What do you think?
Rate this book
Of Sound Mind
A poignant novel partially set in a world of silence
High school senior Theo is fluent in two languages: spoken English and sign. His parents and brother, Jeremy, are deaf, but Theo can hear, which has over the years cast him in the role of interpreter for his family. Unfortunately, it's not a welcome duty, especially in the case of his mother, Palma. She is a successful sculptor who, being deeply suspicious of "hearies," expects Theo to act as her business manager. And Jeremy relies on Theo for company and homework help. It's become especially frustrating lately because Theo has met a fascinating new girl at school, Ivy, with whom he wants to spend as much time as possible. Theo's father, Thomas, is the only one who has never burdened him, but that changes when Thomas has a stroke. Palma, frightened and self-absorbed, cannot bring herself to nurse her husband, leaving Theo with the full burden to bear. But with the help of Ivy and some of her friends, Theo is finally able to change his family's dynamics and find time to plan his future.
High school senior Theo is fluent in two languages: spoken English and sign. His parents and brother, Jeremy, are deaf, but Theo can hear, which has over the years cast him in the role of interpreter for his family. Unfortunately, it's not a welcome duty, especially in the case of his mother, Palma. She is a successful sculptor who, being deeply suspicious of "hearies," expects Theo to act as her business manager. And Jeremy relies on Theo for company and homework help. It's become especially frustrating lately because Theo has met a fascinating new girl at school, Ivy, with whom he wants to spend as much time as possible. Theo's father, Thomas, is the only one who has never burdened him, but that changes when Thomas has a stroke. Palma, frightened and self-absorbed, cannot bring herself to nurse her husband, leaving Theo with the full burden to bear. But with the help of Ivy and some of her friends, Theo is finally able to change his family's dynamics and find time to plan his future.
224 pages, Paperback
First published September 24, 2001
32 people are currently reading
877 people want to read
About the author
Jean Ferris
29 books208 followersThis author is not afraid to tackle difficult subjects: living with a deaf parent (Of Sound Mind), facing the consequences of a criminal act (Bad), or questioning one's sexuality (Eight Seconds). But Jean Ferris is also adept at writing comedy, historical fiction, and romance. What's most interesting is that she didn't publish her first novel until she was in her mid-40s. Yet she's never forgotten the intense feelings and changes of her own teenage years. Critics as well as teen readers have seen the evidence of that in her writing and have honored her novels with a number of awards, from Best Books for Young Adults to various state and National Book Award nominations.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews
June 22, 2013
I am abandoning this book. As a bilingual person and a teacher of bilingual students, I found the beginning of the book intriguing. I can relate to the unfairness of children finding it necessary to translate for adults and could feel Theo's internal struggles. I have always wanted to learn ASL, which was one of the reasons I was drawn to this book.
I quickly became disillusioned with the book, however, due to the portrayal of women, especially Theo's mother, Palma. I find her portrayal unfair and am left wondering why the author made her into such a monster. The author presented her as a selfish, childish, petulant diva as seen through her completely uncompassionate son's eyes. Perhaps this is exactly the dynamic the author wanted to portray, but I found it offensive and overdone.
Sadly, Palma is not the only woman being demonized in this book. Perhaps the author had some traumatic event involving mothers, because Ivy's mother is also absent, having abandoned her. This abandonment left Ivy emotionally damaged (by her own estimation). At one point when Ivy is explaining to Theo that her outbursts are due to this abandonment, she asks him how he would feel if he didn't even have a mother; "Sounds okay to me." He thought about what it would be like to come home to quiet every day, to regulate meals and freedom and people who were taking care of their own business." REALLY? While I understand that the novel is trying to portray adolescent angst in a complicated family, I think this goes too far and is just too hurtful.
The book perpetuates the idea that the woman/mother should be the one to mostly cook and care for children, and that a working mother (in this case an artist) is to be looked down upon as not fulfilling her womanly duties. Both fathers in the story (as well as the protagonist) are the nurturing good guys (I'll get to Ivy below). Ugh. Why couldn't there be SOME redeeming qualities in Palma?
My last disappointment is again with Ivy. As well as her moodiness I mentioned above, her self-start business (good for her, she has some business sense) is of course in a completely accepted domain for a character who is a young woman: cooking and caring for people. While I liked this character at the beginning of the book when she stood up to Theo, defended deaf culture and helped Theo stop being ashamed of it and his family, I became disillusioned when they began flirting. The romance part of the novel could have been sweet. I was drawn into it until this interaction:
Ivy: "We should go. It's cold and dark out here."
Theo: "Need I remind you, this walk was your idea. Cold and dark was just fine with you not so long ago."
Ivy: Don't you know better than to expect a female to be consistent?"
Ugh ugh. It's bad enough to (again) perpetuate a stereotype; using the word FEMALE instead of girl/woman adds to the insult.
I got frustrated enough to skim to the end, hoping that there was some kind of shift in the Theo/Palma dynamic. Unfortunately, she becomes catatonic (great, now take away her "voice") and then invisible in the end of the book. I am reminded of Theo's earlier answer about living without a (big, bad, evil, diva) mom: SOUNDS OKAY TO ME. I guess he got what he wanted.
I had hoped for so much more from this book. I think it totally missed the mark on so many levels. A young adult book that is meant to help the reader understand complicated family dynamics and adolescence in a non-traditional family (2 languages, disabilities, etc) should not be so full of misongyny.
I quickly became disillusioned with the book, however, due to the portrayal of women, especially Theo's mother, Palma. I find her portrayal unfair and am left wondering why the author made her into such a monster. The author presented her as a selfish, childish, petulant diva as seen through her completely uncompassionate son's eyes. Perhaps this is exactly the dynamic the author wanted to portray, but I found it offensive and overdone.
Sadly, Palma is not the only woman being demonized in this book. Perhaps the author had some traumatic event involving mothers, because Ivy's mother is also absent, having abandoned her. This abandonment left Ivy emotionally damaged (by her own estimation). At one point when Ivy is explaining to Theo that her outbursts are due to this abandonment, she asks him how he would feel if he didn't even have a mother; "Sounds okay to me." He thought about what it would be like to come home to quiet every day, to regulate meals and freedom and people who were taking care of their own business." REALLY? While I understand that the novel is trying to portray adolescent angst in a complicated family, I think this goes too far and is just too hurtful.
The book perpetuates the idea that the woman/mother should be the one to mostly cook and care for children, and that a working mother (in this case an artist) is to be looked down upon as not fulfilling her womanly duties. Both fathers in the story (as well as the protagonist) are the nurturing good guys (I'll get to Ivy below). Ugh. Why couldn't there be SOME redeeming qualities in Palma?
My last disappointment is again with Ivy. As well as her moodiness I mentioned above, her self-start business (good for her, she has some business sense) is of course in a completely accepted domain for a character who is a young woman: cooking and caring for people. While I liked this character at the beginning of the book when she stood up to Theo, defended deaf culture and helped Theo stop being ashamed of it and his family, I became disillusioned when they began flirting. The romance part of the novel could have been sweet. I was drawn into it until this interaction:
Ivy: "We should go. It's cold and dark out here."
Theo: "Need I remind you, this walk was your idea. Cold and dark was just fine with you not so long ago."
Ivy: Don't you know better than to expect a female to be consistent?"
Ugh ugh. It's bad enough to (again) perpetuate a stereotype; using the word FEMALE instead of girl/woman adds to the insult.
I got frustrated enough to skim to the end, hoping that there was some kind of shift in the Theo/Palma dynamic. Unfortunately, she becomes catatonic (great, now take away her "voice") and then invisible in the end of the book. I am reminded of Theo's earlier answer about living without a (big, bad, evil, diva) mom: SOUNDS OKAY TO ME. I guess he got what he wanted.
I had hoped for so much more from this book. I think it totally missed the mark on so many levels. A young adult book that is meant to help the reader understand complicated family dynamics and adolescence in a non-traditional family (2 languages, disabilities, etc) should not be so full of misongyny.
