True Biz

Novic, Sara

  1 Reviews

True biz? The students at the River Valley School for the Deaf just want to hook up, pass their history finals, and have politicians, doctors, and their parents stop telling them what to do with their bodies. This revelatory novel plunges readers into the halls of a residential school for the deaf, where they'll meet Charlie, a rebellious transfer student who's never met another deaf person before; Austin, the school's golden boy, whose world is rocked when his baby sister is born hearing; and February, the headmistress, who is fighting to keep her school open and her marriage intact, but might not be able to do both. As a series of crises both personal and political threaten to unravel each of them, Charlie, Austin, and February find their lives inextricable from one another - and changed forever.

This is a story of sign language and lip-reading, disability and civil rights, isolation and injustice, first love and loss, and, above all, great persistence, daring, and joy. Absorbing and assured, idiosyncratic and relatable, this is an unforgettable journey into the Deaf community and a universal celebration of human connection.(Taken from bookcover, Little Brown Books)

Comments from BDS Reviewers

"This is a stunning book – it is beautifully written, the characters are appealing, and their challenges ring true."

"The book is written in English, but space is given to ASL as a different and relevant language, with fact sheets embedded in the book."

"It is a book that lends itself extremely well to discussion."

"A fascinating insight into the Deaf community."

"I learned a lot from the book about Deaf culture and what it's like to use Sign Languages."

"I felt it could have been a bit shorter."

"I think the topic is one that needs to be discussed."

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