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Belonging
Gustie Blaine is 15 when she contracts meningitis and loses her hearing as a result. After struggling to adjust, she learns through her new boyfriend and his deaf brother about other deaf people and how they succeed.
- GenresYoung Adult
171 pages, Library Binding
First published January 1, 1986
50 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 16, 2010
I did not like it that the heroine in this book did not want to learn American Sign Language. By not doing so, she cut herself off from a rich and unique culture going all the way to Martha's vineyard for the U.S.A.
April 25, 2007
As posted in [http://www.amazon.com]:
I thought that *Belonging* was an ok book. This book dwelt too much on Gustie's dealings with her newfound deafness.
At 15, Gustie encounters spinal meningitis, which resulted with her being deaf. Of course, intially, she deals with this consequence with anger. Next, she deals with her fluctuating hearing loss by trying to lip-read and experimenting with a hearing aid.
At the same time, her friendship with Sara, Dana and others have have changed. They are simply not comfortable with Gustie's deafness and do not want to bother with repeating themselves. However, she is not completely lost. She finds solace with her Latin teacher, her notetaker and her new boyfriend, who has a Deaf brother and sister-in-law.
There is no mention of sign language or the Deaf culture until the last quarter of the book. Even then, Gustie doesn't really take advantage of it except learning fingerspelling. She is hesitant about Deaf people because she has some stereotyped perception of the Deaf.
*Belonging* is about a teenaged girl's struggle with a hearing loss, which turns her world upside down. She loses some friends but gains new friends. Meanwhile, she has to adjust in order to stay on top of school. She's rewarded with a new boyfriend who understands her plight and gives her valuable insights. In the end, she finally musters up the courage to tell people, especially her parents, how she wants to be treated.
I thought that *Belonging* was an ok book. This book dwelt too much on Gustie's dealings with her newfound deafness.
At 15, Gustie encounters spinal meningitis, which resulted with her being deaf. Of course, intially, she deals with this consequence with anger. Next, she deals with her fluctuating hearing loss by trying to lip-read and experimenting with a hearing aid.
At the same time, her friendship with Sara, Dana and others have have changed. They are simply not comfortable with Gustie's deafness and do not want to bother with repeating themselves. However, she is not completely lost. She finds solace with her Latin teacher, her notetaker and her new boyfriend, who has a Deaf brother and sister-in-law.
There is no mention of sign language or the Deaf culture until the last quarter of the book. Even then, Gustie doesn't really take advantage of it except learning fingerspelling. She is hesitant about Deaf people because she has some stereotyped perception of the Deaf.
*Belonging* is about a teenaged girl's struggle with a hearing loss, which turns her world upside down. She loses some friends but gains new friends. Meanwhile, she has to adjust in order to stay on top of school. She's rewarded with a new boyfriend who understands her plight and gives her valuable insights. In the end, she finally musters up the courage to tell people, especially her parents, how she wants to be treated.
July 14, 2015
I enjoyed this story; as I usually enjoy books about teens who go blind or deaf. This one was written well.
I didn't understand Gustie's friend Sara's so-called problems at all. The way she turned on Gustie her best friend of ten years was just sickening. From day one after Sara found out her "friend" had been sick, she didn't seem to care about Gustie's condition. All she cared about was that she had to repeat herself. She also began to feel like Gustie was pretending to get attention. What an idiot.
I didn't buy the flimsy excuse for Sara's behavior at all.
I didn't understand Gustie's friend Sara's so-called problems at all. The way she turned on Gustie her best friend of ten years was just sickening. From day one after Sara found out her "friend" had been sick, she didn't seem to care about Gustie's condition. All she cared about was that she had to repeat herself. She also began to feel like Gustie was pretending to get attention. What an idiot.
I didn't buy the flimsy excuse for Sara's behavior at all.
November 4, 2015
Not a bad handling of an important topic (mainstreamed late-deafened schoolkid). The author reworks and improves upon the core of this novel in her later book, "Balancing Act". Happily, there is much more d/Deaf YA experience described in novels now! For some examples: "5 flavors of dumb" by Anthony John, "Deaf child crossing" by Marlee Matlin, and yeah, I'll be honest, my own "A Handful of Spells".
