Hands of My Father: A Hearing Boy, His Deaf Parents, and the Language of Love,   ISBN:9780553806885

Customer Rating: 

Such a great book. The writing is so wonderfuly detailed. You can almost sense the love between the lines and each of the letters.
The hands of love. Prepare a box of tissue papers and get ready for tear.
This book will tenderize your heart. If you are a parent, it will make you love your kids more with gentleness and patience.
Grab it, buy it, or download it to your Kindle.
you will love this book.

Customer Rating: 

It was a beautiful story that was written beautifully! I randomly picked it up at the library and it was just such a wonderful book to read. Most definitely one of my favorites!!!

Customer Rating: 

Being hearing impaired, I was anxious to read this. It was just okay. It was a good read, I just wanted a little more information and feelings.

Customer Rating: 

although he lives through many challenges as the son of two deaf parents. They live in New York City, and his father plies the trade of newspaper printer, a job, because the horrendous noise, is more suitable to those who cannot hear. In most ways their life is quite normal. His mom, also deaf, goes to the beach at Coney Island a lot, where she has many friends--deaf and hearing--including a good looking hearing boy who tries to win her affection. But Myron's dad has his eyes on her, and he believes that he will be a good husband and father. And they get married, just like hearing people get married, and they live on their own, just like hearing people. It is sad how that people "without" disabilities focus on what the person CANNOT do, and how s/he is DIFFERENT from the rest of us, rather than how we are the same. Books like this give us insight into the lives of the deaf. And books like these help the reader glean understanding into such lives, so that s/he will hopefully be more accepting and less fearful. Myron presents his life in an honest way, including the difficult times, being responsible for his younger brother who suffers from epilepsy, and having to serve as translator from the verbal world to the world of Sign. In this way his father is able to understand what people say; nonetheless he struggles to understand what sound "sounds" like. Of course, Myron cannot explain that to him. However the Ulberg family speaks a language that so many other, dysfunctional families do not. The language of love. Read it!

Customer Rating: 

This book sounded fascinating to me. Having studied sign language many years ago and having some deaf friends (and one hearing friend of two deaf parents) I thought this would provide insight into deaf culture and the world through their eyes. Mr. Uhlberg did not disappoint.

The story draws you in from the very beginning. Myron describes the families and the courtship of his parents along with the culture of their own immigrant families during the Great Depression. You can almost see the dirt on the alley and the clothes running on the lines between the buildings. Every person in the story has their own personality and character.

I loved, pitied and admired his parents for their devotion, struggles and mistreatment by others.
I was disgusted that his parents' families treated their own children as outcasts and couldn't every try to learn to communicate with them.
I was amazed that his parents still had anything to do with their families.
I laughed at the detailed description of a young boy acting out a boxing match for his deaf father to "watch" as it came across the radio.
I was impressed that his parents did so much to care for thier son in a world that was hostile towards them.
I felt his father's hurt when the neighbors, butcher and store clerks treated him like an idiot because of his deafness.
I was amused at a hearing son's attempt to falsely translate a parent-teacher meeting regarding his "problematic behavior" in the classroom.
I was infuriated that the local butcher would force his father to the back of the waiting line.
I am still in admiration of his father's courage to work hard and try to maintain a "normal" life for his family while surrounded by those both ignorant and cruel.
I wanted to cry when the second child was diagnosed with epilepsy.

Myron defintely paints a vivid picture of his life, his parents and the times and culture in which he was raised. Some of the stories are absolutely breathtaking. Some are terrifying. There should be so much love in every family, especially ones who have struggled against so many obstacles.

If you have any love or interest in sign language or deaf culture, I highly recommend reading this book. I read the entire book in one day. I just couldn't put it down.