February 16, 2017
I read this as pure bibliotherapy. I had surgery for a CI this week and this book is perfect for why I do NOT want to be deaf. Theo is the one hearing person in his family of two parents, and a younger brother. He is a senior and is tired of being the free interpreter at everything in his family. His dad tries hard....too hard....to not use Theo's interpretation skills but his mother gleefully uses the skills. She clearly plans on using his skills forever, depriving him literally of a life for one as a servant to his mother forever. Theo meets the new girl at school, Ivy, who has a deaf dad too. However, Ivy has plans for her future which includes her amazing cooking skills. The scene of Thomas in the hospital with the hospital not realizing that the patient was deaf was really terrifying. I brought along a package I got from HLAA for the hospital, including stickers, buttons, etc. I didn't need it since I wasn't staying overnight and since the surgery was for a CI, they HAD to know I didn't hear in one ear! However, the surgeon thought the package was a great idea, just not necessary this time. Great book for a resounding vote on just why CI can make a world of difference for the deaf. Caution: book is likely controversial among those Deaf who are antagonistic to CI because Deaf culture is a big thing. Thanks but I'll take a lot less culture and a lot more ability to manage my own life without interpreters. etc!
February 27, 2016
Started this a week ago for my sign language class, omg it's soooo good! Totally not what I expected and I loved it <3
December 5, 2025
Forced to read ts in ASL at Least I can use it for my goal ig
November 10, 2012
Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com
For Theo, dealing with deafness is simply a way of life. Being the only hearing person in a family that includes a deaf father, deaf mother, and deaf younger brother has taken it's toll on Theo--he doesn't have his own life, not really, since he's always dealing with interpreting for his family. His mother, Palma, is a famous sculptor, and she depends on Theo to make her phone calls, deal with galleries, and basically do anything and everything that she asks. His father, Thomas, is a furniture maker who was born being able to hear but lost his hearing later in life. Thomas hates asking Theo for anything, trying his best to communicate with hearing people on his own. His younger brother, Jeremy, needs Theo's help almost daily with his fifth-grade homework. For Theo, life is pretty much divided into two categories--talking with his voice to people who can hear, and talking with his hands to those who can't.
But then Theo meets Ivy, a girl in his school who can also hear and sign. Her father is deaf, but her mother, who abandoned the family long ago, was able to hear. Ivy is a nurturer with her own small catering business, and soon her world is intwined with Theo's. Her dad, who builds model airplanes for a hobby, even gets Thomas and Jeremy interested, and soon they're getting together as often as they can.
Then tragedy strikes when Theo's dad has a stroke. Suddenly, is demanding, diva-ish mother is acting even more incompetent than usual, refusing to even be alone in the same room as her husband once he comes home. Theo is forced to do everything from making sure his brother gets fed and off to school to hiring new caretakers for his father every time his mother fires one.
Then Ivy comes up with a plan--what about having Harry and Hazel, a brother and sister that Ivy caters for, come and take care of Thomas? They've been learning sign language from Ivy, and they know enough to communicate. Soon things are finally running smoothly in Theo's household, until tragedy strikes yet again.
OF SOUND MIND was such an interesting read, I didn't stop until I was finished. What would it be like, I wondered, to be the only hearing person in my house? What would it take to forget about being a kid and take on the responsibilities at such a young age that Theo had to, like negotiating the buying of his hosue at age eleven? What would I do if I believed my family couldn't survive without me? When does something like being deaf stop defining who you are?
Jean Ferris answers all these questions and more with OF SOUND MIND--a truly great book for people of all ages.
For Theo, dealing with deafness is simply a way of life. Being the only hearing person in a family that includes a deaf father, deaf mother, and deaf younger brother has taken it's toll on Theo--he doesn't have his own life, not really, since he's always dealing with interpreting for his family. His mother, Palma, is a famous sculptor, and she depends on Theo to make her phone calls, deal with galleries, and basically do anything and everything that she asks. His father, Thomas, is a furniture maker who was born being able to hear but lost his hearing later in life. Thomas hates asking Theo for anything, trying his best to communicate with hearing people on his own. His younger brother, Jeremy, needs Theo's help almost daily with his fifth-grade homework. For Theo, life is pretty much divided into two categories--talking with his voice to people who can hear, and talking with his hands to those who can't.
But then Theo meets Ivy, a girl in his school who can also hear and sign. Her father is deaf, but her mother, who abandoned the family long ago, was able to hear. Ivy is a nurturer with her own small catering business, and soon her world is intwined with Theo's. Her dad, who builds model airplanes for a hobby, even gets Thomas and Jeremy interested, and soon they're getting together as often as they can.
Then tragedy strikes when Theo's dad has a stroke. Suddenly, is demanding, diva-ish mother is acting even more incompetent than usual, refusing to even be alone in the same room as her husband once he comes home. Theo is forced to do everything from making sure his brother gets fed and off to school to hiring new caretakers for his father every time his mother fires one.
Then Ivy comes up with a plan--what about having Harry and Hazel, a brother and sister that Ivy caters for, come and take care of Thomas? They've been learning sign language from Ivy, and they know enough to communicate. Soon things are finally running smoothly in Theo's household, until tragedy strikes yet again.
OF SOUND MIND was such an interesting read, I didn't stop until I was finished. What would it be like, I wondered, to be the only hearing person in my house? What would it take to forget about being a kid and take on the responsibilities at such a young age that Theo had to, like negotiating the buying of his hosue at age eleven? What would I do if I believed my family couldn't survive without me? When does something like being deaf stop defining who you are?
Jean Ferris answers all these questions and more with OF SOUND MIND--a truly great book for people of all ages.
December 10, 2012
I totally loved this book. Theo is not a normal high school senior. His entire family is deaf. He’s dedicated to his family, to take care of them and to always being there to help them even if this might affect his future. He loves his family but wants to go to college and go away from home at the same time. This becomes a really hard decision until he meets this girl who totally changes his mind and helps him realize that can do both things at the same time, love and take care of his family and make his dream of going to college come true.
I think this is a General Fiction book. I recommend this book to people who really care about other’s needs and feelings because it really gets to you and shows you how being different can change someone’s life and we tend to judge people when they are different not knowing that we might hurt them.
My favorite quotation in this book is by Ivy “then you should get a scholarship, or a work-study, or a loan. You have to be able to do what you’re meant to do” I like it because it shows how passionate Ivy is about encouraging Theo to go to college and making him realize that he has to do what he is meant to do and that his family will be fine with it.
A text-to-text connection would be the book “A Journey Into the Deaf-World” by Harlan Lane, Robert Hoffmeister, and Ben Bahan because it talks about how deaf people are, it goes further on explaining how their lives are. A text-to-self connection would be my parents not wanting me to do something I want to do just because it didn’t work for them or because they need me to be with them. It helps me understand and relate to Theo’s situation. A text-to-world connection is how people don’t fight for their dreams, they just wait and nothing happens. People are very selfish these days and all they ever think about is themselves. Something that has to change.
I rated this book 5 stars because it really helps me understand how life is not easy for everyone and that sometimes we have to sacrifice for others, it helps me realize that when we are selfish we hurt other people without knowing it. And also, I love how it encourages people to follow their dreams no matter how hard it is.
I think this is a General Fiction book. I recommend this book to people who really care about other’s needs and feelings because it really gets to you and shows you how being different can change someone’s life and we tend to judge people when they are different not knowing that we might hurt them.
My favorite quotation in this book is by Ivy “then you should get a scholarship, or a work-study, or a loan. You have to be able to do what you’re meant to do” I like it because it shows how passionate Ivy is about encouraging Theo to go to college and making him realize that he has to do what he is meant to do and that his family will be fine with it.
A text-to-text connection would be the book “A Journey Into the Deaf-World” by Harlan Lane, Robert Hoffmeister, and Ben Bahan because it talks about how deaf people are, it goes further on explaining how their lives are. A text-to-self connection would be my parents not wanting me to do something I want to do just because it didn’t work for them or because they need me to be with them. It helps me understand and relate to Theo’s situation. A text-to-world connection is how people don’t fight for their dreams, they just wait and nothing happens. People are very selfish these days and all they ever think about is themselves. Something that has to change.
I rated this book 5 stars because it really helps me understand how life is not easy for everyone and that sometimes we have to sacrifice for others, it helps me realize that when we are selfish we hurt other people without knowing it. And also, I love how it encourages people to follow their dreams no matter how hard it is.
August 5, 2023
Overall, I enjoyed the book because it expanded how I think about deafness and CODAs (Children of Deaf Adults). It was heartfelt and funny. I liked Ivy a lot and thought the dynamic between her and Theo was pretty realistic (caveats below). I loved seeing Theo with his brother Jeremy. I also loved the broad variety of families and homes- siblings Harry and Hazel living next door to each other, to Ivy’s relationship with her dad, and the various other people we meet through Ivy. I also appreciated Theo’s reflection on how much deafness (or any identity) shapes your family or who you are.
