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Of Sound Mind
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Of Sound Mind (2001) (edit title/settings)

by Jean Ferris (Author) (edit contributors)

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Description edit see section history

A poignant novel partially set in a world of silence Tired of interpreting for his deaf family and resentful of their reliance on him, high school senior Theo finds support and understanding from Ivy, a new student who also has a deaf parent.

Summary edit see section history

Theo is the only one who can hear in his family (a hearie). Naturally, he learned American Sign Language before he learned English. He finds that he is unique with this fact, but also finds that most people aren't comfortable with it. He loves Math and is a senior in high school, but is... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

Theo is the only one who can hear in his family (a hearie). Naturally, he learned American Sign Language before he learned English. He finds that he is unique with this fact, but also finds that most people aren't comfortable with it. He loves Math and is a senior in high school, but is limited by his family obligations. His mother, Palma is overprotective and makes him interpret for her, help his brother with homework, and help her with various other tasks. His brother Jeremy not only needs help with homework, but just needs someone to talk to. Luckily, his dad tries not to depend on him, but it still means that Theo has no extra time to worry about what he wants.

Then, everything changes when he meets Ivy, a girl who in some ways, has it worse off than Theo. Her father is also deaf, but she has no mother or siblings among other problems. Theo realizes that he can be happy with the life he is leading, but can also change it to be better. Ivy is a great cook, and lets Theo helps with her business, to help him get away from his family once in a while. She also helps the rest of his family get out of the house and do something fun. Theo and Ivy have their conflicts, but they fall in love, and Theo doesn't know what he could do without her.

Then something completely unexpected happens, Theo's dad has a stroke. Only deaf people were around, so there were problems with getting him to the hospital and finding out whats wrong. After this traumatic incident, Theo gets so worried, that everything Ivy taught him flew out the window. All that mattered now was helping his father get better. He finally figures out that he needs to think about college and the rest of his life, but goes through much trouble to learn that.

Characters edit see section history

  • Theo: Main character who is tired of his deaf family, and being the only one who can hear.
  • Ivy: A girl with a similar situation to Theo, and helps change his whole perspective on life.
  • Palma: Theo's overprotective, deaf mother who is a famous sculptor.
  • Thomas: Theo's father who is a carpenter and is also deaf.
  • Jeremy: Theo's deaf brother who needs a friend.
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Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Jean Ferris (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Farrar
Country: Add the country of publication.
Publication Date: 2001
ISBN: 0374355800
Page Count: 224

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