True Biz by Sara Novic

In some ways this is a coming of age story, but there is an additional layer added that two of the three main characters are deaf, and there is a lot of deaf culture and American Sign Language packed into each chapter, with some additional nuggets at the end of each chapter. So it is a story of sign language and lip-reading, disability and civil rights, isolation and injustice, first love and loss, and, above all, great persistence, daring, and joy. There is the additional layer that I as the parent of a hearing impaired child can learn from, which is the solutions you choose for your child should be The book is set in a fictional Deaf school in America, and covers the perspectives of a Deaf lesbian CODA principal; a deaf teenager who cochlear implant failed her, leaving her with very little language; and a Deaf boy from a family with many generations of Deaf people, who grew up in an environment rich with language and culture. The book is well written, engaging, and every page is absolutely packed with Deaf experience, in a way that I found deeply satisfying. Many issues that come up within the Deaf community were touched on and I learned a lot that book reviewers who are deaf have commented on the authenticity of these issues. The experience of being able to communicate with ASL, being denied that ability and the effects that has had, that racism is for real in the deaf community (shouldn't come as a surprise, but the depth and breadth continues to unsettle me), and so much more is a value added part of the book. Highly recommend.