However, I did have some MAJOR sticking points.
As some other reviews mention, there is quite a bit of misogyny throughout the book. Some of it can be found in Ivy and Theo’s dynamic- like how she is presented as more emotional (even though they both have outbursts) or when she is seen as “too complicated” or hard to read and Theo has no idea what she wants.
I didn’t really have a problem with Pamela’s character in this sense- I think she was intended to be overdone. For me, the point was not that she couldn’t be a mother *and* an artist, but rather that she had too high of expectations and standards and wanted everything done just so- and that’s what strained her relationship with Theo. I could see how other readers might’ve seen this as a major misogynistic element, though.
And my other major sticking point: the ableist stereotypes. This one requires spoilers to explain. When Thomas gets sick, they use offensive language to refer to him (e.g. “invalid”). And after he died, Theo reflects on his dad’s new disability with Ivy, trying to feel better about his dad’s death: “He couldn’t help remembering the day Thomas had told him how much he’d hate to be an invalid. For him, that would have been like being in a cage.” To suggest that death is better than living with a physical disability is dangerous and extremely offensive- and furthers the negative (extremely common) stereotype that people with disabilities aren’t capable of living full, happy lives.
I find this ableist element of the book so odd, considering that the main characters are mostly deaf (also a disability). But Theo’s thoughts and Pamela’s actions perpetuate this stereotype for deafness, too. I was honestly shocked at this narrative- there was very little Deaf Pride in this book. I understand that the book is from the perspective of Theo, who is hearing and feels that he has to act as the middle man between the hearing and deaf worlds. However, as Theo’s character developed and he realizes that all the weight is not in fact his to bear, I was expecting that this narrative would shift to highlight how Deaf people can be independent. Instead, it continued to focus on a reliance on hearing people. I understand that being deaf in a world built for hearing people has its challenges. But those challenges cannot *only* be solved by a hearing person or interpreter coming to save the day. I was definitely disappointed by that arc repeating again and again. Even Pamela, who is a renowned sculptor, is not a vehicle for Deaf pride. Ivy is the only one that explicitly defends deafness, and even then she cedes to Theo’s perspective. There was so much room and opportunity in this book to counter this narrative and I wish it had been done.
However, I did have some MAJOR sticking points.
As some other reviews mention, there is quite a bit of misogyny throughout the book. Some of it can be found in Ivy and Theo’s dynamic- like how she is presented as more emotional (even though they both have outbursts) or when she is seen as “too complicated” or hard to read and Theo has no idea what she wants.
I didn’t really have a problem with Pamela’s character in this sense- I think she was intended to be overdone. For me, the point was not that she couldn’t be a mother *and* an artist, but rather that she had too high of expectations and standards and wanted everything done just so- and that’s what strained her relationship with Theo. I could see how other readers might’ve seen this as a major misogynistic element, though.
And my other major sticking point: the ableist stereotypes. This one requires spoilers to explain. When Thomas gets sick, they use offensive language to refer to him (e.g. “invalid”). And after he died, Theo reflects on his dad’s new disability with Ivy, trying to feel better about his dad’s death: “He couldn’t help remembering the day Thomas had told him how much he’d hate to be an invalid. For him, that would have been like being in a cage.” To suggest that death is better than living with a physical disability is dangerous and extremely offensive- and furthers the negative (extremely common) stereotype that people with disabilities aren’t capable of living full, happy lives.
I find this ableist element of the book so odd, considering that the main characters are mostly deaf (also a disability). But Theo’s thoughts and Pamela’s actions perpetuate this stereotype for deafness, too. I was honestly shocked at this narrative- there was very little Deaf Pride in this book. I understand that the book is from the perspective of Theo, who is hearing and feels that he has to act as the middle man between the hearing and deaf worlds. However, as Theo’s character developed and he realizes that all the weight is not in fact his to bear, I was expecting that this narrative would shift to highlight how Deaf people can be independent. Instead, it continued to focus on a reliance on hearing people. I understand that being deaf in a world built for hearing people has its challenges. But those challenges cannot *only* be solved by a hearing person or interpreter coming to save the day. I was definitely disappointed by that arc repeating again and again. Even Pamela, who is a renowned sculptor, is not a vehicle for Deaf pride. Ivy is the only one that explicitly defends deafness, and even then she cedes to Theo’s perspective. There was so much room and opportunity in this book to counter this narrative and I wish it had been done.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 16, 2020
Engaging. Thought-provoking and uncomfortable in places.
September 1, 2023
Worth making the library buy it though, I enjoyed it.
January 30, 2024
Deaf reader reviewing books with deaf characters. This book is listed on my ranked list of books with deaf characters.
Ferris herself is apparently not a Coda (child of deaf adult). She has a master’s in speech pathology and audiology but says in her website bio that she was not suited to the work. This book makes clear why Ferris didn’t cut it as an audiologist. She fundamentally misunderstands how deaf people and deaf families live. Sometimes she gets things right, but doesn’t understand the motivations behind or nuances of these issues. She is an outsider trying (largely unsuccessfully) to write from an insider perspective. It’s clumsy.
Let's get into it.
I'll go over several problematic aspects: technology, signed language, and family dynamics.
Tech
Ferris seems to ignore the existence of technology that deaf people can and would use. Mom is mentioned to have email but disprefers it due to her English skills, but that doesn’t mean she can’t use a TTY. She makes Theo call to ensure a TTY is at the hotel where she will be staying, but why doesn’t she have one at home??? Except it turns out they do have one at home, and Palma is able to understand and respond back in perfectly constructed English sentences…So what is the deal with making Theo make and take all the phone calls?!
The initial confusion was because Ferris calls it a telephone (instead of TTY - teletypewriter) and does not include any realistic terms/shortcuts like GA, SK, etc. Likely because she has never used a TTY herself, and obviously she didn't consult anyone who does use one.
The family sits “watching the captions on TV.” Uh, what? You mean watching TV with captions? Deaf people aren’t watching the captions and ignoring what’s happening on screen… Jesus. Maybe it's just the wording, but with everything else Ferris got wrong, I wouldn't doubt that she actually does believe that deaf people are focusing solely on the words onscreen instead of using them supplementarily.
It also suggests that Ferris thinks the family is watching the TV on mute, even when Theo, who can hear, is watching with them. Even if the deaf members did watch it on mute, they would obviously turn on the volume when Theo was there, or Theo would turn it up himself.
Instead, Theo feels guilty about turning music up and being the “only one” to enjoy it??? Ivy also says her father "cannot" enjoy music. Ferris clearly doesn’t know how much deaf people enjoy loud music. She seems to find it inconceivable that deaf people might partake in listening-type activities, even though we have been music-listening and -making for literally hundreds of years. (Just look at the advertised music events in newspapers like the Silent Worker and the Deaf-Mutes' Journal!)
Ferris, who at one point was an actual audiologist, seems to forget that the vast majority of deaf people--even profoundly deaf people--have residual hearing. They enjoy sounds like music and TV. I don't know if she was desperately in denial or if her inability to let go of stereotypes is why she didn't cut it as an audiologist. This is ridiculous.
She falls back on that strange stereotype of deaf people as silent--as in, they are incapable of producing noise. They move like ghosts throughout the world. I don't understand how or why hearing people get this idea.
Theo says the house is always completely quiet unless someone leaves the water running, and that “Deaf Club parties and family birthday celebrations were completely silent events…”
Not even close to true. Deaf people are incredibly loud, even if they aren’t speaking—which many do, anyway! When you can't hear yourself or the noises you're making, you're louder. You slam things. Stomp around. Mow the lawn at 6am. Blast music. Etc.
Ferris shows off her ignorance of deaf lived experiences.
ASL
Ferris may know some basic ASL, but she clearly doesn’t use it outside of a professional or clinical setting. That is, she doesn’t know how deaf signers actually use the language.
Ferris has Jeremy drop his backpack to sign “what are you doing”—a one-handed sign, and plus a backpack can be worn on the shoulder(s) to free up a hand anyway…
She also presents ASL as a two-handed language again. Thomas suffers a stroke and has some weakness on the left side, and Theo fears that he will never sign again…Even though plenty of people can sign one-handedly and understand one-handed signs, which Theo, having met many deaf signers, would intimately know. “What’s happening” most certainly does NOT need two hands.
