Deafness Gain

Deafness Gain? It's the opposite of hearing loss. Set in Melbourne, Australia, during the 1970s, Deafness Gain continues the story told in Deafness Down. Having left school, Mike embarks on a career in accountancy. But he falls in with a crowd of young deaf people. The profound ease of communication transforms him, and leads to an exploration of deafness. Being with deaf people, Mike learns to connect with hearing people, and reaches out to a world far wider than the expectations of family and career. With humour and vulnerability, Mike navigates the unexpected twists and chaos of life, and gains increasingly sophisticated insights into deafness. From believing deafness to be a deficiency and a problem to be fixed, Mike realises it could be something else entirely. This memoir ends in a powerful and moving climax. A mere half-dozen words spoken to Mike by a hearing woman reach to the core of personal identity. Deafness Gain is a revelation in the way it presents deafness.