For Hearing People Only

by Matthew S. Moore, Linda Levitan

Have you ever asked these questions: "Don't all deaf people read lips?", "Is it OK to say 'deaf-mute' and 'deaf-and-dumb'?, "Do all that people benefit from hearing aids?", "What bothers a deaf person most about hearing people?" Here, in a handy question-and-answer format, are answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about deaf people, their community, and their language. Concise, easy-to-read, designed for those with no prior background, For Hearing People Only makes a formidably complex subject accessible. Each chapter can be read as an independent unit. This is the first book of its kind -- written especially for laypeople who are curious about deaf people, and would like to separate truth from stereotype, fact from misconception, reality from myth.

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference, Disability, School, Read For School, Professional Development

1610 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read this book one and a half times. The first time I took ASL in high school, we read certain chapters. At that time, I hated the book. Honestly, I was offended by a lot of the stereotypes the writer used in connection to hearing people.
The first time I read the entire book was a few years later, in my college ASL classes. It was not assigned reading, but I decided to take another crack at it.
The book is made up of chapters based on questions hearing people supposedly ask deaf people. Some of these questions are absolutely ridiculous, and it could put a (hearing) reader on offense. The first time I read those chapters back in high school, it was a stumbling block. Now, when I go back and think about it, I have to remember that the deaf people being asked would probably feel just as offended.
So now I would have to say I liked the book. It's not my favorite book about Deaf culture or deaf people, but it's worth a read.
Just don't let it put you off at first.

[skein · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations (by a Deaf artist) were clever and beautiful and evocative and sometimes flat-out hilarious. (The deaf man being approached by a thief? hahaha.)

The rest, well ... Most of it I already know; and bits made me cringe (it's an insult to deaf culture if a hearie learns sign? oh, please.)
The rest made me cringe in a different way. It's a strange and embarrassing experience to come up against a culture alien to your own, and to flounder there is, um, a bit humbling.

I'll note the book said nothing about the biggest separation between deaf and hearing cultures I've experienced: the norm of disinterested politeness. "Hey, how're you Fine and you" as you pass by -- hearing people do this all the damn time. In my experience, that conversation usually goes like this -

"Hey, how are you?"
"Oh, good! This weekend I rafted with five good friends. Four are hearing, one Deaf. Fun! One friend named J-E-N-N-E fell out. Hit her head on rock. She had a headache but then was fine. Anyway. It was super cool. You should come next time. How was your weekend?"
"Um ... it was good, thanks!"

Cue hearie being late for the board meeting.

That makes sense ... but it requires a shift in my consciousness that I'm not always able to make (like at 7am on a Monday morning. What? again please? Sorry. Morning. Not awake I. Need coffee drink, wake.)

My apologies to the deaf community for my perpetual rudeness in the morning, and intermittent rudeness the rest of the time. It's all unintentional. Please don't be mad at me for stumbling through your beautiful language - even if I am an obnoxious hearie.

I won't ever confuse it with Braille or SPEAK LIKE THIS. I promise.

[Just Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very passionate writing, and for good reason, but may seem startling coming into the book expecting a more formal, sociological text. Sometimes redundant because each chapter is a response to a reader question, but by the end of it that didn't feel like such a bad quality; it meant you really got it into your brain a sliver of understanding of Deaf culture and the Deaf viewpoint on the hearing world. The tone of this book comes on strong and doesn't try to protect the feelings of the hearing reader by sugarcoating things, so if you come at it with humility and a willingness to empathize, you'll learn a lot. Very worthwhile text

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lots of information. Wants editing.

[Kathleen L. Brockway]

Some have inaccurate information. For example, stated American school for the Deaf never had a speech class is very inaccurate. All deaf schools did have speech classes also had “oral departments” aka speech classes across the nation.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great intro to Deaf culture. Sure to clear up at least the *most* embarrassing things you never knew were the-wrong-thing-to-say.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Matthew Moore clearly has a distaste for Hearing people and shows this throughout the book. If you can get past the obvious prejudice then you will gain a good basis for Deaf culture.

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I read this book to find out whether or not it is something I'd recommend to my hearing friends who would like to learn more in-depth information about the Deaf world.

None of the information within was new to me, but I did appreciate that it was laid out in a clear, succinct, Q&A style. I like that people can go straight to whatever chapter/question they are interested in without having to read cover-to-cover. My only complaint is that some of the information is out of date, but to be clear, I read the 2nd edition which was published in the early 1990's. I think the most recent edition is a two-volume 4th edition which probably solves this issue, but I could not affordably get my hands on that one, so this review covers the 2nd edition.

So would I recommend this book to my hearing friends despite being it outdated? Yes. It is a great little repository of information that covers a lot of topics, including more serious ones and awkward ones that my friends may wonder but feel strange asking, and it's all stuff that would be great for hearing friends to know and understand.