Moreover, weakness is not paralysis. It can make signing a bit more difficult, more awkward, certainly, but it doesn't turn language into gibberish. Just like someone after a dentist appointment has numb lips and tongue and can still slur pretty intelligibly. Or, more pertinently, someone who has suffered a stroke and has weakness on one side can still more or less speak, especially as they recover and have speech therapy. (That said, even if one arm was paralyzed, Thomas would still be able to sign with the other arm intelligibly. There are plenty of signers with limb differences.)
Theo claims that his mother is so "demanding" that no interpreters will work with her after the first time (begging the question why her reputation doesn’t precede her in interpreter networks), and that Palma refuses to hire interpreters for herself so she doesn’t have to explain anything—which makes no sense, unless she signs a non-standard form of ASL that most interpreters struggle to understand, which is never stated to be the case.
What exactly is Palma demanding of her interpreters? I assume she demands the same of them as she does Theo: ASL to English and vice-versa, with potentially some preferred signs like name signs, acronyms, and so on. Theo is acting like prep materials aren't a thing, or that it's impossible for a deaf client to have some time with an interpreter to go over terminology before a presentation or event.
But again, this means that Ferris doesn't understand how interpreters work, and she's exuding that ignorance through a character who ought to know exactly how it works. She's spreading misinformation to ignorant hearing readers, and ticking off readers who do know how it works.
Ferris also seems to not understand how bimodal-bilingualism works.
Theo (and Ivy, even though she only signs with her father and knows no other deaf people) keeps signing unconsciously instead of speaking. He even randomly fingerspells English words like “what? why?” to himself. I could excuse signing to oneself, especially if it's your first language (as I assume it is for him), but why the fingerspelling English words? Why is that something he does unconsciously? I've never been lost in thought and starting spelling out Spanish words.
Theo and Ivy unconsciously and randomly switch from speech to sign, even when they’re in the presence of hearing non-signers. Unrealistic in that if they’re truly bilingual they would speak English just as unconsciously, which they don’t. They don’t mutter under their breath or anything. It’s just signing unconsciously, which is solely used in contexts that will serve as a “giveaway” and an excuse to bring up the fact that they have deaf parents. It's not subtle.
Ferris also has Theo and Ivy fingerspell into each other’s hands instead of talking to each other when it’s dark…And Theo fingerspells into his unconscious father’s hand. Why is Ferris so obsessed with tactile fingerspelling?? It’s not something sighted deaf people do, let alone sighted hearing people.
Family
This novel is chock full of general teen angst. Blech. It's par for the course for the genre, I suppose, and it does make sense. Theo feels taken advantage of but also feels guilty if he says no, so he’s stuck between a rock and a hard place, which is fair.
What's the opposite of an Oedipus complex? That's whatever this weird dynamic between the mother (Palma) and Theo is.
As touched on above, mom forces Theo to make a ton of calls for her. This is set in 2001. What did mom do before Theo was old enough to take calls?? It doesn’t make any sense that she wouldn’t even support his going to college because she needs him to answer the phone when they have a TTY. Ferris may be trying to go for a Matilda flair (exaggeratedly/comedically abusive adults), but nothing else in the book has that streak of exaggeration or ridiculousness, so it seems Ferris means this in all seriousness.
Jeremy, the younger brother, forces Theo to help him with his homework. Why doesn’t mom or dad help?? It’s basic schoolwork and both graduated Gallaudet University—or at least dad did—so it’s not like they’re illiterate.
But let's get back to Mom (Palma).
Theo resents his mother’s success and that people want to talk to her (he says “fawn over her”). So he's jealous that his mother is enjoying some success and going on business trips and not giving him enough attention. Fine.
Theo arrives at the gallery and knows he is “stuck” interpreting for the evening despite the fact that the gallery owner hired an interpreter…What???? So what is the interpreter doing there, if not interpreting?
Ferris explicitly mentions the presence of a trained interpreter…And then completely glosses over it. No dismissing the interpreter, not even a hello to the interpreter, etc. Except a few days later, Theo “passes Palma off” (paternal, much?) to the professional interpreter again, since he’s leaving. It makes no sense. Ferris is manufacturing ridiculous situations in order to boost Theo’s resentment and angst for his deaf family, specifically his mother.
Theo fluctuates between "understanding" his mother to be helpless and forcing her to take responsibility: “Without her interpreters and protectors, Palma was as helpless and desperate as an infant, not the star she regarded herself as but simply a mute and terrified woman.” BARF. Wtf??? But then literally a moment later he says to the doctor that his mother is capable of understanding anything he himself can understand, which she couldn’t if she were a helpless infant as Theo believes!
Again, an interpreter arrives at the hospital and then is totally glossed over. They leave the interpreter in the waiting room or something. When the doctor mentions again they have an interpreter, Theo actively prevents the interpreter from coming in. Why not have the interpreter come in so Theo can be more present with his family rather than serving the role he hates? He’s acting like he is only one capable of interpreting for his family, or that the interpreter’s presence would mean he would be kicked out or something. Especially knowing that Thomas does not want Theo to interpret. (Palma and Thomas are total opposites as far as using Theo as an interpreter—Palma at every chance she gets, apparently, and Thomas as infrequently as possible.) Makes zero sense to me.
And when the doctor starts talking about Thomas’s condition, it’s clear that Theo doesn’t even know how to interpret it. The professional interpreter would have--which is why the interpreter was called in the first place, to ensure everyone understands. Theo co-opted the position and ensured that no one really understands anything. Only when Palma asks him to stay and interpret does he tell the nurses to call the professional interpreter in.
I can only assume that this is some kind of teenage rebellion in the way that some teens lose their minds over being asked to do basic chores like load the dishwasher or put away their folded clothes. But I just don't understand it. I don't understand the purpose or what Ferris is going for, especially given the heavy tones of misogyny throughout the book.
Palma is only deaf woman in the book, and she is incredibly immature and unreasonable; whereas all the deaf men are level-headed and chill. Even Ivy’s (hearing) mother is described as unwilling to put the work in to communicate with her deaf ex-husband, using Ivy as an interpreter before eventually leaving. The only other "maternal" character in the book was never a mother. So because she had no children, she seems to be able to hold the space to reason and communicate effectively?
But speaking of family in general, where is the extended family? Where are the grandparents and the parents’ siblings? Why is no one stepping in to help after Thomas's stroke, at least for a few days here and there, even if they don’t sign?
Where are all the deaf club friends? Where is the deaf community??? The notoriously gossipy community, the close-knit community who would probably crowd into the hospital waiting room to make sure one of their own was okay, who would come to the house to help out or drop off some food, or who would get together at the deaf club and plan something special for Thomas? Their absence doesn’t make any sense.
This story is about children (Theo and Ivy) taking care of their elders, and no one taking care of them. But seriously, where are all the other adults? They did eventually bring in an elderly couple who were learning ASL (and who seem to become fluent in a matter of months), but where is everyone else? None of Thomas’s friends checked up on him? Not even Ivy’s dad, who had befriended him recently? Really? The only time anyone shows up is for his funeral 2 days before Christmas. And still no mention of extended family. It's flabbergasting.
Nothing really seems to change by the end except that somehow Palma is made to understand she has to be the adult and let Theo go off to pursue his passions and independence. Even as Theo "understands" why his mother is the way she is (she's a spoiled princess, basically), there’s no reckoning with it, no coming to peace with it. Just him feeling angry about it and wondering whether she’s that way because she’s deaf—and he never comes to a decision about that, leaving the reader to wonder as well.
Other stuff
Theo is relieved to discover Ivy is actually hearing, so that he doesn’t have to take care of her and be her interpreter. Bruh, what? What's going to happen? The school administration is going to pull him out of class to go stand in Ivy's classes and interpret lectures for her? They're going to assign him to tutor her? She's going to follow him around like a puppy?
I don't understand why Theo instantly assumes that not only is Ivy helpless--that she can only sign, not speak or write or what have you--but also that he is automatically supposed to take care of her. Does this go back to his mommy complex, or what?
Anyway.
Ivy scolds Theo for saying having deaf family members is weird and othering and a burden/nuisance. Turns out Ivy was upset because she agreed with him. But she serves as therapist/teacher (maybe even as a foil to mother) by calmly talking him through when he’s upset and showing him a different perspective as proof that not all his problems are because his family is deaf. Or something.
