Of Such Small Differences - Hardcover

Greenberg, Joanne

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0805009027 ISBN 13: 9780805009026

Publisher: Henry Holt & Co, 1988

Synopsis

John, who is blind and deaf, leads a life of isolation until he meets Leda on the job, and as their accidental involvement deepens into love, they must both accept his limitations and their unique relationship

About this title

From Publishers Weekly

Readers will get unforgettable insights into the world of the Deaf-blind in this haunting new novel by the author of I Never Promised You a Rose Garden and In This Sign . Greenberg writes with deep, poetic understanding about people we term handicapped, individualizing them into distinct, three-dimensional characters whose frustrations and aspirations become poignantly clear. The bittersweet story concerns the awakening of love and of creative powers, the acceptance of challenges and limitations. The protagonist, John Moon, was born blind; the loss of his hearing came later, after a beating by his father. Now 25, he has achieved a measure of independence: he lives alone and has a job plus a freelance assignment writing sentimental poetry for a greeting card company. When he meets Leda Martin, an aspiring actress who drives a van for the Deaf-blind community, she becomes his "doorway into the complexity of the world." In many ways liberated by the power of love, John also comes to a new comprehension of his vulnerability and the limits of his ability to exist in a "normal" community. As his relationship with Leda changes, John realizes he has been "surprised by his capacity for grief, but has also known every kind of joy." Greenberg's accomplishment in this beautifully imagined and sensitive novel is to give us an awareness of how people with sensory handicaps apprehend and measure the world; she does so through the mind of an indelibly appealing character. BOMC and QPBC selections.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

YA Life without either hearing or sight is nearly impossible to imagine, but Greenberg succeeds in portraying the difficulties and frustrations of a deaf and blind person. John has mastered five different means of communication and signage, and has both the drive and the tenacity that would set him apart in life regardless. He falls in love and has an affair with a non-disabled actress, but the differences between their two worlds are incomprehensible to each from the start. John's family has never been able to accept his double handicap and thwarts his attempts to teach his beloved mother signing when she has a serious stroke and cannot speak. However, the most striking commentary on his situation has to do with John's gift for writing poetry. Because he has been paid small amounts of money to write religious poetry about being blind for the sheltered workshop where he works, he is in danger of losing his pension and medical benefits. His social workers and accountant/brother are openly hostile and angry because his poetry is making money. Throughout their message is clear: just exist and don't rock the boat. Greenberg's work with the deaf and blind give the book a tone of authenticity. By pointing out the attitudinal inconsistencies and inequities that society has towards people like John and his friends, she opens the way for improvement. Barbara Weathers, Duchesne Acad . , Houston
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Henry Holt & Co
• Publication date: 1988
• ISBN 10: 0805009027
• ISBN 13: 9780805009026
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 262