Song Without Words: Discovering My Deafness Halfway through Life (A Merloyd Lawrence Book) - Hardcover

Shea, Gerald

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0306821931 ISBN 13: 9780306821936

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, 2013

Synopsis

Much has been written about the profoundly deaf, but the lives of the nearly 30 million partially deaf people in the United States today remain hidden. Song without Words tells the astonishing story of a man who, at the age of thirty-four, discovered that he had been deaf since childhood, yet somehow managed to navigate his way through Andover, Yale, and Columbia Law School, and to establish a prestigious international legal career.

Gerald Shea's witty and candid memoir of how he compensated for his deafness -- through sheer determination and an amazing ability to translate the melody of vowels. His experience gives fascinating new insight into the nature and significance of language, the meaning of deafness, the fierce controversy between advocates of signing and of oral education, and the longing for full communication that unites us all.

About this title

About the Author

Gerald Shea was born in New York City and has lived most of his life in New York and in Paris. He practiced law in both cities for many years with Debevoise & Plimpton as a member of the New York and Paris bars. He is a graduate of Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, Yale University and Columbia Law School.

Reviews

In this fascinating memoir, overachiever Shea––who graduated from Andover, Yale, and Columbia Law School and became a partner at a prestigious New York law firm—explains what it’s like to be partially deaf. Unbeknownst to him or anyone else, he lost his ability to hear higher ranges of speech (that is, most consonants) after he contracted scarlet fever at age six. (As he notes, he was lucky: Helen Keller became both deaf and blind from the same disease.) To compensate, he learns to decode sounds he calls “lyricals.” He hears “characters” as “cows are saying” and “Be careful crossing the street” as “Be airful washing the trees.” As he tries to translate what he mishears, he makes mistakes, such as reading the next five chapters in a book instead of the next five pages. Hearing aids help, but not always. Eventually, he quits his job, learns sign language, and spends more quality time with his wife and kids. His story gives one a renewed appreciation for both the ear and the human spirit. --Karen Springen

Edition details

• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0306821931
• ISBN 13: 9780306821936
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 320