A book review of:
People of the eye
The stats
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.