Granted, a lot of this information can easily be found online if one knows where to look, but most hearing people don't, so having it all together in a Q&A book not only makes it easier for them to learn this information but it might make them more willing as well. As for the outdated stuff, it would be easy to supplement friends' knowledge on these items if they are earnest enough to read the book in the first place.

I would love to be able to read the updated 4th edition. I know that it includes even more topics than this one, has updated information regarding technology and culture, and is probably much better. But this one is a great start in that one's absence. I will definitely be keeping my copy to loan out to any interested friends.

[Kiley Sievers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a way to learn different social cues of the deaf community as well as how to approach deaf people or people with hearing loss. I took an ASL class and this was the book we had to read to truly understand some of the struggles that they encounter. I think it allowed me to open my eyes to the privileges that I have as a hearing person in the modern world. It was very insightful and I would highly recommend reading it not just for a class but out of respect for the deaf community.

[Daleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

You have questions and they have answers! It was so helpful for me and some people asked some really good questions. Other... um, well, others did not. I would definitely recommend that you pick it up if you get a chance!

[Jean Coltharp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome intro to Deaf culture. It’s pretty long and gets repetitive. It could’ve been shorter and been just as good.

[Vance Gatlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very useful! Highly recommended!

[Assortedtrashprincess · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's okay a lot of the info is old just watch YouTube videos about deaf culture made by deaf people.

[Danny Gissing · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little dated, but still good.

[WhiplashGirlchild · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good intro to deaf culture and history

[Grace M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent information for hearing people (like me) invovled in the Deaf community. Some information is a bit outdated, probably because it's only the 2nd edition.

[kaitlin]

Read for class

[DKSW-in-Texas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Education for hearing people, about the Deaf Community. Helpful

[Katherine E. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some good content for sure but repeats itself a lot.

[Bridgette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I had had the whole book, and I'd really like to read a newer edition.

[Ina Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

The actual content in this book was interesting. Deaf culture is fascinating, certainly, but this book had an odd way of presenting information. Rather than covering topics in depth, For Hearing People Only glossed over issues that I would have liked to have seen explored. There were also texts and people mentioned in this book to support a claim, but the names and titles all get jumbled together because their role in Deaf culture is hardly explained, if at all. All in all, I gleaned some interesting tidbits from this book but it made me more curious about aspects of the Deaf community. This is slightly frustrating when you've purchased a book to learn about a topic and find that you have to go elsewhere to be better informed. However, if you know nothing about Deaf culture and need a place to start, this book should be suitable.

[Kansas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is great... Each chapter is an independent question that has actually been asked of the authors, by a well meaning hearing person, and most of these questions I have wondered myself! Some are a little absurd, such as "Is braille the written form of ASL?". But mostly they are very good questions. I have found it a good conversation starter and I run around asking my deaf friends if they agree and if they have had similar experiences. I'm going to buy a copy and send it to my parents! I think this book should be recommended reading for all people working in the public service industry! :o)

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned about the Deaf experience from the perspective of some Deaf people. All Deaf people are unique just as all Hearing people are unique, thus it is difficult to peg them all in the same hole. At first I was offended by some of the comments and statements in the book, but after reviewing the book a second time, I wasn't as offended. I felt that there were some gross generalizations about Hearing people that need to be addressed. Overall I felt very enlightened, and this book was very useful in my Deaf studies class.

[Jane Greene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book. Contains questions from hearing people addressed to Deaf people. Good insight provided about the Deaf culture. I did feel as though a lot of battering occurred regarding hearing people. Yes they did treat the deaf community inappropriately (and some still do unfortunately). However, there are many of us hearing people that want to communicate with the Deaf community because we find them to be intelligent and interesting people with a rich culture and beautiful language. I would recommend this book for cultural anthropology classes as well as ASL classes.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each of the 60 chapters deals with a question that hearing people have had about the deaf or about Deaf culture. There is so much I didn't know -- and hadn't even thought of before this. The book covers everything from Deaf history (including the long period of suppression of American Sign Language) to Deaf attitudes about aspects of hearing culture. A very informative and helpful book.

[Jessica (JT) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It was required reading for a Deaf Culture course I took in college and this book made me want to keep reading even after I had finished the assigned chapters. It is broken up into smaller sections that cover important topics. If you are interested in learning more about the Deaf World, I strongly recommend this book.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you deal with the deaf or are interested in the deaf community. This is a must read. Clearly and absolutely written for the hearing, this offers those of us who can hear a rare insight into another world.

[TerpTopics TerpTopics · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first Deaf Culture book we ever read, so it holds a special place in our heart. It was loaned to us by a woman we met at a mall Silent Social. We promptly devoured it! Our eyes were opened, and we have never looked back.

[Danielle Newhouse · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book was very informative. One thing I would love to see is a newer version. This talks about technology being expensive and out of reach for most.... Well today almost everyone has a cell phone and computer. Newer version would be AMAZING!!!