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Show Me a Sign #1
Show Me a Sign
Deaf author and librarian Ann Clare LeZotte weaves an Own Voices story inspired by the true history of a thriving deaf community on Martha's Vineyard in the early 19th century.
Mary Lambert has always felt safe and protected on her beloved island of Martha's Vineyard. Her great-grandfather was an early English settler and the first deaf islander. Now, over a hundred years later, many people there - including Mary - are deaf, and nearly everyone can communicate in sign language. Mary has never felt isolated. She is proud of her lineage.
But recent events have delivered winds of change. Mary's brother died, leaving her family shattered. Tensions over land disputes are mounting between English settlers and the Wampanoag people. And a cunning young scientist has arrived, hoping to discover the origin of the island's prevalent deafness. His maniacal drive to find answers soon renders Mary a "live specimen" in a cruel experiment. Her struggle to save herself is at the core of this novel.
Mary Lambert has always felt safe and protected on her beloved island of Martha's Vineyard. Her great-grandfather was an early English settler and the first deaf islander. Now, over a hundred years later, many people there - including Mary - are deaf, and nearly everyone can communicate in sign language. Mary has never felt isolated. She is proud of her lineage.
But recent events have delivered winds of change. Mary's brother died, leaving her family shattered. Tensions over land disputes are mounting between English settlers and the Wampanoag people. And a cunning young scientist has arrived, hoping to discover the origin of the island's prevalent deafness. His maniacal drive to find answers soon renders Mary a "live specimen" in a cruel experiment. Her struggle to save herself is at the core of this novel.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published March 3, 2020
About the author
Ann Clare LeZotte
7 books242 followersDeaf--bilingual, bicultural. Author of T4: A Novel in Verse (Houghton, 2008) and Show Me a Sign (Scholatic, 2020). Library Youth Services for 11 years and counting. Focus on underserved populations and inclusion. Lives with her family in Gainesville, Florida.
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June 25, 2020
“Not every writer comes to English from the same direction.” Right now I’m sitting here as a reviewer, trying to figure out from which direction I should approach this book. In the pantheon of children’s books about the differently abled, stories about people in the Deaf community or along the spectrum of hearing loss, are not common. Such books exist, of course the most notable examples being Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick and El Deafo by Cece Bell. Yet I worry that things have not changed significantly since I was a kid. When I was little we had books about Helen Keller and ... that was pretty much it. If you were to pull aside a sixth grader today and ask them to name a book featuring a Deaf main character, would they still think only of Helen? Author Ann Clare LeZotte is a Deaf librarian and brings to Show Me a Sign the ability to pinpoint the subtleties of the deaf residents of Martha’s Vineyard. This is a work of historical fiction that brings to light a specific community we’ve not seen in a children’s book before. And just wait till you hit that twist in the middle of book!
“If you are reading this, I suppose you want to know more about the terrible events of last year – which I almost didn’t survive – and the community where I live.” So begins Mary Lambert’s story. Deaf from birth, she lives on Martha’s Vineyard (land “sold” by the Wampanoag who reside there still) in 1805 in the village of Chilmark. In this isolated community many people are deaf. In Mary’s own family her mother and brother, recently deceased, could hear and her father cannot. Mary’s mother still grieves her dead son desperately, but distraction comes in the form of a young scientist that visits the island. Drawn to the mystery of why so many inhabitants are born without hearing, the man is determined to find the cause. Yet there is something deeply wrong with the man’s attitude, and as Mary investigates further she is pulled into a terrible discovery and grotesque new status as a “live specimen” of her people.
I do not read in a vacuum. Often I rely on the thoughts an opinions of the other children’s librarians at my library to give me a better sense of what to and not to look for in fiction for kids. I think it’s safe to say that each reader of this book approached the material with skepticism. As one said, she worried about the common pitfalls that disability fiction (for lack of another term) often falls into (person with differing ability as angry/ own worst enemy, overcomes disability in an inspiring way, etc.). Mind you, LeZotte has explicitly made a special point NOT to write that kind of book. Indeed, she actively swerves away from that storyline type and is unafraid to say so. My librarians and I did agree that the beginning of the novel is a bit on the slow side. Well-written, absolutely, but it reminded me, in a funny way, of the first chapter of Tuck Everlasting. Great words are there, but they make the book a very slow burn straight out of the gate. I don’t find that a fault, necessarily. There’s something about the sudden switchover from its languid first half to the horrific event halfway through that makes the second half all the more gripping.
And now some thoughts on racist mamas. Amongst the many things I admire about LeZotte as a writer is her guts. It takes some guts to make a character purposefully unlikable, sure, but it takes sheer oodles of guts to make a character beloved by the protagonist a racist jerk. And LeZotte never plays it safe. She could easily have gone the Caroline Ingalls route and settled for simply making Mary’s mom a character that is closest to our heroine and that harbors horrid thoughts about the local Wampanoag population. But it's not enough to have a mom with despicable thoughts. Oh no, LeZotte also makes Mary’s best friend, with whom she shares so much, a complicated person with awful opinions. Books set in the past starring sympathetic white characters often face a significant problem. While it would be accurate to make such heroes a product of their time, imbued with the societal prejudices they cannot escape, contemporary child readers don’t like their protagonists to be unlikable. So how do you balance accuracy with delicacy? There are a number of ways to go about it, but LeZotte’s answer may be amongst the best. Essentially, if you make two major white characters casual racists, while at the same time telegraphing that this is NOT okay, then you can give a child reader the sense of how racism can permeate a society. The difficulty comes in the inevitable redemption, of course. Mary’s friend Nancy has an abusive father and Mary’s mother is suffering from severe depression and grief, which draws a little sympathy their way. Yet neither recants her racist stance, and so it is up to the child reader to judge these characters accordingly by the story’s end. An ideal topic for a book discussion, no?
Mind you, it’s all well and good to have an open-minded white protagonist but let's not forget that there are a few Wampanoag characters in the book. If we are examining this book through the lens of a white author writing about a Native population, what are we to make of it? In such cases as these, I defer to the experts. First up, there is the blurb on the book from Penny Gamble-Williams, “activist and Spiritual Leader of the Chappaquiddick Tribe of the Wampanoag Nation” who points out that the issues brought up in this book (“land ownership, cultural clashes, racism, and intolerance”) continue to this day. Gamble-Williams was also the sensitivity reader for the book. Next, there are the Seminole & Miccosukee teens that write on the blog Indigo’s Bookshelf. They have close ties to the author, a fact that they make mention of straightaway in their critique of this story, but they also have their well-developed senses of skepticism, which I admire. They didn’t want this book to be a “White awakening narrative” where the focus is on the main character and HER journey. They are not without their criticisms, but on the whole they feel the book is respectful and well done.
So when we talk about children’s books we sometimes talk about the “takeaway”. As in, “what will a child take away from this book?” This makes the assumption that every book we read has to have some kind of implicit moral lesson (a holdover from children’s literature’s early Puritanical roots, no doubt). And certainly there are books for kids out there that don’t give two hoots about conveying anything to their child readers. Yet in the case of Show Me a Sign, I like to think that there is a message at work that doesn’t come across as immediately obvious. It’s not even all that revolutionary, until you realize its context. It is, simply, “We are fine as we were made.” The idea that a person who is deaf does not have to be “fixed” in any way is as radical today as was during the Enlightenment. When someone says in the book that to be deaf is to live in a “reduced state”, you, the reader, feel that insult. May such casual cruelties fall by the wayside in the presence of such books as these. May our children find them and love them and read them repeatedly. And may we see more such books from Ann Clare LeZotte and authors like her that put work and care into the very folds of their stories.
For ages 9-12.
“If you are reading this, I suppose you want to know more about the terrible events of last year – which I almost didn’t survive – and the community where I live.” So begins Mary Lambert’s story. Deaf from birth, she lives on Martha’s Vineyard (land “sold” by the Wampanoag who reside there still) in 1805 in the village of Chilmark. In this isolated community many people are deaf. In Mary’s own family her mother and brother, recently deceased, could hear and her father cannot. Mary’s mother still grieves her dead son desperately, but distraction comes in the form of a young scientist that visits the island. Drawn to the mystery of why so many inhabitants are born without hearing, the man is determined to find the cause. Yet there is something deeply wrong with the man’s attitude, and as Mary investigates further she is pulled into a terrible discovery and grotesque new status as a “live specimen” of her people.
I do not read in a vacuum. Often I rely on the thoughts an opinions of the other children’s librarians at my library to give me a better sense of what to and not to look for in fiction for kids. I think it’s safe to say that each reader of this book approached the material with skepticism. As one said, she worried about the common pitfalls that disability fiction (for lack of another term) often falls into (person with differing ability as angry/ own worst enemy, overcomes disability in an inspiring way, etc.). Mind you, LeZotte has explicitly made a special point NOT to write that kind of book. Indeed, she actively swerves away from that storyline type and is unafraid to say so. My librarians and I did agree that the beginning of the novel is a bit on the slow side. Well-written, absolutely, but it reminded me, in a funny way, of the first chapter of Tuck Everlasting. Great words are there, but they make the book a very slow burn straight out of the gate. I don’t find that a fault, necessarily. There’s something about the sudden switchover from its languid first half to the horrific event halfway through that makes the second half all the more gripping.
And now some thoughts on racist mamas. Amongst the many things I admire about LeZotte as a writer is her guts. It takes some guts to make a character purposefully unlikable, sure, but it takes sheer oodles of guts to make a character beloved by the protagonist a racist jerk. And LeZotte never plays it safe. She could easily have gone the Caroline Ingalls route and settled for simply making Mary’s mom a character that is closest to our heroine and that harbors horrid thoughts about the local Wampanoag population. But it's not enough to have a mom with despicable thoughts. Oh no, LeZotte also makes Mary’s best friend, with whom she shares so much, a complicated person with awful opinions. Books set in the past starring sympathetic white characters often face a significant problem. While it would be accurate to make such heroes a product of their time, imbued with the societal prejudices they cannot escape, contemporary child readers don’t like their protagonists to be unlikable. So how do you balance accuracy with delicacy? There are a number of ways to go about it, but LeZotte’s answer may be amongst the best. Essentially, if you make two major white characters casual racists, while at the same time telegraphing that this is NOT okay, then you can give a child reader the sense of how racism can permeate a society. The difficulty comes in the inevitable redemption, of course. Mary’s friend Nancy has an abusive father and Mary’s mother is suffering from severe depression and grief, which draws a little sympathy their way. Yet neither recants her racist stance, and so it is up to the child reader to judge these characters accordingly by the story’s end. An ideal topic for a book discussion, no?
Mind you, it’s all well and good to have an open-minded white protagonist but let's not forget that there are a few Wampanoag characters in the book. If we are examining this book through the lens of a white author writing about a Native population, what are we to make of it? In such cases as these, I defer to the experts. First up, there is the blurb on the book from Penny Gamble-Williams, “activist and Spiritual Leader of the Chappaquiddick Tribe of the Wampanoag Nation” who points out that the issues brought up in this book (“land ownership, cultural clashes, racism, and intolerance”) continue to this day. Gamble-Williams was also the sensitivity reader for the book. Next, there are the Seminole & Miccosukee teens that write on the blog Indigo’s Bookshelf. They have close ties to the author, a fact that they make mention of straightaway in their critique of this story, but they also have their well-developed senses of skepticism, which I admire. They didn’t want this book to be a “White awakening narrative” where the focus is on the main character and HER journey. They are not without their criticisms, but on the whole they feel the book is respectful and well done.
So when we talk about children’s books we sometimes talk about the “takeaway”. As in, “what will a child take away from this book?” This makes the assumption that every book we read has to have some kind of implicit moral lesson (a holdover from children’s literature’s early Puritanical roots, no doubt). And certainly there are books for kids out there that don’t give two hoots about conveying anything to their child readers. Yet in the case of Show Me a Sign, I like to think that there is a message at work that doesn’t come across as immediately obvious. It’s not even all that revolutionary, until you realize its context. It is, simply, “We are fine as we were made.” The idea that a person who is deaf does not have to be “fixed” in any way is as radical today as was during the Enlightenment. When someone says in the book that to be deaf is to live in a “reduced state”, you, the reader, feel that insult. May such casual cruelties fall by the wayside in the presence of such books as these. May our children find them and love them and read them repeatedly. And may we see more such books from Ann Clare LeZotte and authors like her that put work and care into the very folds of their stories.
For ages 9-12.
September 16, 2020
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Before Martha's Vineyard became a getaway for the rich, it belonged to the Wampanoag, who then sold the land (arguably under incredibly unfair terms) to English settlers, who came from a town in England called Weald where Deafness was a recessive trait that ended up showing up more and more in the small and isolated population, which ended up resulting in the community developing a village sign language called Martha's Vineyard Sign Language. I had never learned about any of this before and was really excited to learn about the history of Martha's Vineyard.
Our heroine is a young girl named Mary whose brother has just died in a terrible accident. She feels responsible, and the death has caused a rift in her family, as her brother could hear (like her mother), whereas her father is Deaf like her. Watching her mother grieve and her lack of care in expressing her obvious favoritism among her children is heartbreaking, and Mary ends up spending more and more time with her friend, getting into mischief, when a scientist named Andrew comes to the island to make discoveries.
Pretty soon, however, it's clear that Andrew's intentions are less than pure and he has absolutely zero respect for those who are Deaf in the community. Prior to this point, I was thinking that this book reminded me a lot of the American Girl books I used to read as a child, but this book, with the way it confronts ableism, cruelty in the name of scientific advancement, and racism, is actually much darker than I anticipated. I don't think it's inappropriate for middle grade, but it will definitely give kids a lot to think about while reading. It gave me a lot to think about while reading.
SHOW ME A SIGN is #OwnVoices in that the author is also Deaf and worked to incorporate sign language into the story in a way that feels fluid and conveys to readers who might not speak sign language what that sort of communication feels like to "speak." I loved the physicality of it, and how LeZotte incorporated the motions of hands into the dialogue, and it was really, really well done. She wrote a great author's note in the back about the liberties she took to convey MVSL, which is now a dead language, as well as the history of Martha's Vineyard itself.
I liked this book. In terms of pacing, it's decent. Definitely feels slow until the dark twist with Andrew's character, and then everything speeds up. I do think that this will appeal to those who like American Girl books, as it ticks all those boxes: it is part of the history of the United States, but it also explores the darker side of that history, and a young girl who has that history as part of her heritage gets to pilot through that story with her own agency as vehicle. SHOW ME A SIGN will probably appeal more to young readers and educators than older teens and adults, but I do think it is worth reading and talking about, if only so it finds its way into the hands of more kids (particularly kids who are Deaf/HoH).
Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review!
3 stars
September 6, 2021
4 stars
Show Me a Sign is a story about Mary Lambert. She lives on Martha's Vineyard with her family and a lot of others who are just like her. Deaf. This story takes place in the early nineteenth century and is based on a true story of a deaf community that lived there then.
This book was so interesting. I've read quite a few books with deaf heroes/heroines but never to my knowledge have I read an own voices story. I love the family/community aspect of this story. The first half of the book you really got to know the characters and you got a good idea of who Mary was. The second half went in a direction I honestly didn't see coming, but I liked that it was unpredictable.
I enjoyed listening to this story and it's a middle grade I would highly recommend!
“Deafness is not an affliction. The only thing is stops me from doing is hearing.”
Show Me a Sign is a story about Mary Lambert. She lives on Martha's Vineyard with her family and a lot of others who are just like her. Deaf. This story takes place in the early nineteenth century and is based on a true story of a deaf community that lived there then.
This book was so interesting. I've read quite a few books with deaf heroes/heroines but never to my knowledge have I read an own voices story. I love the family/community aspect of this story. The first half of the book you really got to know the characters and you got a good idea of who Mary was. The second half went in a direction I honestly didn't see coming, but I liked that it was unpredictable.
I enjoyed listening to this story and it's a middle grade I would highly recommend!
Audio book source: Hoopla
Story Rating: 4 stars
Narrators: Nora Hunter
Narration Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Historical Middle Grade
Length: 6h 15m
January 28, 2022
3.75 stars
A historical novel set in Martha’s Vineyard in the early 19th century, Show Me a Sign is about Mary Lambert, a young deaf girl in a deaf community on an island. On this island there are a mix of hearing and deaf people who live together and who all sign, unusual for its time. A strange scientist comes to the town to research Mary and her people, and he drags Mary into a cruel experiment.
I’ve mentioned this before, but my grandmother and great grandparents were deaf and I love seeing deaf representation in literature. I had never heard of this community on Martha’s Vineyard and I absolutely loved learning about it in this book and will probably read more about it outside of this book. I think this was a fantastic middle grade book, written very well and I’ll be recommending it a lot to families who visit my library.
A historical novel set in Martha’s Vineyard in the early 19th century, Show Me a Sign is about Mary Lambert, a young deaf girl in a deaf community on an island. On this island there are a mix of hearing and deaf people who live together and who all sign, unusual for its time. A strange scientist comes to the town to research Mary and her people, and he drags Mary into a cruel experiment.
I’ve mentioned this before, but my grandmother and great grandparents were deaf and I love seeing deaf representation in literature. I had never heard of this community on Martha’s Vineyard and I absolutely loved learning about it in this book and will probably read more about it outside of this book. I think this was a fantastic middle grade book, written very well and I’ll be recommending it a lot to families who visit my library.
February 20, 2020
The history of Martha’s Vineyard Sign Language has fascinated me ever since I first devoured Nora Groce’s seminal ethnography Everyone Here Spoke Sign Language: Hereditary Deafness on Martha’s Vineyard (Harvard University Press). Not only was MVSL one of the building blocks of American Sign Language, but the history of Martha’s Vineyard showed a wonderful example of what can happen when everyone has equal access to communication. Ann Clare LeZotte brings the island community to life, and – no doubt because she is a Deaf ASL user herself – sidesteps the awkwardness that hearing authors often bring to showing signed interactions on the page. The result is a story that flows as naturally as the signs off the hands of deaf and hearing islanders alike – a story of a tight-knit community where everyone is valued, and the intrusion of the outside hearing world that only sees deaf islanders as specimens to study. LeZotte managed to incorporate lots of historical information – about the history of the island, about the early history of deaf education in America, about sign languages themselves – without ever letting the facts overwhelm the story and characters. What impressed me most, though, was the way the author wove in marginalized voices that, in most historical fiction like this, would have been overlooked – the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head, the black freedmen on the island, the fact that the early schools for the deaf were segregated. This too, is done with a deft touch, as protagonist Mary reckons with the way the larger hearing world views her and her community, and learns how her own people have marginalized others. Anyone who dismisses this book as “niche” is missing out – in fact, it’s a big-hearted adventure and family story that will provoke reflections and discussions about intersectionality from writers and readers alike.
