Books about Deaf culture, identity and experience – Deaf studies, memoir, poetry and history. Wider reading that goes beyond learning to sign, for anyone who wants to understand the Deaf community more deeply.
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Paddy Ladd’s in-depth study of Deaf culture and history, and the book that introduced the idea of 'Deafhood' – Deaf people’s own sense of identity and belonging. A serious read for anyone going deeper into Deaf studies.
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Oliver Sacks on the history of deaf people and the nature of signed language – and what the deaf experience reveals about language and the mind. An accessible way into the subject for hearing readers.
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Raymond Antrobus’s debut poetry collection, on deafness, language and his relationship with his late father. Winner of the Rathbones Folio Prize.
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Antrobus’s second collection continues his exploration of deafness, language and belonging, with captioned poems that bring the reading and the silence onto the page.
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A book-length sequence of poems set in an occupied town where, after soldiers kill a deaf boy, the townspeople respond with silence and a sign language of their own. A striking work about deafness, resistance and language.
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The memoir of disability-rights lawyer Haben Girma, the first Deafblind person to graduate from Harvard Law School – her childhood, her education, and her work making the world more accessible.
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Cece Bell’s graphic memoir of her own childhood: losing her hearing at four, the bulky hearing aid that set her apart at school, and the superhero alter-ego she invents to cope. A Newbery Honor book that works for older children and adults alike.
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