The author lost her hearing due to an antibiotic her mother was given while pregnant. Young Terry ends up with huge, boxy hearing aids and coke bottle glasses and thinks to herself "The next part of my life is gonna suck. I bet I can milk it for every tear it's worth." That is what I love about this author. She has selfish, petty thoughts and the guts to reveal them. She also has a loving family who love to recount stories about their relatives and she portrays them with a lot of affection. We learn how Terry finally comes to realize she has just as many prejudices and fears about the disabled or differently abled as a fully abled person would. And on top of all her physical issues, she also has to deal with coming out as a lesbian. This was back in the 70s which was hardly as accepting times can be now - if you are lucky to live in a faily enlightened place.
After a guidance counsellor give her a note which says, typos and all, "Factory work make good job for deaf," she ends up in alternative theatre and becomes a successful actor. And yet she still struggles with resentment of her situation and questions her life finally coming to accept "...mine was a happy life, when I could stand it."
What a delight to read about someone else's fears and failures, their daily struggles to make sense of it all, to see how much better or worse or both someone else has it in this crazy reality show we call life. That is why I love autobiographies but too many of them are almost like publicity blurbs, the overwhelming honesty in this one just blew me away. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Copy Source: Library
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