In the fall of 2014, I met Cecily Anne Paterson through her novel Invisible. It was one of those books that I just could not put down. As an English professor who teaches adolescent literature, and a researcher who gathers books for my blog, Deaf Characters in Adolescent Literature, I am always searching for books that include deaf characters. My interest in the topic began about fifteen years ago with one of my students requesting summer reading. At that time, I was a high school English teacher at a residential school for the deaf. I was thrilled that my student was planning her summer reading; and, like many teachers, I read popular teen novels and professional journals so I felt prepared to make some recommendations. Yet, she had one stipulation; she wanted to read about characters similar to herself.
Like many of the students I have taught, this student viewed herself as a member of a cultural linguistic minority, and she did not view herself as disabled. She wanted to read about characters that use American Sign Language and participate as members within the Deaf community. She did not want to read didactic books about deafness but instead wanted books with unpredictable plots and believable characters. I recall that finding fictional books with deaf characters had been somewhat of a challenge. As a high school teacher, I never seemed to have enough time to put together a complete list of books. For that summer, I was able to recommend a book that I thought would be a good summer read but it did not meet my student’s request as far as I was concerned. It included only one character that was deaf. While this may be a common experience for some deaf individuals, it was not what I was hoping to find. Nevertheless, my student liked it and wanted to read more books with deaf characters.
Since I entered the field of Deaf Education, I have sought and read numerous books about deafness. While memoirs and biographical selections have been relatively easy to acquire, finding fictional books for adolescents including deaf characters has been more challenging. Of the books I have read, some successfully portray deaf people in a realistic and authentic manner while others present inaccurate and unrealistic portrayals of deaf people. This does not surprise me. After all, authors write about topics in which they are often quite unfamiliar and the topic of deafness is filled with numerous complications and nuances.
Historically, authors have used deafness as a literary device to relay various messages about the struggles of humankind and elicit sympathy from readers. In my 2014 interview with Cecily Anne Paterson, she explained, “I certainly didn’t set out to write a book about a deaf girl. It all came about because I needed a plot device…” I adored Invisible; and, although the character Jazmine and her deafness began as a plot point, Paterson brought to life a dynamic character.
The story is told from the perspective of Jazmine Crawford, a deaf girl who functions as a hard of hearing teen when she’s wearing her hearing aid. Having the deaf character share her own perspective is rare since many books with deaf characters are told from a hearing character’s point of view.
Jazmine uses Australian Sign Language, more frequently known as Auslan, to communicate. In the same way that American Sign Language (ASL) is its own language here in the United States, Auslan is its own language of the Australian Deaf community; and, both of the signed languages’ grammars and vocabularies are distinct from English. They are natural languages that developed organically over time.
Another rare treat with Paterson’s books is that I find myself noting more about the characters’ relationships than struggles because of deafness. Jazmine experiences some obstacles because of her deafness but it is not the central focus of the books. For example, she attends a mainstream school and knows exactly what it means to be an outsider, not because she is deaf but because she and her mother have moved frequently since she was a child. The new girl is often perceived as the outsider.
After reviewing Paterson’s second novel in the series, I wrote, “I honestly feel this is one of the best books I have seen come across this blog.” Paterson never planned to write a sequel to Invisible but she received letters from fans wanting one. Not only did I want Paterson to write a third book in this series but I wanted her to include at least one other deaf character with whom Jazmine could interact.
In March 2015, Paterson and I started discussing how she would conduct research to be able to accurately tell the stories of multiple deaf characters in her novel. She put together a questionnaire that was posted on my blog and shared widely. The post received nearly 700 hits. She explicitly asked deaf people about their experiences meeting other deaf people for the first time. After reading the manuscript for this book, I think it’s my favorite yet.
While this book shares the journey of the character Jazmine, it very much makes me reflect on my own journey as a researcher. How I wish that I had had this book, which you are about to read, to recommend to my former student for her summer reading. Paterson’s character Jazmine and her new friends are deaf but this is not a book about deafness. With a wonderful garden metaphor that resonates throughout the series, this book offers believable characters and an unpredictable plot that would be perfect to add to any reading list. The series tackles teen relationships, mean girls, family secrets, fitting in, identity, and characters finding themselves.
I hope that you enjoy it as much as I have.
Sharon Pajka, Ph.D.
Professor of English
Gallaudet University
Washington, D.C.