Book Mystery--- What's the Name?

I've been asked to help solve a mystery. While the book seems familiar, I just can't put my finger on it.

Here is what we know...

The novel is about a deaf doctor.

The doctor has been on a train and heading home after his father’s death (his father who was also a physician).

It may be set during the civil war.

The father had some sort of a relationship with a Native American Indian woman.

If you can help, please send me an email! yadeafcharacters@ gmail.com

UPDATE: This wasn't the book that was lingering somewhere in the back of my mind but apparently this one is the best fit.

Shaman (1993)by Noah Gordon

Paperback: 652 pages
ISBN-10: 0751500828

From Publishers Weekly

In the New World, young Scottish physician Rob J. Cole seeks the justice and tolerance that seemed missing in the Old. But in Boston in 1839, where he assists surgeon Oliver Wendell Holmes, he finds the same mixture of altruism and evil that informs all human pursuits. Joining the Union Army in civilian service, Rob J. moves to the wilderness of Illinois. Gordon ( The Rabbi ) deftly employs Rob J.'s diary, which is read by his son Shaman, also a doctor, after his father's death, to reveal the Coles's early family years. In doctoring and sheep farming, Rob J. builds a worthy life, marrying the beautiful and haunted Sarah. While dealing sensitively with Sarah's jealousy of his Indian soulmate, the female shaman Makwa-ikwa, and with Shaman's deafness, Rob J. often escapes into the demands and rewards of his practice. The search for Makwa-ikwa's murderer raises such issues as racial injustice, religious prejudice and pacifism. In serviceable, if curiously unemotional prose, Gordon tells a quietly absorbing story that should please a wide audience.

Deaf Author Book signing at Gallaudet & Tagged

Patrick Kilgallon, a 1996 Gallaudet University graduate, will be signing his book entitled Gather the Weeds today from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. at Gallaudet Univeristy.

Gather the Weeds

Paperback: 372 pages
Publisher: AuthorHouse (April 6, 2006)
ISBN-10: 1418446386

Michael Poole, a culturally isolated deaf seventeen-year-old ward of the Gate, only wants few things in his life: a girlfriend, a chance to play hockey, and good times. But the blockheads and the Whysees who watch over him have other things in store for him. Like not going outside the Gate. Not getting into trouble. And to remain still and calmly wait for the day of his own taking. The story takes place in an alternative world where one of the many industrial military complexes contains the handicapped wards taken from all over the country. The novel explores the Gate in the depth of Michael Poole's mind, in silly riddles, messages on bathroom's walls and crude drawings only to discover the final health policy for the wards of the Gate, never welcomed by the general population of a perfect world.

I have been tagged!

Jodi (An American Mom in Tuscany http://rallycapsdotnet.blogspot.com/) Tagged Me!

Here's the deal:

1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.

2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.

3. At the end of the post, the player tags 5 people and posts their name, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

I have to answer questions and people I tag have to answer the same questions, so here I go.

What was I doing 10 years ago:

Ten years ago I had been taking American Sign Language classes for about a year and had finally been persuaded to enroll in Gallaudet's Deaf Education Masters of Arts program. I was in a very transitional time in my life. My best friend, Aslan (a fella with four paws and all the loyalty a girl could ask for) and I moved into a house in DC right across the street from the university. I'd like to consider 1998 the start of a new wonderful life.

Five Snacks I enjoy:In a perfect, non weight-gaining world1. apple crisp
2. anything chocolate
3. peanut butter and apples
4. peppermint cafe mocha beverages
5. Nehi Peach (it's a drink but I don't drink sodas so this would be a splurge)

In the real world:

1. peanut butter and apples
2. raw veggies (I really like veggies which is good for a vegetarian)
3. low-fat microwave popcorn4. Skinny Peppermint Mochas from Starbucks
5. Weight Watchers has this awesome chocolate smoothie mix. It's great with iced coffee.

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
I love my life so I wouldn't buy a new house or a new car....

1. Pay off my student-loans and all the members in my graduating class who are still educators.
2. Invest in Amtrak so I could still commute to work without worrying about money
3. Establish a scholarship program for Deaf & Hard of Hearing youth
4. Establish a non-profit that distributes Deaf Characters books to young people (I'm actually working on this one)
5. Give money to my family

Five jobs that I have had:

1. Monorail Train Operator- I accidentally hit a Mute Swan and they mate for life...(she didn't die but tumbled down a hill... I still feel guilty because she had babies the following week)
2. Worked with African & Asian animals in a Wild Life Preserve. My favorite animal is the sitatunga.
3. Roller Coaster Supervisor
4. Human Resources Interview/Job Coach- Welfare to Workforce program5. Edgar A Poe Museum Historic Guide (tour guide- same concept)

Three of my habits:

1. Reading
2. Blogging

3. Purposely Embarrassing Friends in public (you didn't say "good" habits)

Five places I have lived:
1. Numerous places in the Greater Richmond area, VA
2. Washington, D.C.

3. Boston, MA

4. Charlottesville VA

Add one new part:

Name your irrational phobias: Clowns, Dolls, Closets (but boy do I love horror movies... and as a reformed goth girl (do we ever reform?) I practically lived in a graveyard in my youth.

