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.

A riveting standalone companion to the Schneider Family Book Award winner, Show Me a Sign by Deaf author and librarian, Ann Clare LeZotte. "A riveting story of courage and compassion. I could not put this book down! By bringing the cruelties of our past out of the shadows, Ann Clare LeZotte shines a light for our way forward." -- Christina Soontornvat, author of the Newbery Honor book A Wish in the Dark "Set Me Free kept me turning pages until the very end. Ann Clare LeZotte challenges us to examine our own often-skewed perspectives and reminds us that human dignity is innate and that kindness is a universal language." -- Ann E. Burg, author of the Claudia Lewis Award winner Flooded: Requiem for Johnstown "Ann Clare LeZotte has given readers a beautiful gift. Set Me Free is a riveting story about a girl's struggle for deaf dignity and the hope for understanding." -- Aida Salazar, author of the Jane Adams Peace Award Honor book The Land of the Cranes "Mary Lambert's strong spirit, observations, and concerns about all aspects of life, and love for people make her so inspiring!" -- Penny Gamble-Williams, activist and Spiritual Leader of the Chappaquiddick Tribe of the Wampanoag Nation "Secrets, suspense, and surprises abound, but at the heart of Ann Clare LeZotte's brilliant novel are two girls who have much to say despite a world determined to silence them." -- Lisa Yee, author of Maizy Chen's Last Chance 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. Praise for Set Me Free: "A riveting story of courage and compassion. I could not put this book down! By bringing the cruelties of our past out of the shadows, Ann Clare LeZotte shines a light for our way forward." -- Christina Soontornvat, author of the Newbery Honor book A Wish in the Dark "Set Me Free kept me turning pages until the very end. Ann Clare LeZotte challenges us to examine our own often-skewed perspectives and reminds us that human dignity is innate and that kindness is a universal language." -- Ann E. Burg, author of the Claudia Lewis Award winner Flooded: Requiem for Johnstown "Ann Clare LeZotte has given readers a beautiful gift. Set Me Free is a riveting story about a girl's struggle for deaf dignity and the hope for understanding." -- Aida Salazar, author of the Jane Adams Peace Award Honor book The Land of the Cranes "Mary Lambert's strong spirit, observations, and concerns about all aspects of life, and love for people make her so inspiring!" -- Penny Gamble-Williams, activist and Spiritual Leader of the Chappaquiddick Tribe of the Wampanoag Nation "Secrets, suspense, and surprises abound, but at the heart of Ann Clare LeZotte's brilliant novel are two girls who have much to say despite a world determined to silence them." -- Lisa Yee, author of Maizy Chen's Last Chance Praise for Show Me a Sign: "LeZotte's novel is more than just a page-turner. Well researched and spare, it's a sensitive portrayal of a young girl

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. Distinctions and Praise for Set Me Free: "Exciting and heartfelt throughout. Mary and her world are instantly captivating, and her daring rescue mission will keep readers hooked until the very end. In addition to the central themes of ableism and language deprivation, LeZotte naturally weaves in social issues of the time that still resonate today, including racism, colorism, feminism, and colonialism. Readers who enjoyed the previous title will be particularly delighted to read about Mary's further adventures. A simultaneously touching and gripping adventure." -- Kirkus Reviews "Full of adventure and twists, and LeZotte never shies away from addressing racism, ableism, or sexism...the book's themes resonate today, as Mary fights for the rights of all people and offers hope to readers facing challenges. A gripping tale of historical fiction." -- Booklist "Throughout, as in the previous novel, LeZotte sensitively interweaves and illuminates historical, white attitudes toward deaf people, the Wampanoag people, and the Black population, all the while championing Mary's forthright insistence that all be treated with respect. Mary seems set to become a true hero-adventurer, an almost larger-than-life sleuth, teacher, and woman of action; and while the story's subject matter is serious in its engagement with history's ills, LeZotte conveys a sense of real enjoyment in having Mary disrupt...the prejudices and expectations of the status quo." -- The Horn Book "A riveting story of courage and compassion. I could not put this book down! By bringing the cruelties of our past out of the shadows, Ann Clare LeZotte shines a light for our way forward." -- Christina Soontornvat, author of the Newbery Honor book A Wish in the Dark "Set Me Free kept me turning pages until the very end. Ann Clare LeZotte challenges us to examine our own often-skewed perspectives and reminds us that human dignity is innate and that kindness is a universal language." -- Ann E. Burg, author of the Claudia Lewis Award winner Flooded: Requiem for Johnstown "Ann Clare LeZotte has given readers a beautiful gift. Set Me Free is a riveting story about a girl's struggle for deaf dignity and the hope for understanding." -- Aida Salazar, author of the Jane Adams Peace Award Honor book The Land of the Cranes "Mary Lambert's strong spirit, observations, and concerns about all aspects of life, and love for people make her so inspiring!" -- Penny Gamble-Williams, activist and Spiritual Leader of the Chappaquiddick Tribe of the Wampanoag Nation "Secrets, suspense, and surprises abound, but at the heart of Ann Clare LeZotte's brilliant novel are two girls who have much to say despite a world determined to silence them." -- Lisa Yee, author