Non Fiction




		Children of a Lesser God *by: N/A* Copyrighted: 1986, Purchased: 1/1/1997 Category: Non Fiction, Media Type: VHS Children of a Lesser God is a love story about a speech teacher who falls for a beautiful yet distant deaf girl in a small New England school for the deaf, and the obstacles that they face due to their differences. William Hurt plays James Leeds, a renegade teacher with an unconventional approach to education and a resume that includes stints as a bartender and a disk jockey. Upon his arrival, he is warned by school administrator Dr. Franklin (Philip Bosco) not to get creative with his instruction. Naturally, Leeds already has his mind set on his teaching plan and proceeds to play loud rock music in class in order to teach the students to feel the vibrations of the music and get them to try to speak phonetically. But a new element enters his life when he meets the attractive custodian, Sarah (Marlee Matlin). An exceptionally intelligent yet extremely bitter young woman, Sarah is a graduate of the school who has decided to remain there, in the confines of her world of silence; it's safer for her to be with her own "people" than to face what she perceives as a cruel and uncaring world. She hardly seems interested in James and will only communicate with him through signing, although she can read lips and even speak a little. James learns from Sarah's mother (Piper Laurie) that Sarah was sexually molested as a teenager; this explains why she is so wary of his attempts to form a relationship with her and why she is so full of fear. Eventually, James does get through to Sarah and the two fall in love, although both have to learn new ways to communicate their feelings. Deafened People: Adjustment and Support *by: Woodcock, Kathryn & Miguel Aguayo* Copyrighted: 2000, Purchased: 12/9/2004 Category: Non Fiction, Media Type: Book Despite the fact that nearly two million people in North America are deaf, few books have been written that address the lengthy adjustment and acceptance processes an adult acquiring deafness goes through. To help make coping with deafness more successful, the authors have included their model on the adjustment process. Readers will find information on deafness and its causes, and resources for self-help, professional, and peer support. The authors demonstrate that deafness is not simply a medical condition, but a social disability affecting the individual, family, social circle, and work group. As deaf professionals, the authors validate the issues raised in the book with their own experiences. Hear No Evil: What you can't hear could kill you. *by: N/A* Copyrighted: 1993, Purchased: 1/1/1997 Category: Non Fiction, Media Type: VHS In Silence, A Killer is Waiting. Marlee Matlin performs in this movie where she confronts a quiet, but deadly terror when she's stalked by a killer who knows that she cannot hear. Mr. Holland's Opus *by: N/A* Copyrighted: 2000, Purchased: 1/1/2000 Category: Non Fiction, Media Type: VHS A Passionate musician who dreams of composing one truly memorable piece of music. But reality intrudes when he reluctantly accepts a "day job" as a high school music teacher to support his family (He has a Deaf son). Train Go Sorry: Inside A Deaf World *by: Cohen, Leah Hager* Copyrighted: 1994, Purchased: 12/9/2004 Category: Non Fiction, Media Type: Book In American Sign Language, "train go sorry" means "missing the boat." Leah Hager Cohen uses the phrase as shorthand for the myriad missed communications between the deaf and the hearing. Yet in this stunning work of journalism and memoir she also forges new connections. For as she users readers into New York's Lexington School for the Deaf, Cohen (whose grandfather was deaf and whose father was the school's superintendent) conveys the intimate truths of this silent but immensely articulate world. She also follows the debate that rage within it. Should deaf children be taught ASL even if that estranges them from their hearing families? Will "mainstreaming" deaf pupils into ordinary public schools end up stripping them of their identities? Do attempts to "cure" deafness through new medical technologies make deaf people's lives better or worse? Passionately, poignantly, Train Go Sorry compels us to see the deaf as they see themselves: not as victims of a pathology, but as members of a vital and nurturing culture.
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