Char Read And Reviews ‘True Biz’
Did you know that within the Deaf community, each person has a unique ” name sign” that visually represents them, often incorporating personal characteristics or features, making introductions quick and meaningful? This fact isn’t something everyone knows. The book True Biz by Sara Novic shares some insights on this community. 
River Valley, the school for deaf students, wants their students to feel regular and welcome. Charlie is a rebellious transfer who never learned to sign and was forced to get an implant to make her more like the hearing kids. Now, she is struggling to be a part of the deaf community. That is until she meets the school’s golden boy, Austin. Austin was born deaf to a deaf mother and grew up in this school. His world is thrown upside down when his baby sister is born hearing. This story follows students’ struggles within their families and the deaf community.
I find the world of signs so interesting. I, as you know, am a hearing individual. When I saw this book years ago, I was always interested in it. However, I always put it aside, but when the opportunity arose to read it for a book club, I jumped on it. This book was so educational in the lives of non-hearing individuals. I also liked that this book challenged you to learn some signs and history that you probably didn’t know—signing isn’t just your hands but your whole body. A shrug of your shoulders added to a sign can convey the feeling of the individual, and I found that so interesting. Ausitn’s story was so captivating that I almost wish there was more. His struggles weren’t something that I would have thought about. Charlie made me think about the medical point of view and how the implants can help but also hinder the person, but also aren’t perfect. While some parts of the book were unbelievable, I also understood why they were there. Teenagers were making the choices, even how far off they felt. The one thing lacking was the resolve of the characters. I wanted to know what they were going to do next, and the author left it open-ended so that you could decide, but I wanted a concrete ending. I still highly recommend this book to anyone reading about a different community.