Five People I Want to Get to Know Better:

1. Josh Swiller (http://cochbla.blogspot.com/) His Otis seems like my late Aslan. Dogs rule! Pretty sarcastic guy... I embrace sarcasm.
2. Moxie Mocha (http://moxie-mocha.livejournal.com/) We're friends but I wish we could spend more time together.
3. Sarah Miller (http://sarahmillerbooks.blogspot.com/) I'm sure we'd be great friends if we lived in closer proximity.
4. James Bucky Carter (http://ensaneworld.blogspot.com/) Bucky was one of my peers from UVa and is just a super smart and creative educator. He's really encouraged me to pursue my interest in graphic novels in the classroom.
5. Matt (no available profile so I hope he sees this post).... Matt makes comments on my blog. He's super witty, maybe a bit sarcastic (love it!) and enjoys a good comic book.

Hard of Hearing Character in The Gollywhopper Games

The Gollywhopper Games by Jody Feldman, Victoria Jamieson (Illustrator)

320 pages

Reading Ages: 9-12
Publisher: Greenwillow (March 4, 2008)

Main character Gil Goodson hopes he is ready for the Gollywhopper Games which includes solving puzzles, performing stunts and answering trivia about the Golly Toy & Game Company. If he wins, his dad has promised the family can move out of Orchard Heights. Gil has been studying and he thinks he knows everything about the store's history and merchandise; yet, he has some formidable opponents, including Hard of Hearing character Thorn, who have their own special talents.

Thorn uses a high-tech hearing aid and lipreading to communicate. The book includes humor and brain-teasers.

Silent Magic: Carmel's book on Deaf Magicians

If you're interested in magic or simply want to learn about Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals who have been involved with magic, Silent Magic is the book for you.

To describe magic and magicians,
You would probably use such words as visual, patter, sound and music. But what if three of those items were gone? Poof! Vanished! Would there—could there—still be magic without “patter” and “sound” and “music?” You bet.

This book includes fifty-nine biographies of Deaf magicians in the United States from the 19th to the 21st centuries.

US $29.95 per copy + US $5.00 for postage and handling.
To purchase the book, you are welcome to email me and I will forward the ORDER FORM to you or you can contact the author:
Dr. Simon J. Carmel
SILENT MAGIC: Biographies of Deaf Magicians
9339 Bridgeport Drive
West Palm Beach, Florida 33411 SimonCarmel13@aol.com

"Dr. Simon J. Carmel’s book is not only a great historical resource, but also it illustrates many personal struggles and triumphs as well. These men and women all shared two very strong common interests: they are or were all deaf, and they all have or had a love for the art of magic. I learned much after reading each story. For instance, I never knew Okito was deaf and that was the reason he created a silent act to music. I applaud Dr. Carmel for all the inspiration and years of effort in creating this important work."
--Kevin James, Comedy Illusionist
Las Vegas, Nevada

TESOL Convention

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Finally the Secret Invasion is Here! So I ask: Is Deaf Character Echo a Skrull?

I really enjoy all of this skrull business because it reminds me of my childhood and watching classics such as Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) that was based on the Jack Finney novel (1955). So if some of y'all are going to keep getting uptight about David Mack and his art, perhaps you should consider the larger picture: pod people vs. skrulls; mass hysteria vs mass hysteria; loved ones accusing loved ones of being impostors vs. (opening scene) Wolverine saying, "I ain't a skrull, Maya". Hmmm, yep, you're right... there are no similarities!

You guessed it. The New Avengers #39 finally came out today. And if you haven't read the issue, you might want to stop reading here.

****I promise not to give way TOO MUCH in ****SPOILERS**** but I do plan to discuss the issue.***

If you were confused before... well, I hope this will confuse you some more.

Can an echo have an echo?....or better yet, Can Echo have an Echo?

I didn't see that happening but that Bendis is clever. And don't we all fight ourselves just a bit? I guess we don't usually end up with so many bandages but then again we don't live in Marvel's Universe. And WHAT? Daredevil is in this issue???? Or is he?

So in Marvel's preview, they asked: Have the Skrulls infiltrated the Avengers? Readers still won't know after this issue but we sort of know who is not a skrull....sort of, maybe?;

Is Maya Lopez the only one with proof? Well, no because someone was with her... but then again maybe that individual is a skrull;

Will she live to tell the tale? sort of;

All this and a major Avengers hook up! We didn't see that one coming.... or did we? I kind of like the connection. One deaf character... one sort of (used to be?) deaf character. Clint Barton aka Hawkeye was deaf and used to wear a hearing aid.... (but then there is something about his hearing getting restored in a later issue).

Ahh, the issue was an enigma but Mr. Mack was correct, I did enjoy it. Can't wait until next month to read: Skrulls SECRET INVASION TIE-IN!

