Reviews with content warning for Ableism - True Biz

Reviews tagging 'Ableism'

True Biz by Sara Nović

154 reviews

lily1304's review

adventurous informative medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I didn't expect to learn so much about cochlear implants, but it was interesting AND a good story!! I was really curious how

Spoiler

anarcho-communism and political violence

were going to fit into the plot but it really tied together well.

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brogan7's review

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emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

Really enjoyed reading this book. It's a new generation's Train Go Sorry (Leah Hager Cohen, 1995). I loved the ASL illustrations and explanations of how ASL works. I also enjoyed the different POVs (although I thought it was a mistake to give

Spoiler

Charlie's mother

a chapter of her own at the end. It felt forced and not that empathetic, where we hadn't heard from her before.
I was disappointed in Novic's sometimes clear bias...even though I agreed with her, I felt that at times she was really pounding it in about the anti-CI point of view.
And finally, I was a little startled at the ending.

Spoiler

I don't believe the principal would have let Slash walk away with the makings of a bomb, saying only, "Not tonight." I thought we were going somewhere interesting when she and Wanda speculated the kids were up to leaving flaming bags of dog poo in strategic places... and their game was clearly of another level entirely. I expected their shock, surprise, need to distance themselves from this form of action...(come on, you met an adult lately?)...and instead it was a pretty implausible denouement.

My only other drawback was the portrayal of dementia. If your mother still remembers your birthday, and she is still someone you go to for emotional support, how exactly does she exhibit having dementia? It just didn't feel realistic.
However, overall the story was great, Charlie is a strong and engaging character, and the setting of the Deaf school is interesting and revelatory in terms of the difference Charlie experiences there, as compared to her previous hearing school.

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thebookkeepers's review

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emotional informative inspiring mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

I love that this is a book about Deaf culture, written by a Deaf author. It is a contemporary story with an air of mystery surrounding it since the book opens with the disappearance of some teens. I love a boarding school setting and the layers that were added by it being a Deaf school. The author not only utilized a wide array of experiences for each of her characters but also used clever page space to educate the reader on both Deaf history as well as ASL signing and language lessons. This was a fantastic book to read and discuss with my 9th grader as we explored ethical questions around cochlear implants, the rights of minors, as well as ableism. I like how the ending was left and it allowed for even more discussion. I will absolutely read more from this author!

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good_names_dont_exist's review

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emotional informative reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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dckathleen's review

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adventurous informative inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This is the story of a group of families and a school for the deaf. The author is deaf and I loved getting lots of lessons about deaf culture, ASL, and deaf history in between chapters about the main cast of characters. The main story is great, and because I liked the book so much I decided to overlook my slight annoyance at the ending...I wanted more!

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ashton_n's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I was hooked from the first chapter. I loved the chapters with information on Deaf Culture, the history of Anarchism, and of course our favorite girl, Charlie.

Favorite Quote: “This is not your fault; this is the way it always has been; there is nothing any of us can do; I love you so much for trying”

Content Warnings