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jennareadsbooks 's review for:
True Biz
by Sara Nović
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
We read True Biz by Sara Nović for my work book club. It was so good! I mostly listened to the audiobook, but I also referred to the physical copy to see how conversations in ASL were represented in print. Thanks to @randomhouse for sending me the hard copy! This book is centered around River Valley School for the Deaf in southern Ohio, in a fictional town near the greater Cincinnati area. I really like reading books that are set in the Cincy area, since it’s where I live. It was nice to feel so familiar with the setting - it gave the book a homey quality.
The three main characters of this book are Charlie, February, and Austin. Charlie is a transfer student to River Valley who grew up with a cochlear implant that doesn’t work very well. She has often relied on lip reading, and didn’t have the opportunity to learn ASL when she was young. February is the headmistress of River Valley. She learned ASL as a hearing child of Deaf parents and cares deeply for the students at the school. Austin is the school’s “golden boy”, raised in a family where deafness goes back generations, but his world is shaken when his baby sister is born hearing.
The stories in this book are compelling. I felt for Charlie as she struggled to fit into a world that seemingly had no place for her, and for February as she fought for the future of the school while caring for an aging parent. I also learned so much about deafness, ASL, and the importance of language.
A perk of working for @librofm - Sara Nović actually attended our discussion about this book! One thing that struck me was the uncertainty she felt initially when thinking about creating the audiobook edition of this novel. It was challenging and unclear exactly how to adapt the ASL aspects, which are visually represented in the print edition, for audio. IMO they ended up doing a really great job of getting across the conversations in ASL! The narration was fantastic as well.
I highly recommend this book! I think it could resonate with both teens and adults, since there are stories from both perspectives. If you’ve read this one, let me know what you thought!
The three main characters of this book are Charlie, February, and Austin. Charlie is a transfer student to River Valley who grew up with a cochlear implant that doesn’t work very well. She has often relied on lip reading, and didn’t have the opportunity to learn ASL when she was young. February is the headmistress of River Valley. She learned ASL as a hearing child of Deaf parents and cares deeply for the students at the school. Austin is the school’s “golden boy”, raised in a family where deafness goes back generations, but his world is shaken when his baby sister is born hearing.
The stories in this book are compelling. I felt for Charlie as she struggled to fit into a world that seemingly had no place for her, and for February as she fought for the future of the school while caring for an aging parent. I also learned so much about deafness, ASL, and the importance of language.
A perk of working for @librofm - Sara Nović actually attended our discussion about this book! One thing that struck me was the uncertainty she felt initially when thinking about creating the audiobook edition of this novel. It was challenging and unclear exactly how to adapt the ASL aspects, which are visually represented in the print edition, for audio. IMO they ended up doing a really great job of getting across the conversations in ASL! The narration was fantastic as well.
I highly recommend this book! I think it could resonate with both teens and adults, since there are stories from both perspectives. If you’ve read this one, let me know what you thought!