Welcome to Litsy!

A look into a community of deaf kids at their school. It‘s a subject I never really thought about and I liked learning about it. When I got my hearing aids, I was totally deaf for a few minutes as the molds in my ears took shape. And that‘s what it must be like for the deaf, absolute quiet. This story is about three kids coming to terms with their deafness and places in the world. You should find out about it.

I loved this one. I took sign language in college & loved it. I would have loved to take more classes but it wasn‘t possible. My professor was deaf & we didn‘t have an interpreter in the class so we had to learn quick. I went to UNC Greensboro for my undergrad & the surrounding area had always had a large deaf population due to a school for the deaf being there (it‘s not closed but there are 2 others still in NC). In class we had discussions about

When all of your library reservations arrive at the same time… and it‘s the summer holidays… and you have guests visiting… and you are dog sitting… when am I going to get these read 🤷🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️ 📚

A novel that centers on Deaf teenagers and their headmistress as they navigate school, hormones, and civil liberty.

Rebellious ✨ Educational ✨ Bridging

2Q22 results are in for my favorite books of the year! Looking forward to the second half of 2022 and crushing my reading goals (hopefully).

I joined the library waiting list after @ValerieAndBooks recommended this. It didn‘t come in time for #CampLitsy but I‘m really glad to have read it anyway. If you‘re not already familiar with the novel, it‘s set at a school for the Deaf in the US—lots of Deaf culture & history + disability rights issues + the woman in charge of the school is a lesbian. All good stuff! Rustling noise is used in the audiobook to indicate manual (ASL) dialog. #LGBTQ

Friday Reads July 8 - In which my books include folk of all kinds: queer; Canadian; Deaf; Indigenous; fey; & affected by war
https://youtu.be/XO9dLINXROc

Adding True Biz to my #LGBTQbookbingo! @Kenyazero

🌈 Set in a high school!

Absolutely fascinating novel centering around a School for the Deaf, its students, and headmistress. Novic, herself deaf, provides a window into deaf culture and an unflinching look at the challenges deaf individuals face. Novic intersperses A.S.L. and deaf culture history throughout the novel, creating a learning experience for the reader that evokes empathy and awareness that can truly affect change. I was blown away. True biz. 5⭐️

Great story about life at a school for the Deaf! Glad it was a #CampLitsy pick! I really enjoyed the pages of explaining ASL and other aspects of Deaf culture. I knew a bit about it before but learning there‘s a Black ASL as a result of segregation in the schools was definitely eye opening.

I‘m going to try and learn a few more signs myself!

I really enjoyed this look into Deaf culture and appreciated all the history and background that was shared. I liked the characters, especially Charlie and Austin. Like others have said, it ended rather abruptly and I would have liked a bit more at the end.

Finished this today for a summer book club with my family. As a longtime ASL learner I really loved the foray into Deaf culture and all the surrounding topics. I also liked the writing style and especially the storyline of Feb. I was surprised at the end because I felt like it just ended with no resolutions to the plot lines. Is it just me? So I‘d say I liked the journey more than the destination.

Here's my #bookreport for last week and #weeklyforecast for this week. Hopefully, I'll be able to finish all four books 🙄 but I think it'll be hard.

I finished two books for an exam that was nullified after I took it because according to them some people cheated. I also finished and reviewed Since Sinai.

I'm reading La banalità del bene, L'amore nell'ebraismo, and True Biz. Will start A History of Herbalism soon

@Cinfhen

I appreciated the peek into deaf culture that the book provided, especially the controversies over cochlear implants, and the characters‘ perspectives coming different backgrounds within the deaf/ASL world. The brief forays into ASL linguistics and deaf history were super interesting. Overall, the plot was a bit weak, though, and the book ended kind of abruptly without much resolution. I was hoping for more payoff w/the revolution subplot.

…and here‘s our final question for this book, and for this month of #camplitsy.

Tomorrow look out for another post, where you‘ll have the chance to vote for your choice between True Biz and How High We Go In The Dark. We‘ll also remind you shortly of the upcoming schedule for July.

I‘ve really enjoyed being your Camp Counselor for this month and seeing all of your fabulous thoughts and opinions on the two books!

Our second question of the week is above.

Let us know if you were satisfied with the ending and what you think happens next for all of the characters, including Austin, Charlie and February.

Looking forward to your thoughts!

Welcome back to this week‘s #camplitsy discussions; Barbara, Meg and I are happy to host you again! This week we‘re talking about True Biz, all the way to the end of the book.

We asked a question about Slash last week, so we‘re returning back to him again. We‘d love to hear what you thought about him and his friends and their role in the story, plus did your views on him change later in the book?

It's almost midnight for me, so it ends my first day of #20in4 #readathon !
I finished Since Sinai by Shannon Gonyou, which I'll review tomorrow.
I started reading/studying Storia Sociale dell'antica Grecia by Fritz Gschnitzer and I kept reading True Biz by Sara Novic.
I also read for 2h19mins so I'm behind schedule. Oh well.
@Andrew65

A good story with likeable characters, This book really made me think about what life is like for the deaf community, very educational. Also looking at the deep desire in all of us to belong, to be a part of our families , our culture.

Another great #CampLitsy #CampToB book!

I learned so much about Deaf culture. I thought the story was great and the contrasting characters helped readers see things from multiple angles.

Looking forward to tomorrow‘s discussion.

The first book I‘ve read in a long time where I‘ve just wanted to keep turning the pages! The mix of fiction and Deaf History education is surprisingly well-done - it never felt forced, despite the sheer amount of information she was feeding through.

I loved the teenagers, their family dynamics, and the different experiences of youngsters growing up in different cultures/ language environments. At times it was heartbreaking, infuriating

@BookNAround @catiewithac I got your letters!!! Thank you so so much, it was so kind of you.
I'll answer as soon as possible 💚💚💚

#litsylove

Repost
@thereadingpal

https://litsy.com/p/dnBYclBESlRx

So, I saw people are interested! I'd like to make a #bookclub and discuss the books we read, and I'd like to start in July.

Here's the form to choose the book for July:
https://forms.gle/z4uygZpU57ioMpQ19

There's an option to give your input with a book: comment down here if you want to read a book other than the ones I proposed.
⬇️

@LitsyEvents
So, I saw people are interested! I'd like to make a #bookclub and discuss the books we read, and I'd like to start in July.
Here's the form to choose the book for July: https://forms.gle/z4uygZpU57ioMpQ19
There's an option to give your input with a book: comment down here if you want to read a book other than the ones I proposed. Form will close on the 25th.
I hope I'm doing this right, it's the first time I do it.

I wanted to finish three books during the #JoysofJune #readathon and so I did.
-True Biz
-All Shall Be Well
-The Sandcastle Girls
I‘m nearly finished with Renovated to Death and bailed on Vanishing Girls. For the next couple days I‘ll be on an adventure with my friend.

I liked this book a lot because I learned so much about Deaf culture. I found the parts of the book that interrogated family dynamics and racism within sign language to be the most powerful parts of the book. I agree with others‘ observations that the characters could‘ve had more depth and the ending was a little unsatisfying. I‘m glad I read it though! #CampLitsy

Repost
@thereadingpal

https://litsy.com/p/c2tBVWN0NE9N

#interestcheck

Would anyone be interested in a monthly #buddyread or a #bookclub with discussion about #lgbtq books? I lean toward f/f or enby rep but we could all decide a book together and read it together!
I have a list of books on my TBR I'd like to get to, and if you do too, maybe we can work something out :D

#interestcheck
@LitsyEvents

Would anyone be interested in a monthly #buddyread or a #bookclub with discussion about #lgbtq books? I lean toward f/f or enby rep but we could all decide a book together and read it together!
I have a list of books on my TBR I'd like to get to, and if you do too, maybe we can work something out :D

Does the lack of quotation marks bother anyone else? I don‘t know why it bothers me so much! 🫤🥴

Enjoyed my #reread of this for #CampLitsy! The information about ASL and Deaf culture was so necessary. I‘d recommend it to anyone just for that. Plus, I simply liked these characters and this setting. They felt familiar to me in a very comforting way. The only drawback was that the book just ends without much resolution. Looking forward to our discussion!

This is my update for the last day of #joysofjunereadathon
✅ I've read for 26h05 out of my goal of 20 hours
✅ Read 4/4 books (I finished Fuori dal Silenzio)
✅ Wrote 2/2 reviews

I really enjoyed the experience and can't wait for the next one! Goodnight!

@Andrew65

I gave it 3 stars, which makes me feel a bit like the Scrooge of book reviews. I truly appreciate how Nović opened my eyes to US Deaf culture & the schisms between classes even within the community. It's incredibly educational. I felt like this was a coming of age story about Deaf teenagers, though, which is fine, but dressed up as litfic with a plot line involving the headmistress that felt tacked on. The ending was hmm. The writing serviceable.

Here‘s our final question of the week for #camplitsy.

If you *have* read the second half, take extra care not to reveal whether Slash‘s role develops (or not) in the second half of the book.

We hope you have a great rest of the week and look forward to seeing you next Saturday for the second half of this book!

#camplitsy

There‘s a lot to discuss with our question above… Charlie and her family, Austin and his, plus February and her parents.

We‘re excited to hear your thoughts!

Don‘t forget that we‘re only on the first half of the book this week; try not to let slip any spoilers! 😁🤞

Meg, Barbara and I are delighted to welcome you to a new week at #camplitsy!

A change of activity this week, with a new book to discuss. So, once you‘ve had a refreshing dip in the lake, why not join in with this week‘s discussions?! Above is our first question.

Don‘t forget, this week is the first part of the book only!

#BookReport 24/22

Just this book this week. I‘ve had a hard time concentrating. Looking forward to the #CampLitsy discussion about it later today!

The writing for Gone With the Wind was incredible, but I couldn‘t do a thumbs up due to the terrible racism in the content. True Biz is the inverse for me - content (educational and necessary) is a thumbs up, but the writing is not. The pacing, character development, and even parts of the storyline/ending left me disappointed. A bummer, especially since I thought Girl At War was quite well-written and True Biz has such stellar reviews.

For my fellow #CampLitsy True Biz readers. This is the Norwegian Sign Language manual alphabet (or "the one hand alphabet" as the heading says). I think it was given to me at school as a child. It only has a couple of slight variations from the ASL manual alphabet given in the book, (plus 3 extra letters of course). The British Sign Language manual alphabet, on the other hand, appears to require two hands.

I‘m so grateful to author Sara Novic for raising my awareness of deaf culture, their community and the obstacles they face both within their own families and from the hearing world at large. I enjoyed the print book for its ASL illustrations and tutorials and found the audiobook engaging and well produced. Where I struggled with this book, was the story. It was just lacking somehow. It read as very melodramatic and a bit too YA angsty for me.

Novic has a message, an important one. She calls out to the hearing world to stand with the Deaf community, and fight for their self-governance, dignity and the value of human diversity before the effects of educational isolation and genetic manipulation are irreversible.
How little did I know! I loved to learn about Deaf culture but the fiction storyline was distracting. The MCs felt cliché, their relationships flat and unfinished.

#CampLitsy

One more book that winged it‘s way across the ocean😁 I‘m ready for #CampLitsy 🏕

It‘s a pick but primarily because I learned so much about deaf culture.

I was left with so many questions about the characters…is there going to be a sequel? What the heck will their future be? Why did the story end in such an abrupt way? Was the story simply a vehicle to explain all the challenges experienced by those who are deaf or was it supposed to resolve the various situations of the characters, such as housing, schooling, marriages?

Started listening to this on audio this morning (yes, I do see the irony) and can‘t stop. Such a great story!
#camplitsy

I loved this!

I kind of had an idea what it was about before I started, but I didn‘t expect to feel so invested in so many of the characters. I also didn‘t expect to learn so much and, like @TrishB and others, I spent a lot of time researching around the subject.

Really looking forward to our #camplitsy discussions over the next two weekends; just need to distil the dozens of potential discussions questions into a manageable number!

I love when a book teaches something knew. I had no idea of the issues this book talk about. Cannot wait to discuss the 1st half Saturday for #camplitsy.

#camplitsy
Thought this was great. A great story, but a brilliant equal rights shout out. I learned a lot and got lost down the internet rabbit hole a few times.
Well recommend.

Hi campers!

It‘s all change at #camplitsy this week. We loved all your thoughts and opinions on HHWGITD, and now it‘s time to move on to our second book of June.

On Saturday we‘ll be discussing the first half of True Biz, to page 192; the chapter that ends ‘….now erupting into laughter‘. We think all editions are the same but please ask if you‘re not sure.

Barbara, Meg and I are really looking forward to next weekend and hope to see you there!

I LOVED this book! This might be a top contender for my favorite book of June.

(Yay! I finished a book on vacation!)

I learned some sign language in 3rd grade and I still remember it. It‘s mostly the alphabet and some kid stuff (playground, cookie). So I really appreciated all the deaf history facts, sign language tutorials and background information.

I really liked this story as well. I liked all the different characters and 👇🏻

Ive started the audio for #CampLitsy and while I‘m liking it, I‘m not sure audio is the best way to go. My daughter is arriving on Tuesday and she‘s bringing me a physical book. I might choose to hold off listening and try print. Which means I now need to decide on a new audio😄