When the Mind Hears: A History of the Deaf

When the Mind Hears traces the history of deaf culture and education from the 18th century through the mid-19th century. The narrative follows Laurent Clerc, a pioneering deaf teacher who helped establish deaf education in America. Through Clerc's perspective, readers learn about the development of sign language, the founding of schools for the deaf, and the philosophical debates that shaped deaf education. The book documents the struggles between proponents of sign language and those who insisted on oral teaching methods. The text reconstructs key historical events through extensive research, including the establishment of the first American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut. Lane incorporates primary sources, letters, and institutional records to present the social and political context of the era. This history illuminates enduring questions about language, identity, and human rights within deaf culture. The book serves as both a historical account and an examination of how societies respond to human difference.

Readers describe this as an eye-opening account of Deaf history that centers on Laurent Clerc and early American Sign Language education. Many note it reads like a narrative rather than a dry historical text. Likes: - Details daily life and cultural experiences of Deaf people throughout history - Explains complex political battles over sign language education - Provides perspective on medical and oralist movements - Thorough research and extensive citations Dislikes: - Some readers found Lane's stance too partisan against oralism - A few note potential bias in portrayal of Alexander Graham Bell - Dense academic writing in certain sections - Occasional repetitive passages Ratings: Goodreads: 4.2/5 (486 ratings) Amazon: 4.5/5 (52 ratings) Notable review: "Lane masterfully weaves together personal stories with institutional history. The book helped me understand why the Deaf community remains so passionate about ASL preservation." - Goodreads reviewer

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A Place of Their Own: Creating the Deaf Community in America by John Vickrey Van Cleve and Barry A. Crouch The emergence of deaf communities in America from 1817 to 1980 illuminates the formation of deaf cultural identity and institutions.

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🎯 Author Harlan Lane spent over a decade researching and writing this book, including extensive time in France studying historical documents about Laurent Clerc and the early deaf education movement 🌟 The book's title "When the Mind Hears" comes from deaf educator Laurent Clerc's own words describing how deaf people process visual language 🌍 The narrative follows the development of deaf education across multiple countries, but particularly focuses on the rivalry between French Sign Language and the oral method championed in Germany ⚜️ Laurent Clerc, one of the book's central figures, taught sign language to Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet in Paris for several months by writing French words and their English equivalents in notebooks - these notebooks still exist today 🏛️ Gallaudet University, featured prominently in the book, remains the world's only university specifically designed for deaf and hard-of-hearing students, and was established in 1864 with support from President Abraham Lincoln