Like. Okay. Whatever, at this point.
Overall, this reads as a misguided attempt to get into the mind of a Coda (child of deaf adults) and try to teach readers to be grateful for their hearing parents, since they don't have to deal with what Theo and Ivy do. Maybe that would have been okay for me, if Ferris hadn't relied entirely on her imagination and stereotypes to create her deaf characters, misrepresenting crucial issues and manufacturing unrealistic situations for her protagonist to angst over.
Ferris herself is apparently not a Coda (child of deaf adult). She has a master’s in speech pathology and audiology but says in her website bio that she was not suited to the work. This book makes clear why Ferris didn’t cut it as an audiologist. She fundamentally misunderstands how deaf people and deaf families live. Sometimes she gets things right, but doesn’t understand the motivations behind or nuances of these issues. She is an outsider trying (largely unsuccessfully) to write from an insider perspective. It’s clumsy.
Let's get into it.
I'll go over several problematic aspects: technology, signed language, and family dynamics.
Tech
Ferris seems to ignore the existence of technology that deaf people can and would use. Mom is mentioned to have email but disprefers it due to her English skills, but that doesn’t mean she can’t use a TTY. She makes Theo call to ensure a TTY is at the hotel where she will be staying, but why doesn’t she have one at home??? Except it turns out they do have one at home, and Palma is able to understand and respond back in perfectly constructed English sentences…So what is the deal with making Theo make and take all the phone calls?!
The initial confusion was because Ferris calls it a telephone (instead of TTY - teletypewriter) and does not include any realistic terms/shortcuts like GA, SK, etc. Likely because she has never used a TTY herself, and obviously she didn't consult anyone who does use one.
The family sits “watching the captions on TV.” Uh, what? You mean watching TV with captions? Deaf people aren’t watching the captions and ignoring what’s happening on screen… Jesus. Maybe it's just the wording, but with everything else Ferris got wrong, I wouldn't doubt that she actually does believe that deaf people are focusing solely on the words onscreen instead of using them supplementarily.
It also suggests that Ferris thinks the family is watching the TV on mute, even when Theo, who can hear, is watching with them. Even if the deaf members did watch it on mute, they would obviously turn on the volume when Theo was there, or Theo would turn it up himself.
Instead, Theo feels guilty about turning music up and being the “only one” to enjoy it??? Ivy also says her father "cannot" enjoy music. Ferris clearly doesn’t know how much deaf people enjoy loud music. She seems to find it inconceivable that deaf people might partake in listening-type activities, even though we have been music-listening and -making for literally hundreds of years. (Just look at the advertised music events in newspapers like the Silent Worker and the Deaf-Mutes' Journal!)
Ferris, who at one point was an actual audiologist, seems to forget that the vast majority of deaf people--even profoundly deaf people--have residual hearing. They enjoy sounds like music and TV. I don't know if she was desperately in denial or if her inability to let go of stereotypes is why she didn't cut it as an audiologist. This is ridiculous.
She falls back on that strange stereotype of deaf people as silent--as in, they are incapable of producing noise. They move like ghosts throughout the world. I don't understand how or why hearing people get this idea.
Theo says the house is always completely quiet unless someone leaves the water running, and that “Deaf Club parties and family birthday celebrations were completely silent events…”
Not even close to true. Deaf people are incredibly loud, even if they aren’t speaking—which many do, anyway! When you can't hear yourself or the noises you're making, you're louder. You slam things. Stomp around. Mow the lawn at 6am. Blast music. Etc.
Ferris shows off her ignorance of deaf lived experiences.
ASL
Ferris may know some basic ASL, but she clearly doesn’t use it outside of a professional or clinical setting. That is, she doesn’t know how deaf signers actually use the language.
Ferris has Jeremy drop his backpack to sign “what are you doing”—a one-handed sign, and plus a backpack can be worn on the shoulder(s) to free up a hand anyway…
She also presents ASL as a two-handed language again. Thomas suffers a stroke and has some weakness on the left side, and Theo fears that he will never sign again…Even though plenty of people can sign one-handedly and understand one-handed signs, which Theo, having met many deaf signers, would intimately know. “What’s happening” most certainly does NOT need two hands.
Moreover, weakness is not paralysis. It can make signing a bit more difficult, more awkward, certainly, but it doesn't turn language into gibberish. Just like someone after a dentist appointment has numb lips and tongue and can still slur pretty intelligibly. Or, more pertinently, someone who has suffered a stroke and has weakness on one side can still more or less speak, especially as they recover and have speech therapy. (That said, even if one arm was paralyzed, Thomas would still be able to sign with the other arm intelligibly. There are plenty of signers with limb differences.)
Theo claims that his mother is so "demanding" that no interpreters will work with her after the first time (begging the question why her reputation doesn’t precede her in interpreter networks), and that Palma refuses to hire interpreters for herself so she doesn’t have to explain anything—which makes no sense, unless she signs a non-standard form of ASL that most interpreters struggle to understand, which is never stated to be the case.
What exactly is Palma demanding of her interpreters? I assume she demands the same of them as she does Theo: ASL to English and vice-versa, with potentially some preferred signs like name signs, acronyms, and so on. Theo is acting like prep materials aren't a thing, or that it's impossible for a deaf client to have some time with an interpreter to go over terminology before a presentation or event.
But again, this means that Ferris doesn't understand how interpreters work, and she's exuding that ignorance through a character who ought to know exactly how it works. She's spreading misinformation to ignorant hearing readers, and ticking off readers who do know how it works.
Ferris also seems to not understand how bimodal-bilingualism works.
Theo (and Ivy, even though she only signs with her father and knows no other deaf people) keeps signing unconsciously instead of speaking. He even randomly fingerspells English words like “what? why?” to himself. I could excuse signing to oneself, especially if it's your first language (as I assume it is for him), but why the fingerspelling English words? Why is that something he does unconsciously? I've never been lost in thought and starting spelling out Spanish words.
Theo and Ivy unconsciously and randomly switch from speech to sign, even when they’re in the presence of hearing non-signers. Unrealistic in that if they’re truly bilingual they would speak English just as unconsciously, which they don’t. They don’t mutter under their breath or anything. It’s just signing unconsciously, which is solely used in contexts that will serve as a “giveaway” and an excuse to bring up the fact that they have deaf parents. It's not subtle.
Ferris also has Theo and Ivy fingerspell into each other’s hands instead of talking to each other when it’s dark…And Theo fingerspells into his unconscious father’s hand. Why is Ferris so obsessed with tactile fingerspelling?? It’s not something sighted deaf people do, let alone sighted hearing people.
Family
This novel is chock full of general teen angst. Blech. It's par for the course for the genre, I suppose, and it does make sense. Theo feels taken advantage of but also feels guilty if he says no, so he’s stuck between a rock and a hard place, which is fair.
What's the opposite of an Oedipus complex? That's whatever this weird dynamic between the mother (Palma) and Theo is.
As touched on above, mom forces Theo to make a ton of calls for her. This is set in 2001. What did mom do before Theo was old enough to take calls?? It doesn’t make any sense that she wouldn’t even support his going to college because she needs him to answer the phone when they have a TTY. Ferris may be trying to go for a Matilda flair (exaggeratedly/comedically abusive adults), but nothing else in the book has that streak of exaggeration or ridiculousness, so it seems Ferris means this in all seriousness.
Jeremy, the younger brother, forces Theo to help him with his homework. Why doesn’t mom or dad help?? It’s basic schoolwork and both graduated Gallaudet University—or at least dad did—so it’s not like they’re illiterate.
But let's get back to Mom (Palma).
Theo resents his mother’s success and that people want to talk to her (he says “fawn over her”). So he's jealous that his mother is enjoying some success and going on business trips and not giving him enough attention. Fine.
Theo arrives at the gallery and knows he is “stuck” interpreting for the evening despite the fact that the gallery owner hired an interpreter…What???? So what is the interpreter doing there, if not interpreting?
Ferris explicitly mentions the presence of a trained interpreter…And then completely glosses over it. No dismissing the interpreter, not even a hello to the interpreter, etc. Except a few days later, Theo “passes Palma off” (paternal, much?) to the professional interpreter again, since he’s leaving. It makes no sense. Ferris is manufacturing ridiculous situations in order to boost Theo’s resentment and angst for his deaf family, specifically his mother.