Upcoming Events for Adolescent Literature Enthusiasts

Just because I am not blogging daily doesn't mean I'm slacking! I'm certainly reading, writing lesson plans and I'm currently preparing for a few conferences. I just finished reading Frey & Fisher's (eds) Teaching Visual Literacy: Using Comic Books, Graphic Novels, Anime, Cartoons, and More to Develop Comprehension and Thinking Skills. In the 21st Century, students must become critical readers and visual literacy is an essential part of literacy development. As teachers we must address this in our classrooms. I tried out one of the lessons in Rocco Versaci's chapter, "'Literary Literacy' and the Role of the Comic Book". The focus was the analysis of panel layouts in comic books. The lesson worked so well that I was actually disappointed that we weren't being observed. The last chapter by Paula Kluth addresses the need for visual supports for students with disabilities who are visual learners. She directly address the needs of deaf students.

Below are some upcoming events for adolescent literature enthusiasts. Not all of the conferences have presentations focused on Deaf Characters but I do try to branch out a little AND the more involved we are in these organizations, the more others realize that there is a unique genre that is often underrepresented.

March 14- 27, 2008: Pulse Blogfest. Over 110 authors have committed to this project. Each day of the blogfest will be devoted to one question submitted by a teen. For information, visit The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents: ALAN

April 2-5, 2008: Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Convention, Worlds of TESOL: Building Communities of Practice, Inquiry, Creativity held in New York City. For information, visit: http://www.tesol.org/ I'll be presenting my research on Deaf Characters in Adolescent Literature on Thursday, April 3 and then leading a discussion group on analyzing Deaf Characters on Friday, April 4.

April 17-19, 2008: "Young Adults and Their Literature: An Inquiry-Based Forum" in conjunction with the 30th Youngstown State University English Festival in Ohio. Featured speakers include Joan Bauer, Chris Crutcher, Naomi Shihab Nye, and Christopher Paul Curtis, as well as Scott Dikkers, editor and co-founder of The Onion. For information, http://www.ysuenglishfestival.org/

May 7, 2008: International Reading Association's Special Interest Group for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Readers Presentation by Myron Uhlberg For information, http://www.reading.org/

June 12-15, 2008: "ReImagining Normal," Illinois State University is hosting the 2008 Children's Literature Association Conference at the Chateau Hotel and Conference Center in Bloomington, Illinois. For information about the conference, visit http://www.english.ilstu.edu/ChLA2008/

November 7-9, 2008: YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association, the fastest-growing division of ALA) will have its first Literature Symposium on the topic "How We Read Now," in Nashville, TN. For information, http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/yalitsymposium/symposium.cfm

CODA Author, Myron Uhlberg, will Present at International Reading Association in May

Will I see you at the International Reading Association's Special Interest Group presentation by author Myron Uhlberg in May?







DAD, JACKIE, AND ME: Deaf, Black, and Hearing: What's the Connection? The Stories Behind the Story
Presenter: Myron Uhlberg
Topic: Using Literature and Providing Access to Books
Award-winning author Myron Uhlberg will discuss his latest book, DAD, JACKIE, and ME (winner of the American Library Association 2006 Schneider Family Award). Using old family photographs and archival materials, the author will show and explain the personal and historical background for his story that connects the experience of deafness, disabilities, and race in American history.

May 7, 2008 2-3:15PM

Georgia World Congress Center

For more information, visit: http://www.reading.org/

Uhlberg's books draw heavily from his experience as the first-born hearing son of deaf parents in a Jewish home in Brooklyn. Dad, Jackie And Me is based on the summer of 1947 when he and his father cheered Jackie Robinson from the bleachers at Ebbets Field. The Printer, is loosely based on his father's life and is about a deaf printer's courage and a young boy's respect for his father.

Voting for Marlee Matlin on Dancing With the Stars

This message is used with permission.
From David Tossman, Gallaudet University Office of Public Relations:

Hi, I am contacting you on behalf of Marlee Matlin, who is currently the first Deaf person to perform on Dancing with the Stars. In addition to her upcoming movie, "Sweet Nothing in My Ear," Marlee also makes time to serve on the Gallaudet Board of Trustees. We are asking and encouraging the Deaf and hard of hearing community to be part of this exciting event by voting for Marlee at the end of each show.

Here is how people can vote: Votes can be done via calling, SMS (to the phone line), text (AT&T only), or online.

So, most might choose the online voting option. Here's an explanation of the voting:http://abc.go.com/primetime/dancingwiththestars/?pn=vote

Also, Marlee updates her MySpace site relatively regularly. That might be of interest to the voting community. http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=311196733&MyToken=dc9632ec-266f-430d-8541-a8bd0bcb05bd

Sweet Nothing in my Ear on CBS scheduled for Sunday April 20th at 9/8c

Sweet Nothing in My Ear

Playwright Stephen Sachs has adapted his play Sweet Nothing In My Ear for a Hallmark Hall of Fame television movie set to air on CBS on April 20th at 9pm/ 8pmCentral.

In Sweet Nothing in My Ear, Laura, who is deaf, and Dan, who is hearing, are a young couple who have been happily married for nine years. Their son Adam was born hearing, but by age six has also become deaf. When Dan decides to pursue the possibility of a cochlear implant for his boy a divisive wedge is driven between husband and wife that threatens to shatter their marriage.