October 25, 2025
In this book 15-year-old Gustie contracts meningitis the summer before her sophomore year of high school. Her recovery is long and probably unfamiliar to most readers, myself included. Even by the end of the book almost a year later, she still experiences compromised balance, for example (as a result of the hearing loss?). As for her hearing, I had no idea that meningitis (inflammation) could cause fluctuations in hearing even months later. How disconcerting, to say the least, to hear almost as well as you used to one day, and then almost not at all the next! I very much appreciated reading Gustie's experience. I tried to ascertain what the author's source is, but I didn't find it (Not personal experience?)
Most of the book is about Gustie's feelings of frustration and isolation as she tries to adjust to her deafness. The book was published in 1986, and is very 80s in that most people are not pro-ASL, and there's no awareness of Deaf culture with a capital D. Finally, Gustie learns about some tech that makes the world a little more accessible. You have to have a "decoder" to access closed-captions, and most programs aren't captioned in the first place. We've come a long way (with a long way to go) since then, and it's often frustrating to read such outdated ideas. The word "handicapped" comes up a lot. A girl (who's smart! and nice!) used to be fat (gasp) in junior high and is still bullied. Sigh. I think modern audiences will be fed up with several elements in the story because the changes that were fought hard for are here now. Plus, we have texting.
The cover art does not reflect the story very well. The boy doesn't enter the plot until chapter 13 of a 16 chapter book. I think the cover should depict Gustie in her bedroom with her cat, Jasmine.
Most of the book is about Gustie's feelings of frustration and isolation as she tries to adjust to her deafness. The book was published in 1986, and is very 80s in that most people are not pro-ASL, and there's no awareness of Deaf culture with a capital D. Finally, Gustie learns about some tech that makes the world a little more accessible. You have to have a "decoder" to access closed-captions, and most programs aren't captioned in the first place. We've come a long way (with a long way to go) since then, and it's often frustrating to read such outdated ideas. The word "handicapped" comes up a lot. A girl (who's smart! and nice!) used to be fat (gasp) in junior high and is still bullied. Sigh. I think modern audiences will be fed up with several elements in the story because the changes that were fought hard for are here now. Plus, we have texting.
The cover art does not reflect the story very well. The boy doesn't enter the plot until chapter 13 of a 16 chapter book. I think the cover should depict Gustie in her bedroom with her cat, Jasmine.
April 23, 2010
Mariama Camara
6/7Y
Belonging By Virginia M. Scott
This book is about a girl name Gustie that cought an illeness called meningitis witch left her right ear deaf. Things became hard for Gustie because she could no longer her well and she fell like there has been a wall between her and her friends and her feelings were bottled up and ready to explode. Gustie best friend Sara had no time to hang out with her because they did not have time for each other and Sara was ignoring her. As Gustie got use to her new life she has to ask people to repear things more then ones and mostly worked on watc hing peoples lips witch made it easer for her to understand people. Gustie learn more about her self and meat new friends like Tony. I really enjoyed this book because at the end of the book Sara and Gustie who were best friends forgive each other and realizes they are not alone and even though Gustie is deaf she has not change she is still the good and wonderful friend that will always be there for you.
My favorite Character is Tony because I really like Tony because even though he really likes Gustie he was always there for her, he tryed to encuriged her alot and tell her to stay true to herself and tell her that there was nothhing wrong with behing deaf as long as you be yourself. Although Tony kissed Gustie and she did not enjoy it he stoped and then he understude her. I rea;;y like Tony because I could conect to him because he is really nice and he is the tipe of gye that will always be there for you.
The Climax of the story is when Gustie went in the car with her mom and she told her mom that she just had a headache from the sun. But really it was getting worst and in the carand she lowered her head to her lap, her neck felt even stiffer than before, her entire head felt as if it were being crushed. She could not take the pain anymore and then she started yelling
"Mom my head hurts. It hurt so much" The pain was making her cry, so her mom touck her home and fixed her up. That is when she went in the hospital and they found out that she had meningitis. In that part of the story It was really intenced and I wanted to find out what was next and what was going to happen next I was very cures.
