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Wednesday, August 18, 2004
Larger Than Life
The Story of America's First Deaf Pioneer
Author Harry G. Lang’s new book
Edmund Booth:
Deaf Pioneer follows the amazing career of Edmund Booth and his equally
amazing wife, Mary Ann Walworth Booth, in fascinating detail. In the preface, Lang describes Booth as a
“Renaissance man, a farm boy who grew up to distinguish himself as a journalist,
educator, and founder of schools and organizations. He stood nearly 6 feet 3
inches tall, wore a long full beard, and weighed more than 210 pounds. He was a
brawny adventurer whose life spanned almost the entire nineteenth century—94
years, 7 months, and 5 days. He was also profoundly deaf, as well as blind in
one eye, and he possessed ‘the soul of a pioneer and a spirit restless for
freedom and independence.’”
Lang also shares his inspiration for writing about this larger-than-life man,
stating, “The present book interprets his life as a whole and includes additional
material written by Edmund as well as the reminiscences of his children. Edmund’s
accomplishments are examined in depth, and Mary Ann’s contributions and perspectives
are also illuminated. To highlight Edmund’s account of the trip across the country
during the great California Gold Rush, portions of his journal have been included,
some verbatim, others paraphrased to provide a more readable text. The summary of
his early and later years has been condensed from Edmund’s autobiographical notes
written after he was 75 years old. Combined with the reminiscences of his children,
Edmund’s reflections provide an enthralling mosaic of the life of a
nineteenth-century deaf couple living on the frontier with three hearing
children.”
Read chapter five, “The
Making of a Forty-Niner”, and learn more about this American original and the
pioneer days as seen through Deaf eyes. And, by using your exclusive subscriber
discount, you can save 20% off the regular price when you
order Edmund
Booth: Deaf Pioneer today.
 The
Study of Signed Languages: Essays in Honor of William C. Stokoe, a tribute
to the late Stokoe, earned the endorsement of the Journal of Deaf Studies and
Deaf Education in a recent issue: “...this book is a most interesting
collection and one that is important reading for all people interested in
linguistics generally, for Deaf people, for their friends and colleagues, and
for anyone interested in a unique aspect of the human condition.” The Study
of Signed Languages contains papers from scholars who explore the historical
perspectives, language origins, and diverse populations considered in the study
of signed languages worldwide. Edited by David F. Armstrong (Original
Signs), Michael A. Karchmer (Context,
Cognition, and Deafness), and John Vickrey Van Cleve (A
Place of Their Own, Deaf
History Unveiled, Genetics,
Disability, and Deafness), this volume demonstrates the enormous range of influence
exercised by Stokoe and serves as fitting recognition of him and his work. Read
the full review and the
preface,
and
order
The Study of Signed Languages.
 SIGNews, a newspaper for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing communities, highlighted
Mark Rigney’s Deaf
Side Story: Deaf Sharks, Hearing Jets, and a Classic American Musical,
noting, “The best thing for deaf readers is how Deaf Side Story
explains in depth the intricacies of musicals: the lyrics, the music, the
dancing, the acting. The deaf-related material for hearing readers covers enough
ground to help them appreciate basic points. The book is ideal reading for both
deaf and hearing theater-lovers.” The
complete review is available
online. In Deaf Side Story, author Mark Rigney succinctly depicts the
progress of one college’s production of the 1957 classic American musical
West Side Story, from the clashes between the deaf high school cast members
and their hearing counterparts to the final production. To learn more about how
these two vastly different worlds blended to perform a classic American art form
brilliantly together, read the
Prologue and
order
Deaf Side Story.
 The
early-bird registration date for Narrating Deaf Lives: Biography, Autobiography,
and Documentary, Gallaudet University Press Institute’s fourth international
conference, is September 1, 2004. The conference will be held on November 3-5, 2004,
at the Kellogg Conference Hotel at Gallaudet University, Washington, D.C. Save 10%
off the regular registration fee of $250 by registering now! For more information,
go online to
http://gupress.gallaudet.edu/gupiconference/index.html.
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