As an ASL interpreter, librarian, and book reviewer, I have reviewed a LOT of books about ASL and Deaf Culture over the years. There have been a lot of “well, at least now there’s a book on this topic….better than nothing, I guess.” So to have this book to recommend, that’s THIS good, AND by a Deaf author…this is a very good day. :)
I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
As an ASL interpreter, librarian, and book reviewer, I have reviewed a LOT of books about ASL and Deaf Culture over the years. There have been a lot of “well, at least now there’s a book on this topic….better than nothing, I guess.” So to have this book to recommend, that’s THIS good, AND by a Deaf author…this is a very good day. :)
I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
August 28, 2021
Excellent in so many ways. Middle Grade/YA/Fine for Adults - An OwnVoices historical fiction set in the Martha's Vineyard community of the deaf in post-revolutionary USA. A group of English farming families with a noted recessive gene for deafness had settled on the island off the coast of Massachusetts in Colonial days. Living amongst the native Wampanoag, other settlers, African-American freedmen, and an occasional whaler or privateer they refined their English Village Sign Language into a form known as MVSL - Martha's Vineyard Sign Language - which is a precursor of American Sign Language. Nearly everyone on the island knew MVSL and a culture of equality between deaf and hearing developed. The story is told through the eyes of a twelve year old girl named Mary Lambert whose life is disrupted first by family tragedy and then by the arrival of a brash young scientist seeking to discover the "cause" of deafness. The social structure of the island community is well-depicted as is the linguistic world of the deaf. Recommended.
October 1, 2021
"Deafness is not an affliction. The only thing it stops me from doing is hearing." p.95
"Missionaries and English settlers have made land claims up and down Noepe...It remains a Wampanoag island. In truth, no one can truly buy or sell this land. It belongs to a far greater Being..."
p. 127
"Somehow Ezra Brewer's words help me see that when Mama, Papa, and I were left to cope with George's loss, we pulled apart instead of coming together." p. 236
"We can't hide from our ancestors' misdeeds." p.256
"I'm sure that many hearing people, especially those who don't know the deaf, imagine our lives are filled with silence. That's not true. If my mind and heart are full of energy and fun, and I'm looking ahead with excitement, I don't feel silent at all. I buzz like a bee in good times. Only in bad times, when I am numb and full of sadness does everything turn silent. Like our house with just Mama and me in it." p. 46
"Missionaries and English settlers have made land claims up and down Noepe...It remains a Wampanoag island. In truth, no one can truly buy or sell this land. It belongs to a far greater Being..."
p. 127
"Somehow Ezra Brewer's words help me see that when Mama, Papa, and I were left to cope with George's loss, we pulled apart instead of coming together." p. 236
"We can't hide from our ancestors' misdeeds." p.256
"I'm sure that many hearing people, especially those who don't know the deaf, imagine our lives are filled with silence. That's not true. If my mind and heart are full of energy and fun, and I'm looking ahead with excitement, I don't feel silent at all. I buzz like a bee in good times. Only in bad times, when I am numb and full of sadness does everything turn silent. Like our house with just Mama and me in it." p. 46
August 17, 2021
Every child between the ages of 9-13 should have this book on their shelves or a chance to borrow it from the shelves of the library! Show Me a Sign by Ann Clare LeZotte is a well-researched and heartwarming middle-grade #OwnVoices historical fiction novel set in Martha's Vineyard in the early 19th century. The story follows Mary Lambert (no, not of Same Love fame), an 11-year-old deaf girl living in an area of Martha's Vineyard where a large number of the local population is born deaf, a hereditary condition passed down through descendants of one of the earlier settlers there. This community boasts seamless communication between both deaf and hearing communities through their local dialect of sign language, which allows the deaf population nearly just as many opportunities and very little limitations in their world.
Mary's family is grappling with a recent tragedy that took her older brother's life. Each member copes differently; her hearing mother is pushing Mary away as she wades through her grief while her deaf father commiserates more with Mary and her lived experiences. When a young and eager scientist comes to town to discover the root of the deafness that has such a strong place in the community, Mary's confrontations with him prove he is more dangerous than many of the town people initially realize, and she finds herself at the heart of his scientific quests, whether she wants to be there or not.
This book was excellent. It was so interesting to learn about this sect of American history which I knew nothing about. It handles themes of disability, race, and family in a way that is accessible to middle-grade readers just coming across these hard-to-discuss topics as they grow older. The way Ann Clare LeZotte describes the deaf experience is so beautiful and meaningful and I think many people both young and old could gain something from having read her work. I recommend to anyone who enjoys children's literature and consider it a must-read for children 9-13 and perhaps even younger readers that can handle slightly mature content. I really look forward to the companion book!
Mary's family is grappling with a recent tragedy that took her older brother's life. Each member copes differently; her hearing mother is pushing Mary away as she wades through her grief while her deaf father commiserates more with Mary and her lived experiences. When a young and eager scientist comes to town to discover the root of the deafness that has such a strong place in the community, Mary's confrontations with him prove he is more dangerous than many of the town people initially realize, and she finds herself at the heart of his scientific quests, whether she wants to be there or not.
This book was excellent. It was so interesting to learn about this sect of American history which I knew nothing about. It handles themes of disability, race, and family in a way that is accessible to middle-grade readers just coming across these hard-to-discuss topics as they grow older. The way Ann Clare LeZotte describes the deaf experience is so beautiful and meaningful and I think many people both young and old could gain something from having read her work. I recommend to anyone who enjoys children's literature and consider it a must-read for children 9-13 and perhaps even younger readers that can handle slightly mature content. I really look forward to the companion book!
March 20, 2021
Mary Lambert’s family lives in Martha’s Vineyard before it was Martha’s Vineyard. Her ancestors are from a place in England where deafness is prominent. Mary grows up in a community where her deafness is not seen as something that needs an explanation. But the outside world doesn’t share these views.
Mary’s world consists of her mom and dad (her mom is hearing, her father isn’t). Mary has lost her brother in a tragic accident and she carries guilt as the cause of it. Mary has a best friend in Nancy (also hearing) and a grizzled old sailor, Ezra (my favorite character).
This is a story about Mary, but also about accepting those that are different. This part of the country originally belonged to the Wampanoag and this is explored in the book also. Mary’s father employs a man of color married to a woman belonging to the tribe.
I like how all of the plot lines are handled. A great way to begin my reading year.
Mary’s world consists of her mom and dad (her mom is hearing, her father isn’t). Mary has lost her brother in a tragic accident and she carries guilt as the cause of it. Mary has a best friend in Nancy (also hearing) and a grizzled old sailor, Ezra (my favorite character).
This is a story about Mary, but also about accepting those that are different. This part of the country originally belonged to the Wampanoag and this is explored in the book also. Mary’s father employs a man of color married to a woman belonging to the tribe.
I like how all of the plot lines are handled. A great way to begin my reading year.
September 29, 2021
This book was on my #MustReadin2021 list and yet I still missed the fact that it was a historical fiction novel. It focuses on Martha’s Vineyard in the early 19th Century which had a rather large deaf community that resided on the island. Everyone was fluent in sign language and there were certain manners everyone understood when speaking in the presence of citizens who were both hearing and deaf.
The main character, Mary Lambert, recently lost her older brother in an accident. As her family is grieving his loss, Mary is secretively blaming herself for the accident. Meanwhile, a young scientist visits Martha’s Vineyard in search of a reason for the predominantly deafness on the island. By his questions, it’s obvious he sees the deaf community as a problem he needs to fix.
This story takes some mysterious twists and turns, but all the while LeZotte beautifully showcases the biases faced by two groups living on the island: the Wampanoag people and the deaf community. I loved this story and would note that it is an #ownvoices book as LeZotte is deaf, bilingual, and bicultural. Her professional focus is on underserved populations and inclusion. I’m happy to recommend this title!
The main character, Mary Lambert, recently lost her older brother in an accident. As her family is grieving his loss, Mary is secretively blaming herself for the accident. Meanwhile, a young scientist visits Martha’s Vineyard in search of a reason for the predominantly deafness on the island. By his questions, it’s obvious he sees the deaf community as a problem he needs to fix.
This story takes some mysterious twists and turns, but all the while LeZotte beautifully showcases the biases faced by two groups living on the island: the Wampanoag people and the deaf community. I loved this story and would note that it is an #ownvoices book as LeZotte is deaf, bilingual, and bicultural. Her professional focus is on underserved populations and inclusion. I’m happy to recommend this title!
November 6, 2020
This has the most "Newbery feel" of any book I've read this year, so I would not be surprised to see it with a shiny medal come January. It's a much-needed #ownvoices story about Mary, a character who is Deaf that lives in a supportive Deaf community in the early 19th century. Yes, that representation is very important, but on top of that, the storytelling here is top-notch. Part 2 really ramps up the tension as Mary's whole existence is put in danger, and she finds herself having to cope in a completely different and frightening world. This would be a great book to choose for a discussion group as it brings up issues of inclusion, community, and how to deal with prejudice around you.
