Anything But Silent

by Mark Drolsbaugh

Anything But Silent is a compilation of the most thought-provoking articles by renowned deaf writer Mark Drolsbaugh. With a perfect blend of humor and insight, Drolsbaugh tackles some of the most profound topics in deaf/hearing relationships, the rift between American Sign Language and English, the hidden world of the hard of hearing, oppression in politics and education, idiosyncrasies of the deaf and hearing, embarrassing moments, and much more. Anything But Silent offers a deaf perspective rarely seen in print — bringing knowing smiles to those familiar with the deaf community and enlightening those who are new to it.

Genres: Textbooks

164 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Todd Clarke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was quite an easy read and one that kept me well-entertained. I'm not really keen on reading a book in one sitting, but this is basically one of the few outliers on that aspect, at least.

Anything but Silent tackles a lot of issues that opened up my eyes, especially considering that I'm a hearing person currently attempting to delve into deaf culture. This was an assigned reading by my sign language professor and to be honest, this is one of the few books that I can see myself referring back to in the form of leisurely reading. If you're expected a literary masterpiece, go elsewhere; this book is very simple from a grammatical and contextual standpoint, but is quite effective in getting the point across. There are a few books that Drolsbaugh references that might be worthy of reading as well. I'm currently on the fence about that myself.

Either way, this book is a quick read (took me about three hours to get through it all) and quintessential reading for those interested in listening (pun intended) to a different perspective than our own.

[Lillie P · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not just for Deaf or hearing... Mark impacted my view on Deaf culture in a very positive way. I am so glad to have read this book! It has helped me as a hearing person understand the views of Deaf or Hard of Hearing people and why some hearing people have the audist views that they do. Mark has an entertaining way of drawing the reader closer to the topic and imploring them to ask questions, whether or not they are Deaf. Great read!!

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very entertaining read. As a Deaf person I could relate to many of the situations described in the book. Light, easy reading. Enjoyable.

[Trina Stets · Rating 5 out of 5]

It funny and silly at times but a really great book about a deaf person. I would suggest this book for high school students. I found it very light hearted and the way you get what he is saying.

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Humorous & perfect

[Marlee · Rating 3 out of 5]

love learning more about deaf culture 😁

[Zoe Croman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, informative, short and sweet chapters exploring Deaf/Hard of Hearing experiences and issues in a way that's approachable and pleasant for folks of any hearing level and background.

As someone who's latent Deaf/hard of hearing myself, it made my experiences feel less lonely and isolated and more connected to the new world and culture that I have entered.