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Resilient Silence: A Deaf-Experience Suspense Novel
Sometimes our internal voice and our external voice responds differently to massive chaos with coping mechanisms in a complex, dangerous world. Resilient Silence is the divergent path between two brothers living in futuristic America.
Deaf from a childhood illness, Julius is confused and longs for acceptance and understanding from his mom, educators, and friends, especially from his estranged brother. Angry after a series of horrific events causing increased death and loss, border patrol private Jeremy wants life to be normal, the way it was before their father died.
Navigating extreme personal differences, they eventually converge to compete in the Bloomsday road race and learn the hidden strength of resilient silence that comes from being Deaf in a hearing world.
Deaf from a childhood illness, Julius is confused and longs for acceptance and understanding from his mom, educators, and friends, especially from his estranged brother. Angry after a series of horrific events causing increased death and loss, border patrol private Jeremy wants life to be normal, the way it was before their father died.
Navigating extreme personal differences, they eventually converge to compete in the Bloomsday road race and learn the hidden strength of resilient silence that comes from being Deaf in a hearing world.
298 pages, Paperback
Published February 16, 2021
3 people are currently reading
55 people want to read
About the author
Peter M. Quint
3 books5 followersAn advocate for the Deaf and being Deaf himself, author and educator Peter M. Quint is one of the founders of New Life Deaf Fellowship, a home- and community-based church, and founder of Deaf Heartlight, a step-based life support program for Deaf people. He enjoys teaching, writing, and bicycling. He and his Deaf wife, Pratibha, live in Auburn, Washington, with their Deaf mini-Australian shepherd, Asha. Resilient Silence is his first novel. Visit him at www.peterquint.com. connect with him on Facebook, @peterquintdeafauthor or @deafheartlight.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 13, 2025
0.5/5
(Assigned for class)
There's a lot of things to complain about regarding this book. The prose is clunky, the dialogue is Just Bad, the plots don't contribute to the narrative, the protagonist the audience is expected to root for is wildly unlikeable without any real reasons provided, and ultimately this book feels like right wing propaganda.
The protagonist, Jeremy, starts the book angry. We don't know why because he doesn't have a reason. Before the bombing, he's angry and nasty to his 2 year old brother, Julius, and honestly remains as such throughout the book. He's judgmental, so much so he adheres to phrenology in the year of our lord 2032, and horribly misogynistic.
My understanding of this book is that the author intends for this book to contribute to the Deaf narrative but ultimately this book falls short and assumes the reader to know less than nothing about Deaf people and culture. As a HoH person, I feel like I gained little to nothing reading this.
So what are the pros?
My copy of this book was the 2nd edition, which included the QR codes of the author signing. I honestly really enjoyed the immersion and forward thinking of this addition! It was handy to have that picture in my mind as the reader.
I can also appreciate this book as an Own Voices story. Deaf authors are integral to the Own Voices community and I will always try to applaud the art that comes from the Deaf community. Unfortunately this book just missed every single mark for me.
(Assigned for class)
There's a lot of things to complain about regarding this book. The prose is clunky, the dialogue is Just Bad, the plots don't contribute to the narrative, the protagonist the audience is expected to root for is wildly unlikeable without any real reasons provided, and ultimately this book feels like right wing propaganda.
The protagonist, Jeremy, starts the book angry. We don't know why because he doesn't have a reason. Before the bombing, he's angry and nasty to his 2 year old brother, Julius, and honestly remains as such throughout the book. He's judgmental, so much so he adheres to phrenology in the year of our lord 2032, and horribly misogynistic.
My understanding of this book is that the author intends for this book to contribute to the Deaf narrative but ultimately this book falls short and assumes the reader to know less than nothing about Deaf people and culture. As a HoH person, I feel like I gained little to nothing reading this.
So what are the pros?
My copy of this book was the 2nd edition, which included the QR codes of the author signing. I honestly really enjoyed the immersion and forward thinking of this addition! It was handy to have that picture in my mind as the reader.
I can also appreciate this book as an Own Voices story. Deaf authors are integral to the Own Voices community and I will always try to applaud the art that comes from the Deaf community. Unfortunately this book just missed every single mark for me.
