Harlan L. LaneRezensionen

I read this book as part of an ASL class in college. First published in 1992 (and therefore I'm sure dated in its approach to the issues it tackles), it is meticulously researched, well organized, logical, and passionate in its defense of ASL as an oppressed language minority.

One could certainly argue that Dr. Lane short-changes his opponents by not really addressing their arguments on the benefits of mainstreaming Deaf children, but the purpose of this book is not to present both sides of the issues. The purpose is to demonstrate the oppression of the Deaf language and therefore their culture. Dr. Lane's position is that the Deaf child is a minority, not an invalid, and that the tendency of hearing parents to see mainstreaming as the only option is a dangerous mistake. If interested in Deaf studies, you'll find much to mull over from the text of this book.

This is a very comprehensive introduction to the Deaf World. I really liked it because it looked not only at the Deaf experience in the United States but also in countries around the world. It makes this book much more inclusive than others. It talks about history and policy issues related to being Deaf.

Possible spoiler alert:

Lane and Pillard are ultra excited when they hear about a possible feral child and immediately pull together a surprising amount of funding (given that they knew just about nothing, etc. I'm surprised they got anything) and fly to Burundi. This book tells us everything about that trip- including what meals they ate in French restaurants on the way. Riveting details- or, well, not. I stuck with them until they finally found the child, who was fairly obviously autistic, though they did a lot of tests to confirm. On the plus side, however, I learned a bit of history about a country I'd hardly heard of before and broadened my horizons in that way.

22.5