A book review of:

People of the eye

The stats

  • Title: People of the eye
  • Author: Rachel McKee
  • Photographs By: Bruce Connew
  • ISBN: 1-877242-08-X
  • Publisher: Bridget Williams Books
  • First Published: in New Zealand in 2001

Brief overview

People of the eye is an extraordinary book that tells the stories of deaf people in New Zealand and reveals an insight into the New Zealand Deaf culture.


My opinion

It is a wonderful book that gives you a rare glimpse into a world that most of us never experience. It is a language that is rarely translated into text, but is as colourful and exciting as our own.

Being a sign language student myself, I was immediately drawn to this book, for the simple reason that there aren't many books out there about New Zealand deaf people, and I found myself very pleased with my purchase.

Although it contains the stories of several generations of New Zealand deaf people, it is also indicative of the general Deaf culture in many countries around the world.

It is a book filled with laughter and sadness, jokes and tragedy, the Deaf have a very different view on the world, one which you can only begin to appreciate after reading such a superb book as this.

The only bad thing I could possibly say about the book is the photography could have been better, however this is a matter of opinion since the photography as is, is a reflection of the dynamic and moving nature of sign language.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone even remotely interested in the Deaf culture in any country.


Availability

Being as it is published by a New Zealand company, it may be hard to obtain in other countries around the world. I have found that Borders bookstore in New Zealand does stock it, so I presume that other Borders locations would be able to get it1. Unfortunately Amazon does not appear to stock the book at this time.

The book is available from the publisher at the address below.
Bridget Williams Books
PO Box 5482, Wellington
New Zealand

1. If anyone can confirm this, I would like to know, thanks.

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