Excellent, really a top grade memoir. If you read this, be sure to read the introduction. TBH, I didn't know who this was as I just don't watch reality TV. I don't recall how I heard about this but I'm glad I did. DiMarco is certainly not lacking in confidence, even when he is (that will make sense when you read it). He impresses me as one of those people who has the personality of a blast furnace.

The book is a series of vignettes from early childhood through now including family, schooling, travel, and the America's Next Top Model and Dancing With the Stars competitions. It's hard to explain the book since so much of it is so emotional and probably eye opening to many.

Very very much worth the read. ( )

Very interesting and In many ways similar experiences for me, It should give hearing an insight into how it is for both Deaf and deaf and that we are Intelligent, vibrant, knowledgeable people who simply communicate different yet have same wants, needs, wishes as any ( )

Interesting if not particularly engaging biographical telling of experiences growing up deaf. Half of the book is dedicated to the history of ASL which is only marginally interesting. ( )

Nyle DiMarco tells his story more or less chronologically, including family history - his parents and grandparents are also Deaf - from attending different schools for the Deaf (and one mainstream school) throughout childhood, to attending Gallaudet University, to being on - and winning - America's Next Top Model (ANTM s22) and Dancing With the Stars, to deciding on next steps. (See: Deaf U on Netflix.) DiMarco welcomes readers into the Deaf community, explaining the significance of historical events such as the Milan Conference and Deaf President Now, and Deaf people's struggles for equal treatment in employment, education, and medical treatment (despite the 1990 passage of the ADA). DiMarco also talks about his sexual identity - how he slowly realized he was sexually fluid, then queer, and how he entered the LGBT community.

Resources at end

See also: True Biz by Sara Novic

Quotes

The school, as is typical of the oral education school of thought, confused speaking ability with intelligence and potential to learn. (Lexington School for the Deaf, 29)

Language deprivation had not only slowed the growth of [my dad's] mental capacities, it stunted his social and emotional development, too. Since he wasn't highly fluent in either ASL or English, he didn't have the words to share the frustration and anger he felt. (93)

And the simple act of sharing about the Deaf community would do a ton of good - it would help shine a spotlight on Deaf people, who were often overlooked, misrepresented, or simply absent in mainstream media. (ANTM interview, 167)

ASL is ahead of the curve when it comes to pronoun usage - our pronouns are genderless. (209)

...as Dr. Stokoe's research proved, our signs were not a rudimentary system of gestures but rather a bona fide language; thus, when we used it, we were helping build the parts of our brain that recognized the patterns of language. (268)

When I talk about the Deaf experience with passion, others are infected by my enthusiasm. They want to know more.
This phenomenon isn't unique to me or the Deaf community. I believe that it happens anytime an individual embraces who they are. They become confident, self-assured, and passionate about their identity and everything that sets them apart from other people. (307) ( )

Loved the title. So appropriate for Nyle who clearly loves being deaf and the deaf community. Loved learning so much about the deaf community and realizing how much, as a hearing person, I don’t know. Loved learning about the benefits of ASL and got a real education about how deaf schools used to make the kids wear hearing aids and speak. I didn’t like so much reading about the details of Nyles sex life.