September 6, 2021
FOUR POINT FIVE STARS
Show Me a Sign is an #OwnVoices about 11-year-old Mary who lives on Martha’s Vineyard. The story takes place in 1805. One of the unique things about this story is it pulls from the real-life events of Martha’s Vineyard - a large community of deaf people.
“By the middle of the 19th century, one in every 25 people in Chilmark was deaf. In the U.S. overall, by contrast, that number was roughly one in 5,700. And while one in 25 people were deaf, something closer to 25 in 25 knew how to sign.”
~ Romm, Cari (2015, June). The Life and Death of Martha's Vineyard Sign Language
The community in Martha’s Vineyard had its own language called - Martha’s Vineyard Sign Language (MVSL) this was before there was a formal American Sign Language. Because the community communicated in MVSL that meant there was no language barrier for those who lived there.
Partway through the book, a man comes to the island to study the deaf community and try to figure out why so many people are deaf. This is where the book surprised me because what happens next was something I didn’t see coming. I don’t want to say too much as to not to ruin it for readers.
While this book is about a deaf girl and her life on Mary's Vineyard, it encompasses more than just that subject. It also tackles colonization and the Indigenous Wampanoag people.
Show Me a Sign won the 2021 Schneider Family Book Award for Middle Grades. (The Schneider Family Book Award is an award given by the American Library Association recognizing authors and illustrators for the excellence of portrayal of the disability experience in literature for youth.)
Show Me a Sign is an #OwnVoices about 11-year-old Mary who lives on Martha’s Vineyard. The story takes place in 1805. One of the unique things about this story is it pulls from the real-life events of Martha’s Vineyard - a large community of deaf people.
“By the middle of the 19th century, one in every 25 people in Chilmark was deaf. In the U.S. overall, by contrast, that number was roughly one in 5,700. And while one in 25 people were deaf, something closer to 25 in 25 knew how to sign.”
~ Romm, Cari (2015, June). The Life and Death of Martha's Vineyard Sign Language
The community in Martha’s Vineyard had its own language called - Martha’s Vineyard Sign Language (MVSL) this was before there was a formal American Sign Language. Because the community communicated in MVSL that meant there was no language barrier for those who lived there.
Partway through the book, a man comes to the island to study the deaf community and try to figure out why so many people are deaf. This is where the book surprised me because what happens next was something I didn’t see coming. I don’t want to say too much as to not to ruin it for readers.
While this book is about a deaf girl and her life on Mary's Vineyard, it encompasses more than just that subject. It also tackles colonization and the Indigenous Wampanoag people.
Show Me a Sign won the 2021 Schneider Family Book Award for Middle Grades. (The Schneider Family Book Award is an award given by the American Library Association recognizing authors and illustrators for the excellence of portrayal of the disability experience in literature for youth.)
Audiobook source: Hoopla
Narrator: Nora Hunter
Length: 6H 15M
May 18, 2021
Without getting into an online debate I would like to say that I was disappointed with this book, especially after having read some positive reader reviews.
LeZotte covered issues about the deaf community in Martha's Vineyard in the early 1800's and did talk briefly about the indigenous people in that region, but I felt that the book really fell short. My first comment about the book after finishing it was that it felt "flat." Nothing stood out or seemed remarkable. Setting, characters, story line...flat. I had to force myself to finish it.
Some reviewers suggested it as a potential MS read. I would not. One reader even suggested it as a contender for the Schneider Award, "that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences." Not every book about a disabled main character qualifies. The book must bring the characters to life, and exhibit qualities that make it an engaging read.
LeZotte covered issues about the deaf community in Martha's Vineyard in the early 1800's and did talk briefly about the indigenous people in that region, but I felt that the book really fell short. My first comment about the book after finishing it was that it felt "flat." Nothing stood out or seemed remarkable. Setting, characters, story line...flat. I had to force myself to finish it.
Some reviewers suggested it as a potential MS read. I would not. One reader even suggested it as a contender for the Schneider Award, "that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences." Not every book about a disabled main character qualifies. The book must bring the characters to life, and exhibit qualities that make it an engaging read.
September 26, 2022
This was a buddy read (listen) for me. . .it started slow at first but then I was more engaged and enjoyed the story being told.
The non-indigenous peoples that landed on what is now known as Martha's Vineyard were English, and one of them was a deaf man whose family thrived and grew on the island, and there were many who inherited the deafness. This slowed no one down as they developed a sign language all their own, and everyone on the island used it to communicate. It was an interesting read to see how an entire community could work around the disability.
Tensions rise in the story line when a so-called scientist arrives to "fix" the problem. Mary Lambert, the book's main character is where he focuses his attention. The atmosphere darkens and concern levels rise. Mary, however, is brave and stalwart and more than a little clever.
I've got the next book in this story line in my TBR list, Set Me Free.
The non-indigenous peoples that landed on what is now known as Martha's Vineyard were English, and one of them was a deaf man whose family thrived and grew on the island, and there were many who inherited the deafness. This slowed no one down as they developed a sign language all their own, and everyone on the island used it to communicate. It was an interesting read to see how an entire community could work around the disability.
Tensions rise in the story line when a so-called scientist arrives to "fix" the problem. Mary Lambert, the book's main character is where he focuses his attention. The atmosphere darkens and concern levels rise. Mary, however, is brave and stalwart and more than a little clever.
I've got the next book in this story line in my TBR list, Set Me Free.
April 19, 2021
There are not enough books by and about the Deaf community.
I believe I am more aware of the Deaf community than the average hearing person. When I was a child, my mom's best friend was Deaf. I was taught ASL before I spoke.
Show Me a Sign is an amazing ownvoices historical fiction story about a (real, historical) community with a high proportion of Deaf people. I loved how LeZotte depicted communication in this book. I loved the way she handled the science of what makes people deaf.
I'm glad it won a well-deserved Schneider award.
For me, the tone felt fairly subdued at the beginning, and then shocked me when the plot took its turn. It quickly becomes a story with a lot of horrible traumatic experiences. Maybe I'm more horrified by that kind of thing in books now than I used to be, since I've become a parent. Or maybe I'm extra sensitive to these things since the world has been living in a collectively traumatic experience for over a year now.
There needs to be more ownvoices books by Deaf people.
I believe I am more aware of the Deaf community than the average hearing person. When I was a child, my mom's best friend was Deaf. I was taught ASL before I spoke.
Show Me a Sign is an amazing ownvoices historical fiction story about a (real, historical) community with a high proportion of Deaf people. I loved how LeZotte depicted communication in this book. I loved the way she handled the science of what makes people deaf.
I'm glad it won a well-deserved Schneider award.
For me, the tone felt fairly subdued at the beginning, and then shocked me when the plot took its turn. It quickly becomes a story with a lot of horrible traumatic experiences. Maybe I'm more horrified by that kind of thing in books now than I used to be, since I've become a parent. Or maybe I'm extra sensitive to these things since the world has been living in a collectively traumatic experience for over a year now.
There needs to be more ownvoices books by Deaf people.
June 9, 2020
4 and 1/2 stars! Beautifully written, compelling, convincing, suspenseful, and full of interesting history.
Here is a link to my review:
https://perfectretort.blogspot.com/20...
Here is a link to my review:
https://perfectretort.blogspot.com/20...
March 24, 2020
One cannot appreciate or think higher of a book, in recent memory, that paints such a tale of the early (and sometimes reoccurring) Deaf experience. The praise that could be given to the author's choices, and personal experience and perspective as a member of the Deaf community, would not and could not be measured or limited. Ann Clare LeZotte is a storyteller that Mary, Ezra, and Miss Hammond would cherish, just like her current (non-fictional) ones.
A librarian by trade, LeZotte knows what will capture the gaze and full attention of readers of all ages. Although one is grateful that this book is aimed at the younger ages (say, around 10-13), it has an overall theme that can be rewarding for all readers of all ages: We are all equal in spite of what makes us different and no one is to place value on another. In short, as Mary's father put it, "We are as fine as we are made." (48).
LeZotte takes the reader on a journey through perceptions and theories (both positive and negative) that is as exciting and rocky as the high seas. Each character will teach the reader how to reevaluate their notions of the Deaf, African American, and Native American communities. They will even question certain views and practices of the scientific and religious communities, and how they treat others. Whatever conclusions the reader leaves with, that conclusion will have bounced off a variety of prism edges.
While one will leave the lines that left the greatest personal impact, one will let other readers post what sticks to their hearts and minds:
"Silence. I'm sure that many hearing people, especially those who do not know the deaf, imagine our lives are filled with silence. That's not true. If my mind and heart are full of energy and fun, and I'm looking ahead with excitement, I do not feel silent at all. I buzz like a bee in good times. Only in bad times, when I am numb and full of sadness, does everything turn silent."- Mary (46)
"For the first time, I wonder, does being deaf determine my worth? Will deafness ever disappear from the world? Are there really perfect men?" - Mary (136)
"You've got something in you, girlie."
"Some people don't that's good," I sign.