July 21, 2021
I really enjoyed the story of Julius (and Amy) as he grew up and embraced his deafness. As a member of the Deaf community, I could understand his pain (and his reaction to the unfairness in playing soccer with hearing kids and coaches) and felt he was definitely resilient in his ability to move on and eventually embrace running.
In contrast, Jeremy seemed to never let go of his anger upon his father's death and it just kept building during his time in the border guard and beyond. The irony of his deafness still brought out the worst in him. I really did not like or sympathize with his character. I could not understand how he found himself a nice girlfriend. She stuck with him even as he struggled to accept that he was deaf and encouraged him to start signing. Julius was incredibly patient with him (despite being so much younger) and eventually it paid off.
If you are studying ASL or the Deaf community, this book has many discussion points that could lead to much understanding. If you know little to nothing about the community and have no one to discuss this book with, many of the reasons for the behavior of the characters may be lost on you.
If you like running, you may resonate with the freedom and clarity that brings to Jeremy despite all of the difficulties he is handling in life.
In contrast, Jeremy seemed to never let go of his anger upon his father's death and it just kept building during his time in the border guard and beyond. The irony of his deafness still brought out the worst in him. I really did not like or sympathize with his character. I could not understand how he found himself a nice girlfriend. She stuck with him even as he struggled to accept that he was deaf and encouraged him to start signing. Julius was incredibly patient with him (despite being so much younger) and eventually it paid off.
If you are studying ASL or the Deaf community, this book has many discussion points that could lead to much understanding. If you know little to nothing about the community and have no one to discuss this book with, many of the reasons for the behavior of the characters may be lost on you.
If you like running, you may resonate with the freedom and clarity that brings to Jeremy despite all of the difficulties he is handling in life.
June 11, 2021
I was up far too late last night finishing this one because I had to know how it was going to end. I love that it’s an own voices story about the deaf experience, as many books I’ve read with deaf characters are written by an interpreter, a CODA, or someone who’s just interested. Definitely matters to have books written by Deaf authors!
I definitely recommend this one. It kept my attention from the start, and I completely devoured it. Of the two main characters (brothers) I definitely liked one more than the other, but really cared about both and wanted to where things were going for both.
From family relationships, to military/homeland security thoughts, to mental illness, to deaf experience, to faith... So many themes in this one. There's something that everyone will connect with, as well as aspects that will push your thinking and make you reflect on what you would do/how you would feel.
Definitely excited to see what this author comes out with next!
I definitely recommend this one. It kept my attention from the start, and I completely devoured it. Of the two main characters (brothers) I definitely liked one more than the other, but really cared about both and wanted to where things were going for both.
From family relationships, to military/homeland security thoughts, to mental illness, to deaf experience, to faith... So many themes in this one. There's something that everyone will connect with, as well as aspects that will push your thinking and make you reflect on what you would do/how you would feel.
Definitely excited to see what this author comes out with next!
July 11, 2021
Resilient Silence tells an incredible story of two brothers who struggle with similar pain and tragedy that causes them to face their weaknesses and rely on God‘s grace and the unconditional love of others. I found myself caught up in the energy and excitement of competition between these brothers and developed a better understanding for the deaf community that struggles to connect with a hearing culture that does not take time to truly listen to the heart of those who are different. I highly recommend Resilient Silence to anyone who loves adventure, intrigue, and a story the fills your heart with compassion and love. You won’t be able to put this book down.
Doug Wordell, RD
Doug Wordell, RD
June 17, 2021
This book is brilliantly written by a Deaf author Peter Quint. This book explains the struggles every Deaf child goes through growing up with Deaf, hearing culture, and language deprivation. This book also explains that sign language communication is crucial for language development in a Deaf child or a late deafened child (sibling). This book clearly explains the importance of accessibility, communication, and unconditional love among the family members. The book is highly recommended for anyone to read it!
July 7, 2021
A well-written book! I can relate to Jeremy and Julius’ life journey as they face many major decisions. Worth your time to read!
January 4, 2022
Heart-warming. As a Deaf person myself, definitely could resonate a lot with the story line.
January 22, 2024
Midway through the book I had to keep reading to find out what was going on with Jeremy. The story was interesting to read. The references to "faith" and "trust" were encouraging.
July 7, 2021
Must-read.. Deaf characters... emotional/suspense.. Loved it!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews