Show Me a Sign

Mary Lambert has always felt safe and protected on her beloved island of Martha's Vineyard. Her great-great-grandfather was an early English settler and the first deaf islander. Now, over a hundred years later, many people there -- including Mary -- are deaf, and nearly everyone can communicate in sign language. Mary has never felt isolated. She is proud of her lineage. But recent events have delivered winds of change. Mary's brother died, leaving her family shattered. Tensions over land disputes are mounting between English settlers and the Wampanoag people. And a cunning young scientist has arrived, hoping to discover the origin of the island's prevalent deafness. His maniacal drive to find answers soon renders Mary a "live specimen" in a cruel experiment. Her struggle to save herself is at the core of this penetrating and poignant novel that probes our perceptions of ability and disability. It will make you forever question your own ideas about what is normal.

Three years after being kidnapped as a "live specimen" in a cruel experiment to determine the cause of her deafness, Mary Lambert has grown weary of domestic life on Martha's Vineyard, and even of her once beloved writing. So when an old acquaintance summons her to an isolated manor house outside Boston to teach a young deaf girl to communicate, Mary agrees. But can a child of eight with no prior language be taught? And is Mary up to the task? With newfound purpose, Mary arrives only to discover that there is much more to the girl's story--and the circumstances of her confinement—than she ever could have imagined. Suddenly, teaching her and freeing her from the prison of her isolation, takes on much greater meaning, and peril. Riveting and complex, delicately nuanced and fervently feminist, Set Me Free is a masterful stand-alone companion to Show Me a Sign, and a searing exposé of ableism, racism, and colonialism that will challenge you to think differently about the dignity and capacity within every human being.

This gripping, stand-alone story, set in the world of the award-winning “Show Me a Sign” and “Set Me Free”, completes a unique and unforgettable trilogy that centers the Deaf experience. As a young teacher on Martha's Vineyard, Mary Lambert feels restless and adrift. So, when a league of missionaries invite her to travel abroad, she knows it's a once in a lifetime opportunity. Paris is home to a pioneering deaf school where she could meet its visionary instructors Jean Massieu and Laurent Clerc-and even bring back their methods to help advance formal deaf education in America! But the endeavor comes at a cost: The missionaries' plan to "save" deaf children is questionable at best-and requires Mary's support. What's more, the missionaries' work threatens the Wampanoag and other native peoples' freedom and safety. Is pursuing Mary's own goals worth the price of betraying her friends and her own values? So begins a feverish and fraught adventure, filled with cunning characters, chance encounters, and new friendships. Together with “Show Me a Sign” and “Set Me Free”, this stunning story will enrich your understanding of Deaf history and culture, and forever alter your perspective on ability and disability.