Theo fluctuates between "understanding" his mother to be helpless and forcing her to take responsibility: “Without her interpreters and protectors, Palma was as helpless and desperate as an infant, not the star she regarded herself as but simply a mute and terrified woman.” BARF. Wtf??? But then literally a moment later he says to the doctor that his mother is capable of understanding anything he himself can understand, which she couldn’t if she were a helpless infant as Theo believes!
Again, an interpreter arrives at the hospital and then is totally glossed over. They leave the interpreter in the waiting room or something. When the doctor mentions again they have an interpreter, Theo actively prevents the interpreter from coming in. Why not have the interpreter come in so Theo can be more present with his family rather than serving the role he hates? He’s acting like he is only one capable of interpreting for his family, or that the interpreter’s presence would mean he would be kicked out or something. Especially knowing that Thomas does not want Theo to interpret. (Palma and Thomas are total opposites as far as using Theo as an interpreter—Palma at every chance she gets, apparently, and Thomas as infrequently as possible.) Makes zero sense to me.
And when the doctor starts talking about Thomas’s condition, it’s clear that Theo doesn’t even know how to interpret it. The professional interpreter would have--which is why the interpreter was called in the first place, to ensure everyone understands. Theo co-opted the position and ensured that no one really understands anything. Only when Palma asks him to stay and interpret does he tell the nurses to call the professional interpreter in.
I can only assume that this is some kind of teenage rebellion in the way that some teens lose their minds over being asked to do basic chores like load the dishwasher or put away their folded clothes. But I just don't understand it. I don't understand the purpose or what Ferris is going for, especially given the heavy tones of misogyny throughout the book.
Palma is only deaf woman in the book, and she is incredibly immature and unreasonable; whereas all the deaf men are level-headed and chill. Even Ivy’s (hearing) mother is described as unwilling to put the work in to communicate with her deaf ex-husband, using Ivy as an interpreter before eventually leaving. The only other "maternal" character in the book was never a mother. So because she had no children, she seems to be able to hold the space to reason and communicate effectively?
But speaking of family in general, where is the extended family? Where are the grandparents and the parents’ siblings? Why is no one stepping in to help after Thomas's stroke, at least for a few days here and there, even if they don’t sign?
Where are all the deaf club friends? Where is the deaf community??? The notoriously gossipy community, the close-knit community who would probably crowd into the hospital waiting room to make sure one of their own was okay, who would come to the house to help out or drop off some food, or who would get together at the deaf club and plan something special for Thomas? Their absence doesn’t make any sense.
This story is about children (Theo and Ivy) taking care of their elders, and no one taking care of them. But seriously, where are all the other adults? They did eventually bring in an elderly couple who were learning ASL (and who seem to become fluent in a matter of months), but where is everyone else? None of Thomas’s friends checked up on him? Not even Ivy’s dad, who had befriended him recently? Really? The only time anyone shows up is for his funeral 2 days before Christmas. And still no mention of extended family. It's flabbergasting.
Nothing really seems to change by the end except that somehow Palma is made to understand she has to be the adult and let Theo go off to pursue his passions and independence. Even as Theo "understands" why his mother is the way she is (she's a spoiled princess, basically), there’s no reckoning with it, no coming to peace with it. Just him feeling angry about it and wondering whether she’s that way because she’s deaf—and he never comes to a decision about that, leaving the reader to wonder as well.
Other stuff
Theo is relieved to discover Ivy is actually hearing, so that he doesn’t have to take care of her and be her interpreter. Bruh, what? What's going to happen? The school administration is going to pull him out of class to go stand in Ivy's classes and interpret lectures for her? They're going to assign him to tutor her? She's going to follow him around like a puppy?
I don't understand why Theo instantly assumes that not only is Ivy helpless--that she can only sign, not speak or write or what have you--but also that he is automatically supposed to take care of her. Does this go back to his mommy complex, or what?
Anyway.
Ivy scolds Theo for saying having deaf family members is weird and othering and a burden/nuisance. Turns out Ivy was upset because she agreed with him. But she serves as therapist/teacher (maybe even as a foil to mother) by calmly talking him through when he’s upset and showing him a different perspective as proof that not all his problems are because his family is deaf. Or something.
Like. Okay. Whatever, at this point.
Overall, this reads as a misguided attempt to get into the mind of a Coda (child of deaf adults) and try to teach readers to be grateful for their hearing parents, since they don't have to deal with what Theo and Ivy do. Maybe that would have been okay for me, if Ferris hadn't relied entirely on her imagination and stereotypes to create her deaf characters, misrepresenting crucial issues and manufacturing unrealistic situations for her protagonist to angst over.
October 30, 2017
Of Sound mind is a book about friendships,heartbreaks,adventure,and a little bit of drama. The main character Theo Henry which the story is told through and his friend Ivy are both seniors in High School. They are your two average Joes. Theo, the anti social nerd who loves math, and dreams to go to MIT. Ivy is the creative girl who loves to cook and art. I always found it funny how two kids who are so different become such good friends. Well there is one thing about Theo, and Ivy have in common that makes them different from everyone else. Both of them are CODA, which means both of them are hearing but their parents are not. They both help interpret for their parents when they go out like the bank or doctor. Theo also helps his brother Jeremy with homework and help with his company. Theo feels embarrassed about it because it makes him feel different and he wants to be just like everyone else. He also feels like he is his mom’s servant and has to everything she asks him to in a heartbeat. His dad is usually the one back theo up against his mother. Ivy loves being a CODA child and she feels proud of it and thinks theo should too and not let his mom control his life. They both go through some of the hardest and most stressful times of their lives going through senior year. Theo doesn't want to leave for college because he feels his parents need him and Ivy is going through the stress to get into college. You will find some finger biting moments and conflicts that happened during the story and Even a couple of heat breaks.
Personally I did not love the book. I knew from the start how the ending was going to go and I feel that there were a lot of boring chapters of just nothing happening. I also did not like the ending of the book because i feel like it left off on a sad and boring note. What i did like about the book was that I could really relate to what Theo was going through because I am also in High School and he is going through the same problems as me. For example trying to manage school,family, and friends all at once. I also like how the book shows us the lifestyle of kids who are CODA and deaf culture. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about ASL culture and the lifestyle is like for CODA kids. I also recommend it to kids from 15 and up, and people who like drama shows and books.
Personally I did not love the book. I knew from the start how the ending was going to go and I feel that there were a lot of boring chapters of just nothing happening. I also did not like the ending of the book because i feel like it left off on a sad and boring note. What i did like about the book was that I could really relate to what Theo was going through because I am also in High School and he is going through the same problems as me. For example trying to manage school,family, and friends all at once. I also like how the book shows us the lifestyle of kids who are CODA and deaf culture. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about ASL culture and the lifestyle is like for CODA kids. I also recommend it to kids from 15 and up, and people who like drama shows and books.
December 10, 2015
Personal Response:
I liked this book because it was about a boy whose family depended on him to survive. I feel like this sometimes because I have to make sure no one is hurting my sister. So I can relate to him.
Plot:
The book is about a boy in high school who wants to go off to MIT. He is really good at math but because his parents are both deaf and need him to help them communicate he doesn't think he will be able to go. His mom leans on him the most, she is a sculptor and she want him to do everything she wants him to do right away. A new girl comes to his school and she also has a deaf parent. She tells him not to let them control his life and to do what he wants to do with his life. He starts to think that maybe she is right but then his dad has a stroke and his family needs him more than ever. His mom can't do anything and his little brother needs him because his parents are not there to take care of him. Eventually Ivy helps him find people to help his dad and also the rest of the family so maybe he can go to MIT.
Characters:
Theo is the main character, he takes care of helping his parents communicate and get along with other people. He is very smart and good at math and wants to go to college. He gets the help his family needs so he will be able to go to college. Ivy is the new girl who comes to his school. She shows him how to get other people to help his family so they don't have to depend on him so much. Theo's mom is a sculptor and she leans on Theo to communicate with other artists and museum people to show her work. She is a very demanding person, but when Theo's dad has a stroke she can't seem to do anything anymore.
Recommendation:
I would recommend this book to both boys and girls who are between the ages of twelve and eighteen. This book will show them how to keep working so you can achieve your dreams and how to ask for help when you need it. This book also shows how different families work out their problems to find solutions that will work for everyone.
I liked this book because it was about a boy whose family depended on him to survive. I feel like this sometimes because I have to make sure no one is hurting my sister. So I can relate to him.
