Introduction to American Deaf Culture (Professional Perspectives On Deafness: Evidence and Applications) 1st Edition

I am writing this review as a second year Communication Sciences and Disorders major with an emphasis in education and Deaf studies. I am currently enrolled in a class entitled Orientation to Deafness and this book, Introduction to American Deaf Culture written by Thomas K. Holcomb, is the primary text used for the class. It has been a refreshing addition to the many monotonous textbooks I have been collecting as it's 15 chapters are thoughtfully written and give an honest depiction of Deaf culture along with it's stereotypes, language, art, and literature to name a few.As a professor of Deaf culture classes for 30 years, Holcomb includes anecdotes from his personal life and experiences as a Deaf individual as well as the experiences of his students, children, and colleagues, providing an understandable and comprehensive guide to American Deaf Culture. This book is a great choice as a textbook to provide the basic knowledge you need to begin learning about Deaf culture. He uses pictures, charts, and graphs throughout the book in order to provide better understanding and my personal favorite aspect is the how he uses a poem written by a Deaf person to conclude each chapter. They are thought provoking and give the reader an opportunity to connect with the content in an alternative and interesting way.I use Introduction to American Deaf Culture weekly in order to answer a number of discussion questions. This book not only makes it much less painful to complete the assignments but it makes me truly want to learn more about Deaf culture and its community. I write this as a person who not only actually enjoys a required text but as a person who would recommend this book to anyone who might be taking, or considering taking, an ASL course. I would be willing to say it should be required for students in ASL courses to have an understanding of the community whose languge you are learning to use. I personally am taking Beginning ASL I, using the textbook Master ASL! by Jason Zinza, and Introduction to American Deaf Culture has helped me tremendously simply by providing background knowledge on the signs and language I am learning. Required or not it is an interesting read for anyone interested in Deaf culture, it is truly fascinating and all too often overlooked. I have already learned so much!Overall, I give this book 5 stars based on its interesting qualities and readability. I recommend it, as well as Deaf studies in general, to everyone!

This is an easy to read book about Deaf History, culture and society. Brilliantly written by a Deaf Instructor who is able to report on many points of views without losing his Deaf pride. I learned new vocab like “deaf gain” The kindle version is excellent for taking notes because you can copy, paste and or highlight important parts. I probably took notes on at least 25 different topics and I’m not even in a class.

This is honestly a great book for hearing people to read if they'd like a better insight to the deaf community and their experiences. I rented it, I wish I would have bought it. Great book.

This book provides valuable insight and information; wonderfully written.

Bought this book for school and it was easy to read. Some chapters were a little boring but most were at least interesting.

Introduction to Deaf Culture is intended as a text book, however, the way it is organized and written, it is perfect for anyone wanting to learn more about this fascinating American linguistic minority. It's not just for college students. There is nothing dry about it, unlike most texts. Even for people fairly familiar with Deaf Culture, Holcomb presents interesting insights and perspectives. He includes amazing art by Deaf artists at the beginning of each chapter and scatters poetry by Deaf poets throughout.

Fascinating, detailed, and written in an easy format. You can skip around in this book without feeling lost in the information, he always cites his own chapters when he brings up something from a previous or future chapter so you can look it up. Got this as a textbook for my INT 105 class, Intro to Deaf Culture

I purchased the book used for a colleague who needed a copy for classes. The condition of the book was even better than I expected and arrived in less than two weeks. I would definitely purchase from this seller again if the need arises.