Get Your Elbow Off the Horn
Stories through the Years
From reflecting on the difficult choices parents must make for their children, to recounting awkward communication exchanges, Deaf advocate Jack Gannon marries good humor with a poignant advocacy for sign language rights in this collection of vignettes from his life.
Description
Get Your Elbow Off the Horn is a collection of interactions and observations written by Jack R. Gannon, a lifelong advocate for the Deaf community. Warm and amusing, Gannon’s stories begin with his rural childhood in the Ozarks and continue through his experiences as a student, educator, coach, husband, parent, and community leader. These vignettes reveal a down-to-earth family man who believed in making a difference one person at a time.
Many of his recollections are brief sketches that reveal much about being Deaf—and about being human. From reflecting on the difficult choices parents must make for their children, to recounting awkward communication exchanges, Gannon marries good humor with a poignant advocacy for sign language rights. His stories preserve and share Deaf American life and culture as he experienced it.
Jack R. Gannon has built an impressive record of service as a teacher, coach, university administrator, and author. He holds an honorary doctorate from Gallaudet University, where he was also inducted into the Hall of Fame and named a Sesquicentennial Visionary Leader. The World Federation of the Deaf bestowed the International Solidarity Merit Award, First Class, to Jack and his wife, Rosalyn Gannon, for immeasurable contributions to global Deaf communities. Gannon’s numerous books have earned him honors including the National Association of the Deaf’s Distinguished Service Award. His previous publications include Deaf Heritage: A Narrative History of Deaf America, Through Deaf Eyes: A Photographic History of an American Community, The Week the World Heard Gallaudet, and The World Federation of the Deaf: A History.
Reviews
"Get Your Elbow Off the Horn is full of rich, humorous, and heartfelt anecdotes with chapters easily standing strong on their own, bringing any reader deep nostalgia for the heart of the Deaf culture."
— Kristina Willicheva, Senior Lecturer, University of Tennessee Knoxville, Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education
Advance Praise
“This is a charming and moving series of personal anecdotes and character sketches from a remarkable man. Gannon writes in a way that will appeal to both Deaf and hearing readers, particularly those who have knowledge of ASL and Deaf community life. He is a folksy, empathetic, and witty narrator, and his stories about many common Deaf experiences will not only entertain but also educate his readers.”
— Kristen C. Harmon