True Biz
Ratings46
Average rating4.3
15
Ratings46
Average rating4.3
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK • A “tender, beautiful and radiantly outraged” (The New York Times Book Review) novel that follows a year of seismic romantic, political, and familial shifts for a teacher and her students at a boarding school for the deaf, from the acclaimed author of Girl at War “For those who loved the Oscar-winning film CODA, a boarding school for deaf students is the setting for a kaleidoscope of experiences.”—The Washington Post ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2022—Oprah Daily, The Millions, Lit Hub, Publishers Weekly, BookPage True biz (adj./exclamation; American Sign Language): really, seriously, definitely, real-talk True biz? The students at the River Valley School for the Deaf just want to hook up, pass their history finals, and have politicians, doctors, and their parents stop telling them what to do with their bodies. This revelatory novel plunges readers into the halls of a residential school for the deaf, where they’ll meet Charlie, a rebellious transfer student who’s never met another deaf person before; Austin, the school’s golden boy, whose world is rocked when his baby sister is born hearing; and February, the hearing headmistress, a CODA (child of deaf adult(s)) who is fighting to keep her school open and her marriage intact, but might not be able to do both. As a series of crises both personal and political threaten to unravel each of them, Charlie, Austin, and February find their lives inextricable from one another—and changed forever. This 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. Absorbing and assured, idiosyncratic and relatable, this is an unforgettable journey into the Deaf community and a universal celebration of human connection.
Reviews with the most likes.
Loved this book. Loved Novic's use of alternating PoVs, including some minor characters when it was narratively useful. I liked all of our characters even when they did things that frustrated me - I got them and continued rooting for them.
Just wish I knew more about what happens after the ending!!
This book was FASCINATING. I was almost completely ignorant about the Deaf community, so I learned an absurd amount from this book, from the systemic oppression of signing to the ethics of consent around cochlear implants. I'm frankly embarrassed to have not known any of it before and I'm grateful to Sara Nović via Book of the Month for educating me (I was going to say “for opening my eyes”, but that reads as ableist in a different way!). Moreover, it was a genuinely great read with characters I found believable yet completely surprising - a great combination. Strongly recommend.
My god I loved this book. Uplifting, inspiring, intersectional. Reminds me of the famous Mariame Kaba quote, “Let this radicalize you rather than lead you to despair.” I love how this book calls out and names the harsh realities of injustice and subjugation, and how it highlights direct action as a form of profound love and community. This book reinvigorated me to revisit my ASL education from college, and taught me so much more about the different experiences and nuances of Deaf culture. I loved it!!! May we build towards Eyeth
I had the privilege of growing up adjacent to the deaf community. We spoke ASL in our house, as my mom was an interpreter & our closest family friends are deaf. This book taught me so much about the deaf community's historical experience - something I was too young to pay much attention to at the time. I now want to get back into speaking ASL! It's such a beautiful & expressive language. This book is a great window into the deaf experience & is an enjoyable story as well. I highly recommend it.
