upcoming art show, Theo paraphrases her concerns very creatively. Thus he is not just passing on her words and changing them from ASL (American Sign Language) to spoken English, he is also thinking on his feet and ad libbing. It's no wonder that Theo finds interpreting for his mother to be exhausting!

Theo meets a girl who recognizes his ASL "muttering" and his initial reaction is to stay away from her. He's uncomfortable being known as the kid with deaf parents, and he feels like he fits neither here nor there, not quite belonging to either the deaf culture or that of the hearing world. He doesn't want to be seen at school talking in ASL. Nevertheless, he begins to watch for this new girl, and soon enough, they are good friends. Ivy helps Theo to see everything in a new light.

The author obviously knows her subject matter. She paints a realistic portrait, with plenty of subtle details that show her understanding of ASL and deaf culture. The deep suspicion that Theo's mother holds toward people with hearing, the terrible affront of her turning her back on someone during conversation, and Theo's wish that he could eavesdrop on his father and brother, who are in a different room; these all enrich the novel and give it life.

There were a few things I didn't like about this book. I would have enjoyed reading more about Theo's friends at school, and about his passion for math. A little too much attention seems focused on Ivy and her special interest. I got rather bored with the endless list of culinary delights. Overall though, this is a gem of a story, well told and original.

For Theo, dealing with deafness is simply a way of life. Being the only hearing person in a family that includes a deaf father, deaf mother, and deaf younger brother has taken it's toll on Theo--he doesn't have his own life, not really, since he's always dealing with interpreting for his family. His mother, Palma, is a famous sculptor, and she depends on Theo to make her phone calls, deal with galleries, and basically do anything and everything that she asks. His father, Thomas, is a furniture maker who was born being able to hear but lost his hearing later in life. Thomas hates asking Theo for anything, trying his best to communicate with hearing people on his own. His younger brother, Jeremy, needs Theo's help almost daily with his fifth-grade homework. For Theo, life is pretty much divided into two categories--talking with his voice to people who can hear, and talking with his hands to those who can't.

But then Theo meets Ivy, a girl in his school who can also hear and sign. Her father is deaf, but her mother, who abandoned the family long ago, was able to hear. Ivy is a nurturer with her own small catering business, and soon her world is intwined with Theo's. Her dad, who builds model airplanes for a hobby, even gets Thomas and Jeremy interested, and soon they're getting together as often as they can.

Then tragedy strikes when Theo's dad has a stroke. Suddenly, is demanding, diva-ish mother is acting even more incompetent than usual, refusing to even be alone in the same room as her husband once he comes home. Theo is forced to do everything from making sure his brother gets fed and off to school to hiring new caretakers for his father every time his mother fires one.

Then Ivy comes up with a plan--what about having Harry and Hazel, a brother and sister that Ivy caters for, come and take care of Thomas? They've been learning sign language from Ivy, and they know enough to communicate. Soon things are finally running smoothly in Theo's household, until tragedy strikes yet again.

OF SOUND MIND was such an interesting read, I didn't stop until I was finished. What would it be like, I wondered, to be the only hearing person in my house? What would it take to forget about being a kid and take on the responsibilities at such a young age that Theo had to, like negotiating the buying of his hosue at age eleven? What would I do if I believed my family couldn't survive without me? When does something like being deaf stop defining who you are?

Jean Ferris answers all these questions and more with OF SOUND MIND--a truly great book for people of all ages.

Theo, a senior in high school, dreams of going to MIT to study mathematics, but he knows it's a dream that will never happen. As the only hearing member of his family, Theo feels tied to his deaf parents and little brother. His mother, a famous sculptor named Palma, depends on Theo to be her interpreter with the hearing world; she treats Theo like a servant who is always on call. He doesn't see how he can escape from it, though --- how could his family get along without him?

Then Ivy arrives at Theo's school. She has a deaf parent, too, but she doesn't seem to resent it the way Theo does. She tells him that he can't let his family's deafness interfere with the life he should be making for himself. Theo doesn't think she really understands his problem, but he starts filling out college applications, and he starts hoping. Then tragedy happens. Palma feels totally helpless, and as a result, Theo has to take over the family completely.

Is there a happy ending for Theo? Read this very realistic and heart-wrenching book to find out.