I think the author wanted me to know that everyone is the same. No matter if something in your body is not funtioning or u hang out with diffrent people you are still you and doint keep everything bottled like Gustie did it is always good to have someone to talk to and be your self at all times.
I would recommend this book to everyone especially someone that fells like they are falling out of place and you doint feel your fitting in because this book can help you understand yourself and help you surch your hearts for the right answers. I feel that kids in middle school should allsow read this book becaus e middle school can be very intence and confusing sometimes. Try this book because you would love the great details.
On i scale of 0-10 I would rate this book a ten because of the great describtion.
6/7Y
Belonging By Virginia M. Scott
This book is about a girl name Gustie that cought an illeness called meningitis witch left her right ear deaf. Things became hard for Gustie because she could no longer her well and she fell like there has been a wall between her and her friends and her feelings were bottled up and ready to explode. Gustie best friend Sara had no time to hang out with her because they did not have time for each other and Sara was ignoring her. As Gustie got use to her new life she has to ask people to repear things more then ones and mostly worked on watc hing peoples lips witch made it easer for her to understand people. Gustie learn more about her self and meat new friends like Tony. I really enjoyed this book because at the end of the book Sara and Gustie who were best friends forgive each other and realizes they are not alone and even though Gustie is deaf she has not change she is still the good and wonderful friend that will always be there for you.
My favorite Character is Tony because I really like Tony because even though he really likes Gustie he was always there for her, he tryed to encuriged her alot and tell her to stay true to herself and tell her that there was nothhing wrong with behing deaf as long as you be yourself. Although Tony kissed Gustie and she did not enjoy it he stoped and then he understude her. I rea;;y like Tony because I could conect to him because he is really nice and he is the tipe of gye that will always be there for you.
The Climax of the story is when Gustie went in the car with her mom and she told her mom that she just had a headache from the sun. But really it was getting worst and in the carand she lowered her head to her lap, her neck felt even stiffer than before, her entire head felt as if it were being crushed. She could not take the pain anymore and then she started yelling
"Mom my head hurts. It hurt so much" The pain was making her cry, so her mom touck her home and fixed her up. That is when she went in the hospital and they found out that she had meningitis. In that part of the story It was really intenced and I wanted to find out what was next and what was going to happen next I was very cures.
I think the author wanted me to know that everyone is the same. No matter if something in your body is not funtioning or u hang out with diffrent people you are still you and doint keep everything bottled like Gustie did it is always good to have someone to talk to and be your self at all times.
I would recommend this book to everyone especially someone that fells like they are falling out of place and you doint feel your fitting in because this book can help you understand yourself and help you surch your hearts for the right answers. I feel that kids in middle school should allsow read this book becaus e middle school can be very intence and confusing sometimes. Try this book because you would love the great details.
On i scale of 0-10 I would rate this book a ten because of the great describtion.
April 17, 2010
This book is really good. It is one of the books closest to real life. I say this because what happened to the main character in this book could happen to anyone. I am not going to ruin this book for anyone who wants to read it but basically it is about a girl who "had it all". She had the best life. She was a cheerleader and was popular. Something occurred in her life which caused her to realize who were her real friends.
March 22, 2017
I suggest everyone read this book if you are interested in school and how people bully each other. This book is about a girl who has tons of friends but then soon goes deaf and all of her friends talk about her and leave her. She starts to feel back and goes to therapy to get help. It made me emotional because I don't like when people talk about each other. It makes me upset. If you like upsetting books, read this.
February 8, 2011
This book is WAY dated and reads more like a public service announcement than a novel. I'm sure it was great for kids in the 1980's, but I'm probably going to weed it from my school's collection now. I wish I knew of a good YA fiction book about being deaf that I could replace it with, though.
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April 7, 2007deaf
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews