Allison Gervais’ book, The silence between us, was not a book that I would have personally chosen but I did find the majority of the story interesting. I preferred reading about how a young, deaf girl would navigate the waters of high school at a hearing school and with hearing friends over the romance part of the book. The main character was a strong character that did not let her disability hold her back, her not being a victim was a positive character trait. Her character did come across as excessively surly at times, the stress of a new school, her sick brother, and working hard to get into college were certainly some of the reasoning for this. Overall, the book was an easy read and entertaining, if not eye opening.
The silence between us is a #ownvoices book, won the Schneider Family Book Award and the Best Teen Honor Book of 2020.
The story focuses on Maya, a high school senior starting at a new school. Unlike years ago, schools are integrating young adults into classrooms instead of having them in separate classes, this book was a great look into that and how a high school student would have felt in a school of average kids with little to no disabilities. She had previously attended a school for the deaf and this was her first experience in a regular high school.
For many reasons, this book would make a good book for discussion among young adults. Whether disabled or not, the first experience around someone different than you can always be a challenge. It’s important for young adults to learn about people that are different than them and about their culture, the stereotypes associated, and words that can be offensive. This is specifically relevant with the #blacklivesmatter movement, even in 2020, some groups of people are still experiencing oppression, discrimination, and misunderstanding.