
True Biz
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Lisa Flanagan
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Kaleo Griffith
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By:
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Sara Novic
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK • A “tender, beautiful and radiantly outraged” (The New York Times Book Review) novel that follows a year of seismic romantic, political, and familial shifts for a teacher and her students at a boarding school for the deaf, from the acclaimed author of Girl at War
“This important novel should—true biz—change minds and transform the conversation.”—Maile Meloy, The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: NPR, The Washington Post, Publishers Weekly, Booklist
True biz (adj./exclamation; American Sign Language): really, seriously, definitely, real-talk
True biz? The students at the River Valley School for the Deaf just want to hook up, pass their history finals, and have politicians, doctors, and their parents stop telling them what to do with their bodies. This revelatory novel plunges listeners into the halls of a residential school for the deaf, where they’ll meet Charlie, a rebellious transfer student who’s never met another deaf person before; Austin, the school’s golden boy, whose world is rocked when his baby sister is born hearing; and February, the hearing headmistress, a CODA (child of deaf adult(s)) who is fighting to keep her school open and her marriage intact, but might not be able to do both. As a series of crises both personal and political threaten to unravel each of them, Charlie, Austin, and February find their lives inextricable from one another—and changed forever.
This is a story of sign language and lip-reading, disability and civil rights, isolation and injustice, first love and loss, and, above all, great persistence, daring, and joy. Absorbing and assured, idiosyncratic and relatable, this is an unforgettable journey into the Deaf community and a universal celebration of human connection.
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Critic reviews
"Goodness, I can’t even begin to put into words all the feelings this book provoked! . . . An eye-opening and heartfelt story about human connection and the beauty and adversity woven into the deaf community and culture. It is both an educational and electrifying peek into a family’s life as they fight to forge connections even as the outside world threatens to close the door on them. I loved this story so much, it is not one to miss.”—Reese Witherspoon (Reese’s Book Club April ’22 Pick)
“This is my favorite kind of novel, fascinating and smart and brimming with contrasts. It’s a coming-of-age story but also one of anarchy and protest. It’s about belonging versus conforming, individual strength alongside solidarity.”—Laurie Frankel, New York Times bestselling author of This Is How It Always Is and One Two Three
“A coming-of-age story that explores the complexities of community and the ways in which language defines us.”—Kirkus Reviews
Featured Article: Best of the Year—The 15 Best Fiction Listens of 2022
To say it’s a challenge to select the top fiction listens of the year (and this year especially!) is an understatement. But as hard as it is, it’s an even greater honor for our team to be able to listen deeply to so many amazing stories and then highlight the best of the best to you. Fiction is a big category—one that includes everything from epic family sagas to clever short stories, from historical fiction to near-future speculative works.
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I have worked alongside the Deaf community for more than three decades and I’m still heartbroken about many of the issues brought forward in this story. I hope it compels readers to learn more about ASL and Deaf culture. The final notes on all the Schools for the Deaf that have closed tore at my heart. I fervently hope that we do not lose all residential schools for the Deaf as they are such a critical part of the care and keeping of this cherished culture.
I wish there was more info on BlackASL, but it’s a start.
I enjoyed the author’s delineations of the various roles and backgrounds people have within the Deaf community. It is critical that folks don’t assume “Deaf” is a monolith; like any culture, the members are not homogenous.
A good story with added features both intriguing and informational
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An amazing book
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Immediately, I found myself enraptured by the characters, the pieces about Deaf History, the lessons in ASL, and was completely invested in the story, needing to seeing how the storylines intertwined.
All of this to say, I'm glad I stuck with it and will most likely go back again to the physical book. How lucky are we as hearing people to have audiobooks to support our understanding when our learning style requires another way of taking in information!? Definitely not taking that for granted ever again...
An interesting experience
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Enjoyable Read
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Not for Audio
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Excellent!!
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Great Read
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Thought Provoking
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Excellent story, excellent narration
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This book can help with the ignorance and turn readers into allies who can help defend and support deaf culture.
Please read it.
A wonderful story + important education
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