Book Review: A Loss For Words by Lou Ann Walker

 A brave and intimate story about growing up as a hearing child with deaf parents. My first thought was that it had exactly what I was looking for before I picked it up: it was educational! Her book is a piece of deaf culture. I like what she says about her relationship to that culture.  "...Their [her parents] world is the deaf, their deaf culture, their deaf friends, and their sign language - it is something separate, something I can never really know, but that I am intimate with."  Besides her honest family anecdotes, she describes how signs are made (I learned a new sign for 'nothing'), includes explanations of deaf jokes, and recalls interpreting scenarios she experienced. Upon finishing it, I felt relief - this book seemed to be a healing outlet for the author and through following her story I shared her eventual peace. This story is alive! I really enjoyed it.