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Deaf Community
Book Review: All Eyes: A Memoir of Deafness
Non-Fiction/Memoir
All Eyes: A Memoir of Deafness
Bainy B. Cyrus
2010
Create Space
ISBN: 978-1450540315
Pages: 126
Author Bainy B. Cyrus’ book, All Eyes: A Memoir of Deafness, is the story of a woman who has found her footing in both the hearing and deaf worlds. Cyrus reveals her strength and determination as she walks the reader through many of the milestones of her life from being diagnosed with hearing loss as a toddler through her transformation into a knowledgeable, independent woman. This is an inspiring story that will have an impact on members of the deaf and hearing communities.
“By the time I was eighteen months old, my parents sensed something wasn’t right with me (1).” The signs of Cyrus’ disability included a general lack of fussiness, no verbal communication, and no response to loud noises. Doctor’s initially suspected autism, but this was ruled out when a specialist witnessed Cyrus interacting with her parents. Cyrus was classified as hard of healing and in the book she explains how this differs from profound hearing loss: “…the audiologist found that I could start hearing at 70 decibels in the low-frequency range (4).”
Cyrus was diagnosed during the early 1960’s when sign language was viewed as a less acceptable option for deaf children. Her parents were thus encouraged to talk to her in order to stimulate speech. She was enrolled in therapy sessions to teach her how to verbalize and read lips. This began the family’s approach to dealing with Cyrus’ deafness through oralism. Later in her life, Cyrus would learn that there is on-going conflict within the deaf community regarding oralism versus signing.
This book is a powerful educational tool for the deaf as well as the hearing. Cyrus enlightens the reader by explaining that there are a variety of levels of deafness and that some sound is actually perceived at each level. She is honest about the emotional adversity she suffered as a young woman trying to find a fit in the hearing world. What I found most enlightening about Cyrus’ book were her discussions about the conflicts in the deaf community regarding the individual decision to be steeped in the deaf world as opposed to assimilating into the hearing world or even making the choice to live somewhere in the middle. The author’s perspective is a valuable resource for hearing parents of deaf children. She writes in great detail about her experiences in college, making independent decisions as an adult, and the attitudes of those of the hearing community constantly confronting her. Cyrus’s decision to learn everything she could about her own disability changed her perspective about her life and how she would live it moving forward.
In many ways, All Eyes is a story that illustrates the growth and development of a woman from childhood through to adulthood. It is a story of struggle and enlightenment. It is a story of inspiration. Cyrus validates the difficulties associated with being deaf while also demonstrating that obstacles can be overcome and that having a disability does not stop a person from living a full, happy, normal life. I highly recommend this book.
Melissa Brown Levine
for
Independent Professional Book Reviewers
About the Author
Melissa Brown Levine is a writer, book reviewer, and manuscript consultant. Her work has appeared in Skirt Magazine, Foreword Reviews, and IP Book Reviewers.
DEAF COMMUNITY by Erich Krogmann
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