"Pay them no mind," he signs. "I never do." - a reassurance towards Mary from Ezra (239)
“I never had a romance about being ‘special’ or ‘different’. I wished long and hard to be normal, a waste of time and a heartbreak. I don’t want other young people to experience.” – Ann Clare LeZotte.
I am looking forward to reading more of LeZotte's work, and cannot wait to see the ripple effect of her thoughts and writings take shape. We, the advocating members and allies of the Deaf community, want more books, films, and other materials like "Show Me a Sign" due to the image it presents the viewer or reader of the Deaf community. With more authentic work from the 'Deaf Lens', the views of this community (like any group or community who share their 'lens') will be refined and understood.
A librarian by trade, LeZotte knows what will capture the gaze and full attention of readers of all ages. Although one is grateful that this book is aimed at the younger ages (say, around 10-13), it has an overall theme that can be rewarding for all readers of all ages: We are all equal in spite of what makes us different and no one is to place value on another. In short, as Mary's father put it, "We are as fine as we are made." (48).
LeZotte takes the reader on a journey through perceptions and theories (both positive and negative) that is as exciting and rocky as the high seas. Each character will teach the reader how to reevaluate their notions of the Deaf, African American, and Native American communities. They will even question certain views and practices of the scientific and religious communities, and how they treat others. Whatever conclusions the reader leaves with, that conclusion will have bounced off a variety of prism edges.
While one will leave the lines that left the greatest personal impact, one will let other readers post what sticks to their hearts and minds:
"Silence. I'm sure that many hearing people, especially those who do not know the deaf, imagine our lives are filled with silence. That's not true. If my mind and heart are full of energy and fun, and I'm looking ahead with excitement, I do not feel silent at all. I buzz like a bee in good times. Only in bad times, when I am numb and full of sadness, does everything turn silent."- Mary (46)
"For the first time, I wonder, does being deaf determine my worth? Will deafness ever disappear from the world? Are there really perfect men?" - Mary (136)
"You've got something in you, girlie."
"Some people don't that's good," I sign.
"Pay them no mind," he signs. "I never do." - a reassurance towards Mary from Ezra (239)
“I never had a romance about being ‘special’ or ‘different’. I wished long and hard to be normal, a waste of time and a heartbreak. I don’t want other young people to experience.” – Ann Clare LeZotte.
I am looking forward to reading more of LeZotte's work, and cannot wait to see the ripple effect of her thoughts and writings take shape. We, the advocating members and allies of the Deaf community, want more books, films, and other materials like "Show Me a Sign" due to the image it presents the viewer or reader of the Deaf community. With more authentic work from the 'Deaf Lens', the views of this community (like any group or community who share their 'lens') will be refined and understood.
April 30, 2021
I don't think I've ever read a book written by a deaf author about a main character who is deaf. I'm glad I've rectified that with Show Me a Sign. What's even more surprising about this book is that it's a middle grade! You have no idea the joy it brings me seeing the strides in middle grade that we are having!
Overall, this book was a solid debut. What I loved the most is the way Ann Clare LeZotte wrote the narrative. We follow Mary Lambert, a deaf girl living in the inspired actual historical deaf community Martha’s Vineyard, as she grieves her brother and understand how the world treats those who are deaf.
There are little things that LeZotte did to make this so authentic, including the descriptions. You never get descriptions on sound rather how they feel (vibrations, skin sensations, etc.) and the incorporations of sign language based on communities and the personalities of the person. I feel like only someone who is deaf could have made it so authentic, not totally obvious, but enough for you to understand how someone who is deaf views the world and how it is no different from someone who is hearing.
I felt like the exploration of loss, especially one on Mary's grieving family, could’ve been more fleshed out. There were a lot of themes LeZotte was tackling: eugenics, human experimentation, discrimination/racism of Indigenous folks, treatment of other, deafness/(dis)ability, and grief. So I felt like the grief aspect wasn’t as fluid as the other components. Although I understand the author dedicated the novel to her brother who passed away, I felt little emotion from the death in the fiction pages.
The villain, as well, could have been more fleshed out. The villain being a scientist who thinks deafness means there's something "wrong" with you. I understand it's middle grade, so sometimes the villains are a lot more black and white, but it would've been interesting to understand why he wanted to study deafness in the first place, perhaps he has someone in his family? It wasn’t really explored much.
If I put aside all the Bible verses and WASP-y side characters...oh yes, it was there and it didn't make me cringe TOO much....I thought the book was all right. I hope LeZotte continues to write deaf characters, their perspective on the world, and them existing in their fictional worlds happy!
Overall, this book was a solid debut. What I loved the most is the way Ann Clare LeZotte wrote the narrative. We follow Mary Lambert, a deaf girl living in the inspired actual historical deaf community Martha’s Vineyard, as she grieves her brother and understand how the world treats those who are deaf.
There are little things that LeZotte did to make this so authentic, including the descriptions. You never get descriptions on sound rather how they feel (vibrations, skin sensations, etc.) and the incorporations of sign language based on communities and the personalities of the person. I feel like only someone who is deaf could have made it so authentic, not totally obvious, but enough for you to understand how someone who is deaf views the world and how it is no different from someone who is hearing.
I felt like the exploration of loss, especially one on Mary's grieving family, could’ve been more fleshed out. There were a lot of themes LeZotte was tackling: eugenics, human experimentation, discrimination/racism of Indigenous folks, treatment of other, deafness/(dis)ability, and grief. So I felt like the grief aspect wasn’t as fluid as the other components. Although I understand the author dedicated the novel to her brother who passed away, I felt little emotion from the death in the fiction pages.
The villain, as well, could have been more fleshed out. The villain being a scientist who thinks deafness means there's something "wrong" with you. I understand it's middle grade, so sometimes the villains are a lot more black and white, but it would've been interesting to understand why he wanted to study deafness in the first place, perhaps he has someone in his family? It wasn’t really explored much.
If I put aside all the Bible verses and WASP-y side characters...oh yes, it was there and it didn't make me cringe TOO much....I thought the book was all right. I hope LeZotte continues to write deaf characters, their perspective on the world, and them existing in their fictional worlds happy!
November 30, 2020
Having an #ownvoices book with a deaf narrator was really interesting, and I appreciated her author's note where she explained the difficulties of translating the flow of ASL into writing. This is a great historical novel with a lot of details about daily life that will appeal to a lot of readers, plus a scary adventure/survival plot. Will appeal to a ton of readers! (Again: more appealing than the cover suggests, probably!)
April 5, 2020
Wowzers!!! So good!
Re-read, and even know what was going to happen, I still went from page 100 to the end in one sitting. This book is so well crafted, just so much to say and such vivid characters. And a stunning last page.
Re-read, and even know what was going to happen, I still went from page 100 to the end in one sitting. This book is so well crafted, just so much to say and such vivid characters. And a stunning last page.
November 29, 2019
This book had so much about it to love - the characters, the history of early settlers on Martha's Vineyard (and the large percentage who were deaf), the history on the early settlers taking land away from Native Americans, and so much more. I think this is an excellent book for late elementary/early middle school students!
March 14, 2020
What an enjoyable and informative book! I learned about Martha’s Vineyard deafness and early American island life in the 1800s. I love that this book was written by a librarian who is Deaf, because it gave me a richer understanding of the nuances of language and life as a person with deafness. Highly recommend.
October 27, 2020
I loved this story. I liked the main character and the believable relationship with her parents. I liked the contrast between the safe space of Martha's Vineyard as opposed to Boston and the prejudice faced there because Lydia was deaf. I also thought the author did a good job at showing the prejudice also faced by the Wampanoags and Freemen.
August 21, 2021
Loved this. So much history and such great emotion and imagery in only 269 pages. I eagerly await book 2.
Black-eyed Susan nominee 2021.
Black-eyed Susan nominee 2021.
May 31, 2021
In 1804 Mary Lambert does NOT enjoy doing household chores and staying indoors with her mother. No matter how hard her mother tries to turn her into a proper young lady Mary would rather be running around outside in the woods with her brother or playing spies with her friend Nancy around their Martha's Vineyard hometown of Chilmark. When the story opens, Mary is carrying a dark secret. Her older brother, George, was recently struck by a carriage in the street and killed all because of Mary. Mary happens to be deaf, as many people in her community are. It's normally not a big deal as everyone can communicate in sign language, but when she couldn't hear the carriage coming, it cost her brother his life. Nancy has a grand plan to communicate with spirits and Mary hopes she can lay her brother's spirit to rest. Their plan unfortunately has repercussions that threaten to tear apart their friendship and destroy the community. That same night an outsider comes, a researcher from the mainland who wants to find the cause of deafness in the community. Mary's mother seems eager to help but Mary thinks they're fine just the way they are. Not everyone is willing to cooperate with the stranger. What effect will his coming have on Mary's community? Nothing will ever be the same again after this.
This story intrigued me because I've certainly heard of the deaf of Martha's Vineyard and also because of the Wampanoag struggles to regain their land. I'm not from the Vineyard but growing up on the Cape and nearby New England, everyone I know has been there. Being from former Wampanoag territory, I'm certainly aware of the Wampanoag history and culture. The same old fight continues. I was curious about what life was like for girls like Mary in the early 19th-century before schools for the deaf and before an understanding of genetics. Of course today we understand the cause of hereditary deafness but in 1804, their understanding of science was limited. The proposed theories are hair raising and seem kind of silly by modern standards. One really has to set aside all knowledge of modern science and get inside the head of a 19th-century person. Even doing that, I struggled, knowing fully well how most people regarded the deaf and "dumb." I knew the coming of the stranger would not end well. I couldn't put the book down until I knew what happened to Mary! It was an exciting adventure that kept me up later than I intended. I couldn't put the book down until I knew what happened to Mary!
I liked how this story was told from the first-person point-of-view of Mary. Normally, for a book for this age group, that sort of thing bothers me because it gets too adult introspective, but in this instance, the story HAS to be told from Mary's point-of-view in her own voice because she's deaf. The author is deaf which adds authenticity to Mary's story and also makes the story more interesting. She understands Mary's feelings and the reader is better able to understand what it feels like to be Mary. Although the author is deaf, she acknowledges she doesn't speak Martha's Vineyard Sign Language, a language that's now extinct. The author's note also explains how Mary would use home signs, specific to her family, to communicate and the author drew on signs she used when she was young.
While the author is not Wampanoag, she used sensitivity readers and consulted with a scholar and activist from the Chappaquiddick Tribe to make her story more authentic.
What I didn't really care for in this novel is the trap that most middle grade authors fall into these days- the adult voice. I don't like being hit over the head with moral lessons. The story was great without them but at the end, Mary's voice becomes older and wiser based on what she's been through and she explains the lessons she's learned. I prefer to learn those lessons on my own from the action of the novel. I also felt this was a tiny bit overcorrected in the dealings with the Wampanoag but I appreciated having characters who presented authentic points-of-view for the early-19th-century. It's uncomfortable to know that people felt that way but that's a good thing because it shows us how far we actually have come and how much farther we need to go.
I really liked Mary. She is a character I can relate to. Every girl who wanted to be Laura Ingalls will love Mary. Unlike Mary Ingalls, she's not a goody goody, girly girl who is content to stay home and do what her mother tells her. THIS Mary is feisty, energetic and loves to tell stories. She runs wild all over her hometown and there's no mentions of bonnets! (Yes girls wore straw bonnets in 1804. Making bonnets was a cottage industry in nearby Nantucket). Her hair is wild and free as her spirit. Mary is creative, intelligent and big-hearted. She loves strongly and deeply and her relationship with her brother was very special. She adored her big brother and feels guilty because he, as a hearing person, knew the carriage was coming and pushed her out of the way, sacrificing his own life for hers. In some ways she feels her life is worth less than her brother's and thinks her parents don't love her as much as they loved George. She's struggling with her grief and coming to terms with it. One problem I had with Mary's voice is with her letter. It does not sound like the authentic voice of an 11-year-old girl who hasn't been to school year-round. Educated, elite, men wrote like that but most people had about a third grade education, if that. I understand the point Mary was trying to make but it didn't sound authentic to me.
Mary's relationships with her parents also reminded me of Laura Ingalls. Mrs. Lambert tries to keep up appearances and make a proper home for her family. She accepts her husband and daughter for who they are but she isn't going to sacrifice proper standards just because Mary can't hear! Mrs. Lambert is also afraid of the Wampanoag and her feelings about the freedmen aren't much better, much like Caroline Ingalls. Like Laura, Mary is closer to her father and they share a bond, partly because of their deafness and partly, I think, because they're both free spirits. He understands Mary's need to be free. He's a peacemaker and mediates between Mary and her mother and between Nancy's hot-headed, angry father and the Wampanoag. I liked him more than Mary's mother. He's more sympathetic and kind for a free-spirited young lady.
The locals are quite a colorful bunch. Mary's best friend Nancy is crazy! She's fun to be around but some of her ideas are a bit too much for me. She's a good friend for Mary though because they both share that free, untrammeled spirit. I feel sorry for Nancy because her father is simply awful! He's determined to fight the Wampanoag for land ownership rights even after the Supreme Court in Boston made a decision in favor of the Wampanoag. He's angry and mean about it. Nancy's mother doesn't seem to be very kind or tolerant either. They both take their frustrations out on Nancy and I do NOT agree with Mrs. Lambert's position on not interfering. I love Ezra Brewer, the old salt. He's fun and funny. I like his stories and his sense of humor. His needs are simple and he wants for nothing except the sea and salt air. He's so typical of old New England before the tourists invaded. I was surprised by the sailing details and how long it took to sail to Boston from Martha's Vineyard. It took a good week or more when today you can take a ferry to the mainland and drive to Boston from the ferry stop in Hyannis or New Bedford in less than a day. Rev. Lee is not a bad person. He's calm and patient like a good clergyman should be and though he doesn't approve of Nancy and Mary's adventure, he doesn't come down too hard on them. I found him a kind and sympathetic clergyman. Thomas, a freedman who married a Wampanoag woman, is an interesting character. He's wholeheartedly embraced the Wampanoag culture and way of life. He's forced to work for the White islanders to make money to support his family. He's subjected to mistreatment and suspicion because of the color of his skin. His daughter Sally would be described as "colored" because she's mixed race. Sally has been raised with her mother's people. She loves animals more than anything and has a lovely, calm presence. I like how Mary appreciates Sally but NOT Mary's regrets at the end for not doing more to befriend Sally. I'm not sure that's something that feels authentic to the time or the age of the character, in spite of Mary's ordeal. I especially like Miss Hammond, the progressive school teacher. She's very interesting and modern. I question exactly how much she would know and care to share about the Native history and relationship with Europeans.
The villain, Andrew Noble, is very two-dimensional. Yes he's authentic in his viewpoints but still nasty. He's rude, inhospitable and prejudiced. His supposedly scientific methods leave a lot to be desired even with the limited knowledge of the time. He has a hypothesis and seems obsessed with PROVING science yet manufactures and manipulates situations to suit his own theories. That's not scientific based research. At first I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt. He seemed to mean well. His study could have merit and help integrate the islanders into the wider world and even help other deaf people. However, he then started to spout beliefs that sound like early-20th-century eugenics or social Darwinism (this is pre-Darwin though) and that made me realize this man is not a good person. The things he does are shocking and uncalled for. Even in 1804, he knows what he was doing is wrong. There's something not quite right in the head about him. His landlady is nearly equally awful but we don't know what he told her. She could think Mary is an indentured servant or criminal but still, that's not an excuse for her behavior or the way she runs her boardinghouse. Dr. Minot surprised me a bit. I expected him to be different. He's kind of a mixed bag. A man of science and a man of his time but also a father and a decent human being -for the time period. Nora is a kind and decent maid. She doesn't have much choice but to do what she's told to do.
I enjoyed this book quite a lot. It is interesting and thought-provoking. It's of especial interest to those who grew up in the area. I wanted a list of sources for more information on Chilmark and life on Martha's Vineyard in 1804-1805 though.
This story intrigued me because I've certainly heard of the deaf of Martha's Vineyard and also because of the Wampanoag struggles to regain their land. I'm not from the Vineyard but growing up on the Cape and nearby New England, everyone I know has been there. Being from former Wampanoag territory, I'm certainly aware of the Wampanoag history and culture. The same old fight continues. I was curious about what life was like for girls like Mary in the early 19th-century before schools for the deaf and before an understanding of genetics. Of course today we understand the cause of hereditary deafness but in 1804, their understanding of science was limited. The proposed theories are hair raising and seem kind of silly by modern standards. One really has to set aside all knowledge of modern science and get inside the head of a 19th-century person. Even doing that, I struggled, knowing fully well how most people regarded the deaf and "dumb." I knew the coming of the stranger would not end well. I couldn't put the book down until I knew what happened to Mary! It was an exciting adventure that kept me up later than I intended. I couldn't put the book down until I knew what happened to Mary!
I liked how this story was told from the first-person point-of-view of Mary. Normally, for a book for this age group, that sort of thing bothers me because it gets too adult introspective, but in this instance, the story HAS to be told from Mary's point-of-view in her own voice because she's deaf. The author is deaf which adds authenticity to Mary's story and also makes the story more interesting. She understands Mary's feelings and the reader is better able to understand what it feels like to be Mary. Although the author is deaf, she acknowledges she doesn't speak Martha's Vineyard Sign Language, a language that's now extinct. The author's note also explains how Mary would use home signs, specific to her family, to communicate and the author drew on signs she used when she was young.
While the author is not Wampanoag, she used sensitivity readers and consulted with a scholar and activist from the Chappaquiddick Tribe to make her story more authentic.
What I didn't really care for in this novel is the trap that most middle grade authors fall into these days- the adult voice. I don't like being hit over the head with moral lessons. The story was great without them but at the end, Mary's voice becomes older and wiser based on what she's been through and she explains the lessons she's learned. I prefer to learn those lessons on my own from the action of the novel. I also felt this was a tiny bit overcorrected in the dealings with the Wampanoag but I appreciated having characters who presented authentic points-of-view for the early-19th-century. It's uncomfortable to know that people felt that way but that's a good thing because it shows us how far we actually have come and how much farther we need to go.
I really liked Mary. She is a character I can relate to. Every girl who wanted to be Laura Ingalls will love Mary. Unlike Mary Ingalls, she's not a goody goody, girly girl who is content to stay home and do what her mother tells her. THIS Mary is feisty, energetic and loves to tell stories. She runs wild all over her hometown and there's no mentions of bonnets! (Yes girls wore straw bonnets in 1804. Making bonnets was a cottage industry in nearby Nantucket). Her hair is wild and free as her spirit. Mary is creative, intelligent and big-hearted. She loves strongly and deeply and her relationship with her brother was very special. She adored her big brother and feels guilty because he, as a hearing person, knew the carriage was coming and pushed her out of the way, sacrificing his own life for hers. In some ways she feels her life is worth less than her brother's and thinks her parents don't love her as much as they loved George. She's struggling with her grief and coming to terms with it. One problem I had with Mary's voice is with her letter. It does not sound like the authentic voice of an 11-year-old girl who hasn't been to school year-round. Educated, elite, men wrote like that but most people had about a third grade education, if that. I understand the point Mary was trying to make but it didn't sound authentic to me.
Mary's relationships with her parents also reminded me of Laura Ingalls. Mrs. Lambert tries to keep up appearances and make a proper home for her family. She accepts her husband and daughter for who they are but she isn't going to sacrifice proper standards just because Mary can't hear! Mrs. Lambert is also afraid of the Wampanoag and her feelings about the freedmen aren't much better, much like Caroline Ingalls. Like Laura, Mary is closer to her father and they share a bond, partly because of their deafness and partly, I think, because they're both free spirits. He understands Mary's need to be free. He's a peacemaker and mediates between Mary and her mother and between Nancy's hot-headed, angry father and the Wampanoag. I liked him more than Mary's mother. He's more sympathetic and kind for a free-spirited young lady.
The locals are quite a colorful bunch. Mary's best friend Nancy is crazy! She's fun to be around but some of her ideas are a bit too much for me. She's a good friend for Mary though because they both share that free, untrammeled spirit. I feel sorry for Nancy because her father is simply awful! He's determined to fight the Wampanoag for land ownership rights even after the Supreme Court in Boston made a decision in favor of the Wampanoag. He's angry and mean about it. Nancy's mother doesn't seem to be very kind or tolerant either. They both take their frustrations out on Nancy and I do NOT agree with Mrs. Lambert's position on not interfering. I love Ezra Brewer, the old salt. He's fun and funny. I like his stories and his sense of humor. His needs are simple and he wants for nothing except the sea and salt air. He's so typical of old New England before the tourists invaded. I was surprised by the sailing details and how long it took to sail to Boston from Martha's Vineyard. It took a good week or more when today you can take a ferry to the mainland and drive to Boston from the ferry stop in Hyannis or New Bedford in less than a day. Rev. Lee is not a bad person. He's calm and patient like a good clergyman should be and though he doesn't approve of Nancy and Mary's adventure, he doesn't come down too hard on them. I found him a kind and sympathetic clergyman. Thomas, a freedman who married a Wampanoag woman, is an interesting character. He's wholeheartedly embraced the Wampanoag culture and way of life. He's forced to work for the White islanders to make money to support his family. He's subjected to mistreatment and suspicion because of the color of his skin. His daughter Sally would be described as "colored" because she's mixed race. Sally has been raised with her mother's people. She loves animals more than anything and has a lovely, calm presence. I like how Mary appreciates Sally but NOT Mary's regrets at the end for not doing more to befriend Sally. I'm not sure that's something that feels authentic to the time or the age of the character, in spite of Mary's ordeal. I especially like Miss Hammond, the progressive school teacher. She's very interesting and modern. I question exactly how much she would know and care to share about the Native history and relationship with Europeans.
The villain, Andrew Noble, is very two-dimensional. Yes he's authentic in his viewpoints but still nasty. He's rude, inhospitable and prejudiced. His supposedly scientific methods leave a lot to be desired even with the limited knowledge of the time. He has a hypothesis and seems obsessed with PROVING science yet manufactures and manipulates situations to suit his own theories. That's not scientific based research. At first I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt. He seemed to mean well. His study could have merit and help integrate the islanders into the wider world and even help other deaf people. However, he then started to spout beliefs that sound like early-20th-century eugenics or social Darwinism (this is pre-Darwin though) and that made me realize this man is not a good person. The things he does are shocking and uncalled for. Even in 1804, he knows what he was doing is wrong. There's something not quite right in the head about him. His landlady is nearly equally awful but we don't know what he told her. She could think Mary is an indentured servant or criminal but still, that's not an excuse for her behavior or the way she runs her boardinghouse. Dr. Minot surprised me a bit. I expected him to be different. He's kind of a mixed bag. A man of science and a man of his time but also a father and a decent human being -for the time period. Nora is a kind and decent maid. She doesn't have much choice but to do what she's told to do.
I enjoyed this book quite a lot. It is interesting and thought-provoking. It's of especial interest to those who grew up in the area. I wanted a list of sources for more information on Chilmark and life on Martha's Vineyard in 1804-1805 though.
April 5, 2020
Richie’s Picks: SHOW ME A SIGN by Ann Clare LeZotte, Scholastic Press, March 2020, 288p., ISBN: 978-1-338-25581-2
“I pass a stretch of high road that I have come to avoid. I circle around it as if it is hallowed ground, and head back home. Leaves jump and twirl ahead of me; the wind beckons me toward a small graveyard. I choose to ignore its silent whispers.”
“While many people associate Martha’s Vineyard with being the home of the great white sharks in the 1975 movie “Jaws,” the island was better known before that time as an island with a high deaf population. How did that come to be?
Some early Vineyard settlers carried a gene for deafness (the first known deaf settler was Jonathan Lambert, 1694, according to a 2015 article in the Atlantic). Over years of marriage, generation after generation of children lived with hearing loss. At one point, one in four children on the island was born deaf.”
-- from “Deaf History on Martha’s Vineyard” verywellhealth.com
In 1805, 11-year-old Mary Lambert, the main character and narrator of SHOW ME A SIGN, is a fictional descendant of the aforementioned Jonathan Lambert. Mary and her father are deaf; her mother is not. Given the large deaf population on the island, most members of the community are adept at sign language.
Why does Mary avoid that stretch of the high road? Eight months before the story begins, a terrible tragedy occurred. Mary had been playing around by the high road with her beloved big brother George, who was not deaf. In the blink of an eye, George was run over and killed by a horse-drawn carriage, a moment after he shoved Mary out of its way, saving her life. Mary feels responsible for George’s death and has kept the details of how the tragedy occurred from her parents.
Mary’s mother remains inconsolable. She has left George’s room untouched, a shrine to her dead son. But Mary longs to find a special map George had drawn for her and her friend Nancy. So, one afternoon, she sneaks in.
“George’s books! Could he have tucked the map inside for safekeeping?
On a small shelf beside his bed are books that were never returned to Parson Thaxton. It is not like Mama to keep someone else’s property. Perhaps she couldn’t bear to part with anything left in George’s room and Papa paid to replace them.
I pick up a book of legends and flip through the pages. Nothing. Then a book of Latin grammar. Still nothing. When I open a book about local geography, the map falls out.
I unfold it and touch the lines. Lines that George drew. My mind conjures up his warmth and light. I try to hold on to the moment, but it fades.
Nancy and I had wanted a map of Chilmark. Not the kind cartographers make, but a map with all the places that are important to us. George counted drawing among his many talents, so he made it for us. He even included figures of me and Nancy walking on the high road and Smithy down by the Atlantic Ocean.
I touch the homes of families and friends we frequently visit, Ezra Brewer’s house, the Allen farm, select apple trees, Mr. Pye’s shop bellowing smoke, and the field where Mr. Butler’s oxen wandered when he left his gate open one night.
It is a map of memories.
George was always adding new touches. The most recent was Sarah Hillman running from the schoolyard to the fresh spring with angry hornets chasing her. George was working on Thomas carrying a bale of hay when the accident happened.
A salty tear drops onto the map and stains the ocean.”
After studying the map, Mary returns it to its hiding place.
But then Andrew Noble, a mysterious young man of science with a family connection to the local minister, arrives on the Island. He is seeking to determine why so many of the island’s inhabitants are deaf. He hypothesizes that there is some environmental factor causing the phenomenon, something residents consume or to which they are exposed.
(It’s important to recognize that this tale takes place a half-century before Darwin and Mendel put science on the road to understanding genetics.)
One evening, Mary’s mother gives George’s school books to Andrew Noble. Away with the books goes the hidden map. When Mary later sees Andrew preparing to depart the island, she is desperate to retrieve it. But when she intercepts Andrew and desperately tears into his baggage to find and retrieve the precious map, Andrew turns the tables. He subdues her and forcibly administers an inhalant that knocks her out. Mary awakens to find herself at sea, captive aboard Andrew’s schooner.
What does Andrew have in mind? Will she ever see Martha’s Vineyard again? Is she to serve as a live specimen for his investigation...or worse? How can Mary escape or make herself heard?
Author Ann Clare LeZotte, a Deaf librarian, has parlayed her knowledge and research into a first-rate historical thriller that will engage and enlighten young readers.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com
“I pass a stretch of high road that I have come to avoid. I circle around it as if it is hallowed ground, and head back home. Leaves jump and twirl ahead of me; the wind beckons me toward a small graveyard. I choose to ignore its silent whispers.”
“While many people associate Martha’s Vineyard with being the home of the great white sharks in the 1975 movie “Jaws,” the island was better known before that time as an island with a high deaf population. How did that come to be?
Some early Vineyard settlers carried a gene for deafness (the first known deaf settler was Jonathan Lambert, 1694, according to a 2015 article in the Atlantic). Over years of marriage, generation after generation of children lived with hearing loss. At one point, one in four children on the island was born deaf.”
-- from “Deaf History on Martha’s Vineyard” verywellhealth.com
In 1805, 11-year-old Mary Lambert, the main character and narrator of SHOW ME A SIGN, is a fictional descendant of the aforementioned Jonathan Lambert. Mary and her father are deaf; her mother is not. Given the large deaf population on the island, most members of the community are adept at sign language.
Why does Mary avoid that stretch of the high road? Eight months before the story begins, a terrible tragedy occurred. Mary had been playing around by the high road with her beloved big brother George, who was not deaf. In the blink of an eye, George was run over and killed by a horse-drawn carriage, a moment after he shoved Mary out of its way, saving her life. Mary feels responsible for George’s death and has kept the details of how the tragedy occurred from her parents.
Mary’s mother remains inconsolable. She has left George’s room untouched, a shrine to her dead son. But Mary longs to find a special map George had drawn for her and her friend Nancy. So, one afternoon, she sneaks in.
“George’s books! Could he have tucked the map inside for safekeeping?
On a small shelf beside his bed are books that were never returned to Parson Thaxton. It is not like Mama to keep someone else’s property. Perhaps she couldn’t bear to part with anything left in George’s room and Papa paid to replace them.
I pick up a book of legends and flip through the pages. Nothing. Then a book of Latin grammar. Still nothing. When I open a book about local geography, the map falls out.
I unfold it and touch the lines. Lines that George drew. My mind conjures up his warmth and light. I try to hold on to the moment, but it fades.
Nancy and I had wanted a map of Chilmark. Not the kind cartographers make, but a map with all the places that are important to us. George counted drawing among his many talents, so he made it for us. He even included figures of me and Nancy walking on the high road and Smithy down by the Atlantic Ocean.
I touch the homes of families and friends we frequently visit, Ezra Brewer’s house, the Allen farm, select apple trees, Mr. Pye’s shop bellowing smoke, and the field where Mr. Butler’s oxen wandered when he left his gate open one night.
It is a map of memories.
George was always adding new touches. The most recent was Sarah Hillman running from the schoolyard to the fresh spring with angry hornets chasing her. George was working on Thomas carrying a bale of hay when the accident happened.
A salty tear drops onto the map and stains the ocean.”
After studying the map, Mary returns it to its hiding place.
But then Andrew Noble, a mysterious young man of science with a family connection to the local minister, arrives on the Island. He is seeking to determine why so many of the island’s inhabitants are deaf. He hypothesizes that there is some environmental factor causing the phenomenon, something residents consume or to which they are exposed.
(It’s important to recognize that this tale takes place a half-century before Darwin and Mendel put science on the road to understanding genetics.)
One evening, Mary’s mother gives George’s school books to Andrew Noble. Away with the books goes the hidden map. When Mary later sees Andrew preparing to depart the island, she is desperate to retrieve it. But when she intercepts Andrew and desperately tears into his baggage to find and retrieve the precious map, Andrew turns the tables. He subdues her and forcibly administers an inhalant that knocks her out. Mary awakens to find herself at sea, captive aboard Andrew’s schooner.
What does Andrew have in mind? Will she ever see Martha’s Vineyard again? Is she to serve as a live specimen for his investigation...or worse? How can Mary escape or make herself heard?
Author Ann Clare LeZotte, a Deaf librarian, has parlayed her knowledge and research into a first-rate historical thriller that will engage and enlighten young readers.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com
May 11, 2020
Thanks to the @kidlitexchange network for the review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
SHOW ME A SIGN
By Ann Clare LeZotte
SHOW ME A SIGN is a beautifully written middle-grade, historical fiction novel. Set in 1805, it tells the story of Mary Lambert, a girl growing up on Martha's Vineyard. Many people on the island are Deaf, including Mary, and use sign language to communicate. Her island life is in many ways idyllic, though she doesn't realize this until she is forced to face life on the mainland. In Boston, there are very few Deaf people, minimal understanding of sign language, and even scientists and medical professionals are under the misapprehension that deafness is an infirmity.
Mary is an ideal heroine—smart, curious, adventurous, and imaginative. Readers will undoubtedly fall under her spell from page one and stick with her through the terrible ordeals she faces as the story unfolds.
LeZotte, a Deaf librarian, handles so much so well, from the Deaf experience and the intricacies of sign language versus spoken language to intolerance, cultural issues, and racism. The back matter is equally rich. Wonderful and essential reading for all!
@kidlitexchange #bookstagram #kidlitexchange #kidlit @scholasticinc
SHOW ME A SIGN
By Ann Clare LeZotte
SHOW ME A SIGN is a beautifully written middle-grade, historical fiction novel. Set in 1805, it tells the story of Mary Lambert, a girl growing up on Martha's Vineyard. Many people on the island are Deaf, including Mary, and use sign language to communicate. Her island life is in many ways idyllic, though she doesn't realize this until she is forced to face life on the mainland. In Boston, there are very few Deaf people, minimal understanding of sign language, and even scientists and medical professionals are under the misapprehension that deafness is an infirmity.
Mary is an ideal heroine—smart, curious, adventurous, and imaginative. Readers will undoubtedly fall under her spell from page one and stick with her through the terrible ordeals she faces as the story unfolds.
LeZotte, a Deaf librarian, handles so much so well, from the Deaf experience and the intricacies of sign language versus spoken language to intolerance, cultural issues, and racism. The back matter is equally rich. Wonderful and essential reading for all!
@kidlitexchange #bookstagram #kidlitexchange #kidlit @scholasticinc
February 21, 2021
I had never heard of this particular part of history or of Martha's Vineyard Sign Language and was mesmerized by this story. The great-great-granddaughter of one of the early English settlers who was deaf, Mary herself is also deaf as are many of the island's residents. Mary is curious, confident, and loves her life on the island. The residents are eager to help Andrew Noble when this scientist arrives to study them, but Andrew turns out to be untrustworthy and without ethics. He kidnaps Mary and holds her prisoner in Boston. Her struggles and frustrations are palpable as is her confusion about his reasons for taking her from her home. Mary tries repeatedly to communicate with those around her, all the while holding onto the hope that her friends and family have not forgotten and rescue is on the way. Thank goodness for Ezra Brewer, an unlikely hero, but a man determined to bring Mary back home where she belongs. Intriguing and well-written, this book will touch readers' hearts while exploring themes related to belonging, racism, privilege and challenging assumptions about the Deaf community. Science has much to answer for in many cases. The author has created a strong, resilient character who never wavers in her determination to survive at all costs.
August 2, 2020
I wanted to like this book more, but it is one that I had to force myself to finish. The positives parts of this book were the unique setting, historical information, multiple examples of views presented toward the deaf community and Native Americans of that area. The book is divided into two parts. The second part of the story has a much faster pacing, but many of the events were unbelievable and felt rushed and unexplored. Andrew's character is baffling. The first part had very flat prose and I had to force myself to keep reading. I did not really care about the characters, because of the writing style. I am wondering if I would have liked the story better told from a third person point of view. I did like the depiction of this tight knit community and how the deaf and hearing members were all valued. The author did a great job letting the reader know how signing was done- I am sure that was difficult and was the best part of the book. That, in addition to the unique setting, it has earned three stars rather than two stars from me. I would not consider this a Newbery contender this year.
September 28, 2020
Show Me a Sign by: Ann Clare LeZotte
This historical novel gives readers racism, prejudice, deaf culture, and a variety of emotions all in one book. This book takes the audience on a journey through the eyes of an eleven year old girl and her experiences dated all the way back to 1805.
Children's Literature Briefly, 7th Edition, states that diverse books should foster an awareness, understanding, and appreciation of those who seem at first glance different from the reader. I felt that this book did a marvelous job doing this. The author allowed the audience to hear and understand the main characters thoughts, experiences and emotions throughout the entire story. The author also made sure to add the thoughts other individuals had towards the people they knew differed from them and the impact that created.
Grade Level - 3rd - 7th
If you enjoyed this book I also recommend Prairie Lotus by: Linda Sue Park
*Bonus* The ending of the book gives great resources, insight and a personal touch.
This historical novel gives readers racism, prejudice, deaf culture, and a variety of emotions all in one book. This book takes the audience on a journey through the eyes of an eleven year old girl and her experiences dated all the way back to 1805.
Children's Literature Briefly, 7th Edition, states that diverse books should foster an awareness, understanding, and appreciation of those who seem at first glance different from the reader. I felt that this book did a marvelous job doing this. The author allowed the audience to hear and understand the main characters thoughts, experiences and emotions throughout the entire story. The author also made sure to add the thoughts other individuals had towards the people they knew differed from them and the impact that created.
Grade Level - 3rd - 7th
If you enjoyed this book I also recommend Prairie Lotus by: Linda Sue Park
*Bonus* The ending of the book gives great resources, insight and a personal touch.
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