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emily_mh's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I was completed immersed in and hooked by this story. LeZotte created a full and dynamic picture of a community on Martha's Vineyard in the early 19th century, with details such as how these people lived and worked, but more importantly displaying the social dynamics and culture of having a large Deaf population. It was so cool seeing Deaf people thrive in a community fully accessibly to them, and where our main character Mary was raised without any of the ableism that she would have faced on the mainland. On top of this the book explores the dynamic of white colonisers living alongside formerly enslaved Black people and the Wampanoag Nation. Too often white authors gloss over racism in historical fiction so it is so important that LeZotte addressed it in Show Me A Sign. Overall, the tone of the book felt like a more melancholy "Anne With An E" (I choose this adaptation specifically rather than the source material as AWAE also confronts social issues).
A lot of this book is confronting. It explicitly shows the violence of ableism, in particular the history of experimentation on disabled people. But it is so important to know about this and bring light to it as a lot of people, especially middle-graders, are likely unaware of how deep ableism runs.
Mary was a great MC. She's at a point in her life when she is learning so much about the world around her and questioning what she has been taught to believe. This made for a rich inner world and some fantastic character development. However, I also liked that Mary didn't have it all figured out by the end of the book, as most of the questions she was asking did not (and still do not) have simple answers. I was so emotionally tied up in her heartbreaking and hopeful story.
In sum, I loved this read and cannot wait to pick up the sequel!
A lot of this book is confronting. It explicitly shows the violence of ableism, in particular the history of experimentation on disabled people. But it is so important to know about this and bring light to it as a lot of people, especially middle-graders, are likely unaware of how deep ableism runs.
Mary was a great MC. She's at a point in her life when she is learning so much about the world around her and questioning what she has been taught to believe. This made for a rich inner world and some fantastic character development. However, I also liked that Mary didn't have it all figured out by the end of the book, as most of the questions she was asking did not (and still do not) have simple answers. I was so emotionally tied up in her heartbreaking and hopeful story.
In sum, I loved this read and cannot wait to pick up the sequel!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Child abuse, and Ableism
Moderate: Racism, Physical abuse, Child death, Violence, Grief, Colonisation, Religious bigotry, Death, and Car accident
Minor: Sexism, War, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Blood, Medical content, Addiction, Slavery, Forced institutionalization, Domestic abuse, Confinement, Murder, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Misogyny, Alcohol, and Excrement
Moderate: loss of a loved one Minor: illness, ethnic racism, biracial racism, huntingsjanke2's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Physical abuse
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