Plot:
The book is about a boy in high school who wants to go off to MIT. He is really good at math but because his parents are both deaf and need him to help them communicate he doesn't think he will be able to go. His mom leans on him the most, she is a sculptor and she want him to do everything she wants him to do right away. A new girl comes to his school and she also has a deaf parent. She tells him not to let them control his life and to do what he wants to do with his life. He starts to think that maybe she is right but then his dad has a stroke and his family needs him more than ever. His mom can't do anything and his little brother needs him because his parents are not there to take care of him. Eventually Ivy helps him find people to help his dad and also the rest of the family so maybe he can go to MIT.
Characters:
Theo is the main character, he takes care of helping his parents communicate and get along with other people. He is very smart and good at math and wants to go to college. He gets the help his family needs so he will be able to go to college. Ivy is the new girl who comes to his school. She shows him how to get other people to help his family so they don't have to depend on him so much. Theo's mom is a sculptor and she leans on Theo to communicate with other artists and museum people to show her work. She is a very demanding person, but when Theo's dad has a stroke she can't seem to do anything anymore.
Recommendation:
I would recommend this book to both boys and girls who are between the ages of twelve and eighteen. This book will show them how to keep working so you can achieve your dreams and how to ask for help when you need it. This book also shows how different families work out their problems to find solutions that will work for everyone.
November 1, 2016
This past month, I read of sound mind by Jean Ferris. The book was an insightful look into the world of children with deaf parents or CODAs. As a sign language student, it is important to keep this struggle of living in both the hearing and deaf world in mind as I continue to study deaf culture.
Though Of Sound Mind was not the best written book I've ever read, The plot was still unique and interesting and kept me intrigued. The book also showed the reader how people in deaf cultures feel about their deafness or ability to sign, as shown on page 42 when one of the main characters, Theo, shares how being able to sign makes him feel weird and he believes that people judge him for it while another main character, ivy, shares her insight into her immense pride in sign language by saying "if your first language was french instead of sign, would you feel the same way?" and this is first time that deaf pride and deaf modesty is shown but will be brought up many times in the book and almost brings about a main theme in the story as well.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in deaf culture and even to anyone looking for an easy read.
Though Of Sound Mind was not the best written book I've ever read, The plot was still unique and interesting and kept me intrigued. The book also showed the reader how people in deaf cultures feel about their deafness or ability to sign, as shown on page 42 when one of the main characters, Theo, shares how being able to sign makes him feel weird and he believes that people judge him for it while another main character, ivy, shares her insight into her immense pride in sign language by saying "if your first language was french instead of sign, would you feel the same way?" and this is first time that deaf pride and deaf modesty is shown but will be brought up many times in the book and almost brings about a main theme in the story as well.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in deaf culture and even to anyone looking for an easy read.
October 2, 2009
This book isn't so much about being deaf or having deaf parents while being hearing, so much as it is about the deeper themes of belonging, being needed, and responsibility to yourself vs. your family. I liked that the author put the main character, Theo in a caregiving role, since statistically it is the female members of a family who step up to fill that role. It left me with a happy feeling at the end, without being too sappy or unrealistic. I read it in about 4 hours and felt satisfied. It also made a nice updated companion to In This Sign which I am also currently reading. The styles are very different, but the parts about being deaf and moving through the world (and using hearing children as interpreters, for better or worse) were similar, showing how in some cases very little has changed since the '70s.
February 12, 2009
Since I sign and I have cousins who are hearing impaired I was draw to this book. One of my dearest friend's daughter told me how hard it was growing up signing for her mother all the time. She loved her mother but felt she had missed her childhood, I never could fully understand how hard it was for her. I thought her mother was the greatest. Reading this book opens my eyes a bit to being a hearing child from a deaf family. I know my friend's daughter told me of having to sign for her mother at her OB appointments when she was only 8 years old and couldn't understand what all her mother or the Doctor were talking about. I didn't care for the mother in this book and felt she was very demanding on her son with no care for his needs. It wrapped up fairly quickly at the end. Good book but not my favorite.
March 16, 2012
Now I know what critics mean by raw. march 17, 2009
Rereading, I have a lot more to add. It's interesting, the premise. Being the only hearing kid in a deaf family. I didn't appreciate how caring the main character is, and how cruel and selfish the mom is. And I really felt the heartbreak when the dad died. And I was very glad about the ending. It was riveting, I couldn't put it down. Read it in a day.
Rereading, I have a lot more to add. It's interesting, the premise. Being the only hearing kid in a deaf family. I didn't appreciate how caring the main character is, and how cruel and selfish the mom is. And I really felt the heartbreak when the dad died. And I was very glad about the ending. It was riveting, I couldn't put it down. Read it in a day.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 28, 2012
In the beginning this book had my attention and made me want to read more. It interested me because of the sign language in the story. Even though Theo goes through life with a different view because of his parents being deaf, he still faces the reality all teenagers face. Especially when it comes to being in love and pursuing your dreams. When things get tough, he doesn't give up though, which I admired. I recommend this book to teenagers, they can relate to the story line with Theo.
March 29, 2024
I had really high hopes going into this book- but my biggest problem with this book is, this is about deaf culture and the negative CODA experience, written by a hearing person. The book villainises and creates a helplessness for the deaf characters. It also refers to being deaf as a handicap and a disability.
Additionally, the plot was very weak. There were many weird word choices and quite a few grammatical errors.
Additionally, the plot was very weak. There were many weird word choices and quite a few grammatical errors.
May 5, 2018
I've owned this book for 10 years and it's still as great as it was the first time I read it. I think I read this once a year :)
February 27, 2022
Cute read. I hope my students and I finish it by next week. We've been working on it for quite some time now and I don't want them to get bored.
November 1, 2017
The book, Of Sound Mind by Jean Ferris, was an interesting realistic fiction about the life of a teenager with a deaf family. This book was recommended to me by a couple of friends, and after reading it I can see why this book was highly regarded by my friends. Upon starting the book, I found it to be very interesting. As the book progressed and the storyline became more intricate my interest in the book also grew. However, the book also felt a bit cluttered with needless information. For example, it would state a lot of information about Theo and Ivy’s relationship problems. I felt that the additional information took away from the main point of the book and could have been confusing to the reader. While the relationship between Thomas, Theo’s dad, and Palma, Theo's mom, is important, it is given too much attention as it ends up taking away from the book’s storyline rather than adding to it. Many characters did not add anything to the book, for example, Theo’s friends are introduced at the beginning of the book and then never brought up again. This makes the book feel a bit rushed as the introduction of these new characters could have been better developed. One of the things that the book did well was being able to address the difference between the hearing world and the deaf world. The book did this well as it clearly showed the different relationships that came from the two worlds, the hearing world with Harry and Hazel (family friends of Theo) and the deaf world with Theo and his family. The book truly did build a bridge between the hearing and deaf worlds. The book showed how the deaf and hearing communities felt about different things. For example, how people in the hearing world found Palma’s art to be intriguing and they bought it as they found it to be a novelty, but the deaf community bought it because they felt it was an accomplishment for the whole deaf community. The characters were described as very realistic in the book, making them more relatable. Since the plot line of growing up in a deaf family is not something everyone can relate to, it is nice that the characters are easy to connect to. Theo is shown to be a normal senior, aside from coming from a deaf family, and he is moody but kind. Ivy (a hearing girl, with a deaf dad) is a typical optimist, she seems to have it all figured out, but in reality she is going through all the typical drama, while trying to find herself in high school. Upon meeting, both Ivy and Theo felt a connection with each other since their families a the common characteristic of being deaf. While all the other characters are relatable too, Theo and Ivy are the most relatable to me. An example of another relatable character is Palma, Theo’s mother, who starts out as a selfish woman who only cares about herself and her career. We can all relate to her childish view of the world in the beginning of book where she believes the world revolves around her, but by the end she turns into a caring and loving mother. This symbolises one of the greater coming of age stories in the book, and also it symbolizes real motherhood, in how you go into it and how you come out. Overall, I found this book to be a great read, if you enjoy reading books about unique families and coming of age books. People who enjoyed the show Switched at Birth will also enjoy this book.
