The Deaf House

*Shortlisted for two 2014 Saskatchewan Book Awards: City of Regina and Non-Fiction

The Deaf House is Joanne Weber’s life story. It highlights the work and passions of a woman who grew up deaf and became an advocate for the deaf. It is a story of pain, loss, and defeat balanced with joy, gain, and victory. It is the true story of a deaf woman as much as it is the fable of a heroic quest where a woman overcomes the most profound obstacles to find herself.

The author shows how deafness can be a brutal oppression of the mind as well as one of sound. Her torment of not knowing exactly where she should belong, or when to halt her destructive pride, is revealed with blunt honesty. After much internal turmoil, Joanne realized that her inherent identity was that of a Deaf individual and The Deaf House details the struggles that resulted from fiercely attempting to protect and uphold that identity.