Deaf Utopia: A Memoir—and a Love Letter to a Way of Life
失聰烏托邦:一封給生活的情書
內容介紹
- 發自內心、啟發人心的勵志回憶錄
- 親密、熱切、令人大開眼界——既是回憶錄,也是對獨特而美麗的聾人文化的歌頌
在美國擁有高度人氣之前,奈爾·狄馬可只是一對聾人雙胞胎兄弟之一,出生在紐約皇后區的一個多代聾人家庭裡。在他出生一天後,奈爾在父母的喜悅和興奮中,挫敗了他的第一項考驗——聽力測試。
在這本回憶錄中,奈爾分享了自身許多令人心碎和幽默的故事,並向我們述說,在這個不為失聰者構造的世界裡,他是如何航行其中的。從他在皇后區的坎坷、跌跤童年,成長於充滿愛的義裔美國人家庭,一直到現在的他,奈爾總是被驅使探索超越他的極限。大學主修數學和運動員——在華盛頓特區著名的聾人大學高立德大學,奈爾年輕時就被吸引加入表演界,然後進入真人秀比賽《超級名模生死鬥》和《與星共舞》——最終獲勝兩項大賽冠軍。
此書不僅僅是一本回憶錄,也是一首文化頌歌,讚頌著失聰的文化和給美國手語的情書。透過他和他的聾人兄弟、父母和祖父母的故事,奈爾為我們打開了一扇瞭解失聰者的視窗。
作者介紹
書評
“A cheerful but sobering account of [DiMarco’s] life so far, peppered throughout with a broad-strokes history of Deaf persecution and advancement. . . . Genuinely informative, and rather ambitious as far as celebrity memoirs go. He does not see himself not as some kind of unicorn, that rare Deaf celebrity to gain a foothold in the hearing world, but as part of an intergenerational struggle.” -- New York Times
“Nyle DiMarco welcomes you to his world. . . . his book covers the harmonious and heartbreaking parts of his childhood. . . . The book also serves as an education for readers who may not know key facts about Deaf people or moments in Deaf history. . . .Something tells us we'll all be living in DiMarco's 'Deaf Utopia' soon enough.” -- USA Today
“Activist and model DiMarco debuts with an immensely inspiring story of the experiences, people, and culture that made him “the proud Deaf man I am today.” Expertly weaving in seminal moments from Deaf history. . . . This exuberant account isn’t to be missed.” -- Publishers Weekly(starred review)
“Unique and vividly written, the memoir effectively serves a dual purpose: to showcase the author’s life and exuberant pride as a Deaf individual and to bring increased awareness to the Deaf community by spotlighting “the beauty, power, [and] magic of ASL. An honest, heartfelt, and thoroughly memorable portrayal of growing up Deaf.” -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“DiMarco’s pride in his Deaf community radiates from every page of Deaf Utopia. . . . [This book] is generous to its hearing readers . . . and it takes the unique step of conveying ASL conversations that employ the grammar and rhythms of ASL as far as possible. . . . This joyful memoir celebrates DiMarco’s ambition and adaptability, his journey to understand his queerness, and the vibrant Deaf community that made him who he is.” -- Booklist
“An eye-opening and engaging tale of what it is like to grow up in the Deaf community. . . . DiMarco’s memories, told with a true gift of storytelling and filled with his big personality, are funny and enlightening for any reader.” -- Library Journal (starred review)