Wired for Sound: A Journey Into Hearing [Paperback]

Beverly Biderman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1998

Beverly Biderman reached profound deafness as a teenager and lived in the world of near silence until 1993, when she was fitted with a controversial cochlear implant, the first effective artificial sensory organ ever developed. In Wired for Sound, she has written a deeply moving and personal account of her life before and after the implant. This story is a tale of both physical and emotional transcendence with universal appeal and interest. Voices of deaf people talking about their deafness are included, as well as a balanced exploration of the explosive issues surrounding the Deaf culture's opposition to cochlear implants. Wired for Sound is essential reading for anyone needing to make an informed choice about cochlear implants and for parents of deaf children, as well as teachers, doctors, therapists, and audiologists. Exhaustively researched, the book includes a detailed appendix with a comprehensive listing of international resources on deafness and cochlear implants, plus an annotated Recommended Reading list.

Editorial Reviews

Review

In its scope and potential impact, however, the book is enormous. This is an enormously informative, meticulously researched and annotated, fascinating book. It belongs in every lending library on this continent." Mary Ellen Carew, Perspectives, September/October 1999 "This book is easy and enjoyable to read and not only provides interesting information about hearing impairment and cochlear implantation but also reveals the inside feelings of non-hearing individuals about their silent world." M.L. Ng, Illinois State University, Choice Magazine (ALA) April 1999 "This book deserves to be widely known ... not only a captivating story in its own right, it is also a fertile field from which to harvest information of every sort on the topic of cochlear implants." Geoff Brown, IFHOH Journal "I found reading Wired for Sound such an exhilarating experience that I e-mailed the author. ... A book reviewer for more than 40 years, I can't remember having such an immediate need to praise an author!" Shirley Stott Despoja, Better Hearing Australia "I cannot think of a better way to learn about the experience of cochlear implantation and the many issues surrounding this technology. ... [Wired for Sound] is compelling and enlightening." Mindy W. Sirlin, ASHA Leader "This book is the most comprehensive overview for the lay person presently available. ... It should have a wide audience and a long shelf life." Marjorie Boone, Hearing Loss (SHHH) "Above all, Wired for Sound is a moving story of personal transformation, told with intelligence and a charmingly light touch, that should resonate with anyone who has undergone radical change." Pat Moffat, The Globe and Mail "The memoirs are both poignant and poetic in their candor. Biderman gives an intimate glimpse into the impact of her deafness, as well as her decision to have the implant, on family relationships. Medical specialists and educators alike will find this book informative and inspiring.....It demystifies the complexities of deaf politics, defuses the fears surrounding the cochlear implant, and gives a deeper understanding into deafness and its role in the lives of deaf people." Canadian Book Review Annual, November 2000

About the Author

Beverly Biderman has had a progressive hearing loss all her life. It became profound by the time she reached her early teens, and from that point on, she was completely unable to understand speech without lipreading. Beverly is active in Cochlear Implant Club International, and is the founding president of the Ontario Cochlear Implant Club. A frequent speaker on the subject of deafness and cochlear implants, she received a cochlear implant in 1993.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Trifolium Books; 1 edition (January 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1895579325
• ISBN-13: 978-1895579321
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,180,001 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You must read Wired For Sound!, December 4, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Wired for Sound: A Journey Into Hearing (Paperback)

Beverly Biderman's journey from deafness to hearing is eloquently captured in her compelling book, Wired For Sound. The reader shares the author's kaleidoscopic array of emotions which range from guilt and anger over her own hearing loss to unsurpassed joy in the new hearing she receives from her cochlear implant. Those readers who have a severe to profound hearing loss or who are deaf and who long to hear will feel an empathy in her travails which is almost uncanny.

Wired For Sound reflects more, however, than merely a personal experience. It compiles detailed resource material on cochlear implants and, thus, is must reading for anyone who is investigating the potential benefits and occasional pitfalls of cochlear implantation. While Ms. Biderman has chosen for herself a cochlear implant to enable her to more fully assimilate herself within the hearing world to which she has, even when deaf, always belonged, her presentation is unbiased and non-judgmental. She respects the Deaf culture and does not engage in proselytizing.

Wired For Sound is a book which transcends the issue of hearing versus deafness. Indeed, this marvelous saga of courage and compassion offers any caring person hope for the future of humanity.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful description of CI activation. Great book!, December 20, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Wired for Sound: A Journey Into Hearing (Paperback)

This book is a great read for anyone trying to decide if they want to get a CI or for anyone who might have already had the surgery and want a good realistic description of what the activation might be like. That's when I read it, while waiting to heal after surgery and before activation. As a matter of fact, I think it should be recommended reading for all CI canidates. It helped on that first day to know that even if I didn't hear speech, it would get better! Lots of interesting history of CI research and personal stories. Thank you, Bev, for a great book!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cochlea Implant is it for me or not?, May 21, 2000

By 

Spryte "Spryte808" (Honolulu) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wired for Sound: A Journey Into Hearing (Paperback)

I had heard about this book from someone at Kapiolani Community college who knew I had an interest in getting the Cochlea implant. This book opened my eyes, because I was deathly scared of getting the implant, but reading Bev's book ...has also opened my eyes wide enough to accept that the cochlea implant might just be for me...Bev always had expressed the willingness to be able to hear music. to be able to understand the lyrics of the song thats being belted out on the radio, to be able to hear the phone without a third person, to be able to carry a conversation without missing a word...to wait 40 years like Bev did to be able to hear music, its kind of sad...>I really liked this book...