In Show Me A Sign, Mary has heard about places where people treat Deaf people differently, but she's never experienced that. She and her father are Deaf, living in a fully inclusive society on the island of Martha's Vineyard in the early 1800s. Then a scientist comes to her community and kidnaps Mary to investigate deafness to find a cure, and she ends up in a world that treats her very differently. Can she make herself understood, and ever get home?

Why join me for this book?

1. It's a story of about difference and prejudice. About goodwill and connecting with people. About making yourself understood and facing your fears to find a way forward.

2. Thoughtfully discussing books with others brings out more depth and meaning than a simple "I liked it" or "it was good."

3. We all need books with characters like us, as well as ones who are not like us. Characters like us help us feel less alone, and characters who are different help us understand other lives and experiences. The first time I read a book with a character who felt like me, who had the same hangups I did, who problem-solved in the same way, and got into the same difficulties, I finally felt normal. Because that character was Autistic. And so was the author. And so am I.

Please read/listen to the book on your own before class. When we meet, I’ll ask an opening question about the book to start the discussion, and guide learners through a socratic seminar style discussion. 

I have done this extensively with teens, tweens, and young adults, and have had amazing experiences of seeing the world differently and relating to my discussion partners differently as we discuss a book, and explore the important ideas it brings up, together.

I hope you will join me!


—•—•—•—

What will this class be like? 

There won't be any book reports, or quizzes, or character analysis, or writing summaries, or any of the types of assignments you're probably used to in school. We're going to discuss the book. But this isn't just talking about what you liked and didn't. 

This is a different kind of discussion called a socratic seminar. 

Socratic seminars are a way to thoughtfully explore a text and the ideas it brings up with other people so that everyone gets much more out of it than reading the book on your own. 


—•—•—•—

Who is this class for?

Learners of ALL neurotypes are welcome, including neurotypicals!

What is neurodiversity? The term describes people who process information differently than what is typical. This includes autism, ADHD, Tourette, OCD, dyslexia, sensory differences, and more.

This class is a welcoming place for diverse learning and communication styles. Students are welcome to participate with camera on or off, via chat or voice or listening quietly, to move or fidget or stimm or doodle, and to request accommodations as needed.

This group is a welcoming place for LGBTQIA+ teens, cis, trans, nonbinary, agender, and gender expansive teens welcome.


—•—•—•—

Publisher's description of "Show Me a Sign" by Ann Clare LeZotte

Deaf author and librarian Ann Clare LeZotte weaves an Own Voices story inspired by the true history of a thriving deaf community on Martha's Vineyard in the early 19th century.

Mary Lambert has always felt safe and protected on her beloved island of Martha's Vineyard. Her great-grandfather was an early English settler and the first deaf islander. Now, over a hundred years later, many people there - including Mary - are deaf, and nearly everyone can communicate in sign language. Mary has never felt isolated. She is proud of her lineage.

But recent events have delivered winds of change. Mary's brother died, leaving her family shattered. Tensions over land disputes are mounting between English settlers and the Wampanoag people. And a cunning young scientist has arrived, hoping to discover the origin of the island's prevalent deafness. His maniacal drive to find answers soon renders Mary a "live specimen" in a cruel experiment. Her struggle to save herself is at the core of this novel.

About the Author:
Ann Clare LeZotte is a completely deaf and bilingual-bicultural (ASL/English) member of the Deaf community, and an essential voice for Deaf / HOH, disabled, and marginalized youth. She is the author of the Schneider Family Book Award-winning novel Show Me a Sign, which was named a best book of the year by NPR, Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, the New York Public Library, the Chicago Public Library, and American Indians in Children's Literature. Set Me Free, the acclaimed standalone companion, was hailed by Kirkus Reviews as a “simultaneously touching and gripping adventure.” Ann worked for many years as a youth librarian before becoming a full-time writer. She lives in Gainesville, Florida.