--- Reviewed by Tamara Penny

Of Sound Mind is a novel about Theo, a senior in high school, and his deaf family. He is the only in his family that can hear. He is often stuck translating and doing most of the work around the house. Theo is having complications deciding whether or not he will attend college, or stay around to help care for his family. Going to MIT has been Theo's lifelong dream. After an unexpected death in Theo's family, he feels that he could never go to college and leave the remainder of his family. Theo's girlfriend, Ivy, also has a deaf father. Ivy helps Theo to understand that his life is important also. She helps Theo to make decisions that will better him for the future. In the end, Theo has to decide whether or not he is going to live his life for his family, or if he's going to live his life for himself.
Of Sound Mind is a book written for anyone who has not made a decision about something important in his or her life and needs to make a decision before time runs out. This book is very appealing because you are left in suspense all throughout the novel. You never know what's coming next, and you are definitely left in the dark about what Theo's final decision will be.
Of Sound Mind is a book for both male and female audiences. It can be helpful to both sexes. There is actually a love story taking place, but you get the chance to explore the love story from a male's point of view. Of Sound Mind is a great novel that is destined to become a classic young adult book. There are not many authors who write novels about deafness, blindness, or other handicaps that are a reality. People of all different ages, races, sexes, and conditions can relate to this novel. Deafness may not be the problem in someone's family, but there may be other problems taking place and there are no solutions for the problems. Anyone in a situation with no solution needs to read Of Sound Mind.
(I gave Of Sound Mind five stars for being quite possibly the best book I've read, or one of the best. It is very uplifting, and one of those books that you are able to read over and over and still appreciate it.)

I enjoyed this book for the honest look at the feelings of the two teenagers, Ivy and Theo. Theo is angry and exhausted by the demands placed on him as the only hearing person in a deaf household. Ivy doesn't have as much problem with that aspect of dealing with deafness, but she does have to deal with being abandoned by her mother.

There were a few minor problems with the book that left me feeling a bit short-changed, though. It was never clear to me that Theo really did have a passion for math. He is referred to as a math person, but I just didn't feel the urge of his hopes and his dreams - they weren't nearly as real as his exhaustion with his mother or his attraction to Ivy.

The other thing that bothered me was the last chapter - the telling of how it all comes out. This was way too simplistic for me - a sort of "and they lived happily ever after" ending.

Still, it is a worthwhile read, if only to "hear" the real feelings of people in a household that is considered to be different.

In "Of Sound Mind" we get a glimpse of the world through the eyes of good kid who has a whole lot on his plate. Theo struggles with that huge task that all adolescents face--defining himself as separate from his family without abandoning the important ties that bind. Most high school seniors have to go through some version of this struggle to define boundaries between self and family--that demanding mother who seems to undermine every move toward independence, that father whose loving support can't last forever, that clinging kid brother too lovable to push away. Is it their deafness which makes his family seem so "other," or is it just his own need to grow into his best self? As Theo straddles the chasm between the deaf and the hearing he shows us a different view of the world. Thanks, Jean Ferris, for a great read that stretches our minds around a new dimension of our common human experience.
Janet Gingold
author of Finch Goes Wild

I thought that this book was great! It shows how Theo a hearing 17-year-old young man lives and deals with an all-deaf family. How he has to make phone calls for his mother, and help his brother with homework because he doesn't understand the teacher. Theo never goes out or hangs round with friends because everyone at home is counting on him to help him with the thing they need to do to get on with life.
I also liked this book because it shows how mature Theo is. He has to take care of his father and brother, after his father had a stroke, because their mother/ wife is too frightened to deal with the family's situation.
This was a great book and I recommend it to everyone, young and old.

Jean Ferris' Of Sound Mind is a striking story of a boy whose family is deaf. He serves as interpreter and often as the semi-head of household in a silent world where his parents often struggle with hearing people and daily living challenges. Theo wants to go away to school - but how can he leave his dependent family? A striking story of coming of age and disability.

This book was interesting, very good. Although, the way Theo feels bad for his deaf family is the way most people would feel, and I was suprised the author made him feel this way. I personaly am partly deaf, and I think that when most people who are deaf, or partly deaf don't want anyone feeling bad for them. Otherwise this book was great. I love how Ivy manages to get Theo to be stronger than he was before.