Reviews with content warning for War - Deaf Republic

The writing style was so gut-wrenching and precise, so evocative and vivid, that it really comes alive in the mind's imagination. I liked the way the entire story unfolds like an epic (somewhere between poetry and drama). The author tackles some intriguing themes, like trying to live your life amidst global (or local) political crises – and the complexities of that life as well. A lot of lines were truly beautiful and makes you ponder about human resistance, interconnectedness, hope and faith. Kaminsky captures little nuances or gestures of human behavior that pull you into the poetry and make it very believable. I thought it was very clever how he integrated the semi-autobiographical (his own experience with deafness), with the political (deafness as a form or protest or insurgency).

There were some parts I didn't get, but I think that's entirely a me problem. Overall, this was a short but good read!

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pickashelf's review against another edition

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emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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halfcactus's review

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sad

4.0

This was a short but very very very difficult read. :( It's a poetry collection that's written with the structure of a stageplay, and it's brilliantly executed but extremely heavy and devastating. As the title suggests, it covers the full spectrum of what deafness means to a people, from unified resistance/rebellion to individualistic selfishness and desensitization. It's very much a story of systemic oppression, how it wears you down and breaks your sense of humanity, how violent silence can be. The opening and ending poems tie you back to the present, reminds you how current these issues still are, no matter where you are.

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