True Biz by Sara Novic is my new favorite book. It’s ⅓ Deaf history. ⅓ ASL refresher. ⅓ Steamy high school drama. Many years ago, I spent a lot of my time with the Deaf community and studying ASL. With that experience and background, I appreciate how deeply integrated Deaf community and history is intertwined into this book. The book alternates between the narratives of all the characters and a reminder of some basic signs, of nuances around communication, and a high level on Deaf history, Deaf President Now, and the many ways that Deaf people have been neglected and misrepresented throughout history.
This is the first piece of fiction I’ve seen that so richly discusses Deaf culture and the complexity of ASL. The characters are complex. Although the characters are Deaf, it’s not a broad stroke about all folks who are Deaf. It dives into racism and sexism in the Deaf community. It addresses BASL (Black American Sign Language). It makes the issues with Cochlear Implants and the issues surrounding it (for some, it’s a choice!) the center. The variety of perspectives is rich and necessary to show the variety within the Deaf community. It’s a little spicy, a little sexy, a lot of drugs and alcohol, and overall, a darn good roller coaster. And finally, the visual consumption of ASL vs verbal speaking within the book is so clear about how two people are communicating and once I figured it out I squealed.
I love this book so much, y’all.
