Customer Reviews

What's That Pig Outdoors?: A Memoir of Deafness

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What should our attitude be towards the deaf? Kisor gives us good insight with his memoir which is beautifully, sensitively and humorouly written. Some would term him an outcast to both the deaf culture and the hearing culture, since he lipreads and doesn't sign. Can't possibly be happy because he can't fully participate in hearing world, he's missing so much. But Kisor disagrees.

He achieved more than most hearing, having accumulated great English language skills. He demonstrates with the rare book written about deafness from a deaf author. His title is fascinating, since it is from story regarding his five-year old son and the nuances lipreading has trouble discerning.

Yes, improvements have happened and will continue with behavioral psychology and deafness, but here the spirit of the human inside is spoken of, something that no program can really guarantee success, but determination, help and support will aid.

This marvelous memoir contributes much to this cause. It is a most wonderful read for all interested in what a deaf person in a hearing world might be going through, especially the emotional strains deafness brings with it. Much to be gleaned here.

I read this book back in 93 when I had just lost my hearing. I was 14 and dealing with suddenly becoming deaf. Most books about Deafness are written by physicians, or parents of the deaf, or children of the deaf, and not by the deaf themselves. Kisor's stories about lipreading and growing up and just being Deaf were wonderful for me to read. It gave me hope... if he is totally Deaf and can accomplish that much, then I, with a little bit of hearing left, certainly should be able to. I would certainly recommend this book to anyone deaf who is oral, anyone late deaffened, or anyone just interested in reading about the trials and joys of a hearing loss.

The best story I have ever read regarding hearing impair loss and Mr. Kisor's story parallels closely to my life also and reading it in a light hearting way lifts my esteem to bulldoze all obstacles in my path. And to help broaden knowledge to other people to accept and help us instead of hinder our abilty to live normal lives. For we all have a purpose here to live, grow, educate, learn, teach, help & love. A book for all ages!

I read this book for an ASL class in college and wow. This book is great. An amazing autobiography written by a deaf man, Henry Kisor who has managed to exist in a hearing world as a deaf man strictly by lip reading. He has been a journalist and this is amazing to me. A wonderful story written in the point of view of a deaf man and his lifelong journey to success and living in the hearing world. Reading this book has made me take a look at my life and made me feel as if I could do anything.

I have only just caught up with this book 14 years after it was published. Kisor is very good on how he managed a life as a deaf person who operates orally in a hearing world, and manages to be quite tactful in dealing with the subject of the Deaf -- people who use sign language. He is perhaps more tactful than he really should be in discussing the ignorance of a lot of educators of the severely hearing-impaired and the rather patronizing "poor-you" attitude they often take.

I can say this because I have only a little more hearing than Kisor -- and for the same reason, meningitis at the age of 3. I am ten years older than he but remember well some of the stages he describes so accurately and honestly. Like him, I was lucky in my early teachers and in being kept away from schools for the deaf.

It does need to be said that cognitive psychologists and students of child language have learned a great deal about child language development since Kisor and I were children and even since his book was published in 1991. Their progress dates from Noam Chomsky's destruction of behaviorist notions of language almost 50 years ago. I hope very much that things have changed significantly in the education of the deaf and severely hearing-impaired.

With luck, students will recognize that Kisor is describing a bygone era. But it is an era that was and is still well worth describing.

I read this book back in 93 when I had just lost my hearing. I was 14 and dealing with suddenly becoming deaf. Most books about Deafness are written by physicians, or parents of the deaf, or children of the deaf, and not by the deaf themselves. Kisor's stories about lipreading and growing up and just being Deaf were wonderful for me to read. It gave me hope... if he is totally Deaf and can accomplish that much, then I, with a little bit of hearing left, certainly should be able to. I would certainly recommend this book to anyone deaf who is oral, anyone late deaffened, or anyone just interested in reading about the trials and joys of a hearing loss.

So much humor, especially the meaning of the title. I'm reading for the second time and each reading educates and entertains me again.

A wonderful book, with insights for parents of deaf children. This book proves our deaf children do not think any differently to hearing children and having a disability does not go hand-in-hand with being disabled. A wonderful read for parents of deaf children.

On April 12, 2011, Henry Kisor spoke to a rapt audience at the St. Charles Public Library in St. Charles, IL. An inspiration by example, Henry showed us all who he is, a good man with many life riches who also happens to be deaf. Inspired to buy and read his memoir, What's That Pig Outdoors?, I finished reading "Pigs" in two days even though I lingered over the words. They were inspiring words, words to consider and think through. Henry writes without bitterness, but with joy about a world that has a lot more going for it than we give it credit for, without falling for the easy sarcasm pervading literature. The story is perhaps best described as honest, which is a characteristic far too absent from many memoirs. I am glad to have met his wife, Debby, in person, for her story is told here, too, most powerfully by Henry's description of the emotions shown during the events of thier lost third child. Humor, struggle, failure, and success abound. Most of all, though, hope. Henry's story is a gracious one, giving credit where due, to his parents, teachers, colleagues, and us - society in general. For all our flaws, we're not so bad upon close examination. Thank you, Mr. Kisor, for the beautiful story that is What's That Pig Outdoors?, for sharing your life, and reminding us without preachiness, what we need to hear. Isn't that an irony? That Mr. Kisor, with his deaf ears, has demonstrated perhaps the best capacity to listen a person can have, throughout the years of his life.

Hearing is a sense all too easily taken for granted. "What's That Pig Outdoors?: A Memoir of Deafness" is a memoir from Henry Kisor, an accomplished literary journalist who earned his position in spite of his nearly life long deafness. Not one to speak on deaf culture, he was trained to live among the hearing and as such has many unique viewpoints, including the impact of the Americans with Disabilities act. "What's That Pig Outdoors?" is a fine read and an excellent addition to any memoir collection.