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Mother tongue : a memoir / Sara Nović.

Summary:

"Sara Nović's early years were filled with music, Bible study, and a strong desire to fit in. But when she failed her school's mandated hearing test, her worldview was thrown into chaos. Desperate not to be marked as different, she told no one, staying in the hearing world for as long as she could by brute force. Eventually unable to ignore the fact that she was deaf, Nović sought out other deaf people and was welcomed into a tight knit community rooted in the beauty and joy of American Sign Language. Nović realized that rather than maintaining the facade of her old life or trying to straddle two worlds, she would need to cultivate a life in the space between. Now the mother of two young sons--one, biological and hearing, the other, adopted and deaf--Nović reflects on her life both before and after parenthood. She's raising her children within the deaf world, offering them things her younger self needed, all the while knowing that as her children grow, their own paths will branch off from hers in ways she cannot fully predict or plan for. Interwoven with Nović's personal story is a remarkable portrait of America through reflections on some of its most complex histories: the rise of the Christian right, the thorny world of international adoption, and above all, the deaf and disabled communities' stubborn survival in the face of persistent oppression. Nović's clear, bold voice is one readers will hold onto, learn from, argue with, and be inspired by, as she asks us to recognize difference as a source of opportunity rather than fear, as a chance to draw families and communities together, and to build something new"-- Provided by publisher.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9780593241530
  • ISBN: 0593241533
  • Physical Description: 256 pages : illustration ; 22 cm
  • Edition: First edition.
  • Publisher: New York : Random House, [2026]

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:
Includes bibliographical references (pages 253-254).
Formatted Contents Note:
Two boys -- Oral history -- America's favorite pastime -- Ar(rhythm)ia -- Unprecedented -- A history of violence -- You before me -- This be the verse -- Mother tongue -- Parental choice -- The end.
Subject:
Nović, Sara, 1987-
Mothers.
Adoptive parents.
Deaf people > United States > Biography.
Deaf parents > United States > Biography.
Intercountry adoption.
American Sign Language.
Discrimination against people with disabilities.
Genre:
Memoirs.
Autobiographies.

Available copies

  • 16 of 24 copies available at NC Cardinal. (Show)
  • 1 of 2 copies available at Onslow County Public Library.

Holds

  • 2 current holds with 24 total copies.
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Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Jacksonville Main Library BIO NOVIĆ (Text) 36015002718704 Adult New Biography Checked out 08/13/2026
Richlands Branch Library BIO NOVIĆ (Text) 36015002718647 Adult New Biography Available -