December 8, 2017
Of Sound Mind which was published in 2001 and is a excellent book. It was a quick read about 200 pages that I ended up reading in a day because, I could not put the book down. I recommend it to everyone, especially people that are in high school or are affected by deafness. This book is very useful and could be used to help many problems if you have them. This book is based around Theo, a high school senior who is fluent in both sign language and English. His whole family is deaf except him and throughout the book he goes through the struggle of being the only one that can hear in his family. Also, going through the problem of being the only one in his school that is like him, and being the only one who can't have a conversation with his dad or little brother like everyone else. In this very emotional book Theo gets in between two completely different lifestyles, and his family priorities get in the way of his personal life. Jean Ferris did a fantastic job with this book, it took me on a emotional roller coaster which was very surprising because I normally don't get this into books. However, this book was absolutely wonderful, this book develops many themes like passion, disabilities, and hardship. Jean Ferris is an amazing author and after reading this book, I am going to try out some of his other books as well. Overall Of Sound Mind is a must read and I recommend it to everyone, especially those who are looking for a new read and something a little different.
November 2, 2022
thought this was an excellent thought provoking and immersive book.
In this book Theo’s family is deaf and he is not, this means he has to interpret and communicate for them especially his mom who is on the DRAMATIC side, it puts a lot of strain on him, and makes him worry he has no future. Then he meets a girl named Ivy, her dad is also deaf, and she makes food for her own catering business. They become friends and work together then start dating.
Theos dad is hospitalized and Theo has to communicate for his family at the hospital. Once he (Theo’s dad) gets home Palma (Theo’s mom) hires many caretakers but fires them all because of the communication barrier. Then two very kind retired siblings that Ivy is teaching sign language start taking care of him. Palma wants to fire them and keep Theo home from school to take care of Thomas (his dad) Theo objects and they fight about it. Theo and Ivy break up.
Then Thomas Dies the family struggles with grief. Then Theo and Ivy get back together and both go to college in Boston (him to MIT and her to Culinary School). The family grows from grief to include the retired siblings who help them to move forward.
Characters:
Palma is an artist and makes many moving pieces throughout the story. deaf
Thomas is a carpenter and a magician. deaf
Ivy is a culinary Entrepreneur.
elderly retired siblings: Harry and Hazel
Jeremy little brother airplane model enthusiast. deaf
Dr. Ben Ivy's dad Professor airplane model enthusiast. deaf
In this book Theo’s family is deaf and he is not, this means he has to interpret and communicate for them especially his mom who is on the DRAMATIC side, it puts a lot of strain on him, and makes him worry he has no future. Then he meets a girl named Ivy, her dad is also deaf, and she makes food for her own catering business. They become friends and work together then start dating.
Theos dad is hospitalized and Theo has to communicate for his family at the hospital. Once he (Theo’s dad) gets home Palma (Theo’s mom) hires many caretakers but fires them all because of the communication barrier. Then two very kind retired siblings that Ivy is teaching sign language start taking care of him. Palma wants to fire them and keep Theo home from school to take care of Thomas (his dad) Theo objects and they fight about it. Theo and Ivy break up.
Then Thomas Dies the family struggles with grief. Then Theo and Ivy get back together and both go to college in Boston (him to MIT and her to Culinary School). The family grows from grief to include the retired siblings who help them to move forward.
Characters:
Palma is an artist and makes many moving pieces throughout the story. deaf
Thomas is a carpenter and a magician. deaf
Ivy is a culinary Entrepreneur.
elderly retired siblings: Harry and Hazel
Jeremy little brother airplane model enthusiast. deaf
Dr. Ben Ivy's dad Professor airplane model enthusiast. deaf
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 5, 2022
Of Sound Mind is a coming-of-age story by Jean Ferris which tells the story of Theo, the son of two deaf parents who begins to wonder if this is all to life. It is when he meets Ivy when he gets a completely new lease on life, love, and pursues his own dreams for once. With her having a deaf parent too, they instantly connect but as the sparks fly, tension builds at home as he is met with opposition to his changes. Is change good even when it means losing touch with your family? Is family more important than finding what makes you feel at peace; to be of sound mind?
Jean Ferris digs deep into her experiences with deaf students to create an epic and heart-wrenching story that depicts the reality of living with those with handicaps. Before I read this, I never really understood the Deaf community and found that the book shined a light on the challenges and actual benefits that come from giving unconditionally to those you love even if they do not see eye-to-eye with you. From conflict resolution to learning about pursuing love after loss, this story blends the elements of a YA novel ,but turns them on their heads all the same.
Jean Ferris digs deep into her experiences with deaf students to create an epic and heart-wrenching story that depicts the reality of living with those with handicaps. Before I read this, I never really understood the Deaf community and found that the book shined a light on the challenges and actual benefits that come from giving unconditionally to those you love even if they do not see eye-to-eye with you. From conflict resolution to learning about pursuing love after loss, this story blends the elements of a YA novel ,but turns them on their heads all the same.
April 9, 2018
This book gave me a new view on CODAs (someone who is an interpreter but isn't licenced). Theo is the only hearing peraon in his family of four, his family relies on him for most means of communication. Theo's mom, Palma, constantly bothers Theo to make things perfect and up to her needs for her sculpture galleries. Theo's father, Thomas, tries so hard to not use Theo's abilities to communicate with both the hearing and deaf world. He wants Theo to live his life as a kid and not as an interpreter. Thomas later finds that Theo is really helpful after something traumatic happens to him. Even Theo's brother, Jeremy, just wants Theo to be around him and have the company of his brother. Theo tries to find the balance between being his family's interpreter after meeting a girl just like him.
June 10, 2017
Theo has always been the connection between his family and the outside world. Polina and Thomas (his parents) and younger brother Jeremy are all deaf. From an early age, Theo has shouldered adult responsibilities for his self-indulgent and spoiled mother and taken care of Jeremy. It has become a suffocating existence. Then he meets Ivy, who has a deaf father and a fresh perspective. As he tries to work through his feelings for Ivy and his family, Theo is uncertain and unbalanced. But when his father suffers a stroke, he falls back on what he knows - being the primary caregiver of the family - to the exclusion of his own life.
Excellent read, great characters.
Excellent read, great characters.
April 22, 2022
I kept hesitating between 3 and 4 stars for this book's rating. Mostly, I did really love the story, and I absolutely loved that it revolved around Sign Language. I think the only thing that disappointed me was that I expected more progression in the storyline (notably in the romance category).
Having said all of this, I am not deaf or hard-of-hearing, and I am unsure that they would have the same outlook on this story as I had. I loved learning more about Deaf culture, especially to see that though he was going through some very difficult situations, others were dealt different hands and were able to have much success in their lives.
Having said all of this, I am not deaf or hard-of-hearing, and I am unsure that they would have the same outlook on this story as I had. I loved learning more about Deaf culture, especially to see that though he was going through some very difficult situations, others were dealt different hands and were able to have much success in their lives.
Read
December 10, 2017This book is very hard to rate. I liked a lot of the characters, but the way Deafness was portrayed bothered me. The main character Theo mentioned he wanted to give the gift of hearing to his brother Jeremy. I have a strong feeling many of my deaf friends would be offended by this book. I'm not going to recommend this book to them, but it does have good insights for people who are unfamiliar with the deaf community. This story also takes place before text message, video phone, easy interpreter access,…
Hmmmm. Mixed feelings on this one.
Hmmmm. Mixed feelings on this one.
April 4, 2022
The best book I have ever read. I am someone who struggles to read, and it can take me up to a year to finish a short book that's not even bad, but this book I could not sit down.
Everything about this book is perfect, the characters and the plot. It's fast paced but in the most perfect way, the way the characters act can cause second hand embarrassment or for you to be tense but it's all for the best and is partially what makes this book as beautiful as it is.
If you're thinking about reading this
DO. IT.
Everything about this book is perfect, the characters and the plot. It's fast paced but in the most perfect way, the way the characters act can cause second hand embarrassment or for you to be tense but it's all for the best and is partially what makes this book as beautiful as it is.
If you're thinking about reading this
DO. IT.
March 7, 2017
Of Sound Mind by Jean Fearris. Its a good book. Its about Theo who trys to make the right decison to be able to acomplish his dreams in life while trying to take of his family that is Deaf.
I like how Theo over comes his obstacles through out the book. I recommend this book to people who have a hard time over comeing life obstacles, and this book will help people over come obstacles out through their life.
I like how Theo over comes his obstacles through out the book. I recommend this book to people who have a hard time over comeing life obstacles, and this book will help people over come obstacles out through their life.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews