Song Without Words

[cmp librarian]

Shea, G. (2013). Song Without Words: Discovering My Deafness Halfway Through Life. MA: Merloyd Lawrence Press
308 Pages | Adult Non-fiction

What would you do if you weren’t sure I you had the ability to hear? Would it limit what you attempt to do in life? Gerald Shea in his book Song without Words: Discovering My Deafness Halfway Through Life talks of an amazing man at the age of 34 years discovers that actually he has been deaf since young age but despite that managed to excel at his academics at Yale and Colombia University studying law which later enabled him to set up a powerful legal career in New York City and Paris. His story just goes to show you can accomplish much if you set your mind to it, you don’t have to be limited by what other might consider a disability.

In this memoir, Gerald Shea shares how at age six, he suffered bouts of both scarlet fever and chicken pox, which permanently damaged his hearing, however he spent most of his life unaware that he was partially deaf. He shares how his hearing was not the type of hearing the rest of the world enjoys. When a teacher tells him, "Come get a black pencil," he hears, "Come get a plaa bencer." Gerald spent thirty years of his life interpreting the speech of others, puzzled that other people do not seem to have the overwhelming task of interpretation that he had. He developed his own personal language -- what he calls his "lyricals" -- which are the words he hears versus the words people say. It is not until Mr. Shea takes a hearing test in his 30s that he learns that he has the hearing of an octogenarian. And so begins his journey into the world of the hearing impaired. He gets a unique set of hearing aids that clip onto his glasses. He uses a microphone he calls his "Woolseyphone" (after the former CIA director). He learns about lip reading and sign language. This book is both Mr. Shea's memoir and an in-depth look at the ways in which communication has been made possible for those who are deaf or hearing impaired.

The author, Gerald Shea, was born in New York City and has lived most of his life in New York and in Paris. He has practiced law in both cities for many years and he is a graduate of Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, Yale University and Columbia Law School. Since this book was just published a few months ago it currently has not received any awards, although it has received many positive reviews and the author has participated in several interviews.

Song Without Words would make for an interesting adult or high-school seniors book discussion in a library setting. In addition, the book would be a valuable resource to the deaf and hard-of-hearing community as it is a beautiful story of perseverance and provides lots of insight into the nature and significance of language, the meaning of deafness, the fierce controversy between advocates of signing versus those who favor oral education, and the longing for full communication that unites us all.