The Language of Light

“Thought-provoking . . . a highly recommended and important work that provides a convincing argument advocating change in society’s attitudes toward the Deaf.” —Theresa Muraski, Library Journal

“An eloquent and engaging history.”—Jerome Groopman, New York Review of Books

“In conveying the unique cadence of this silent music [of sign language] — its intricate grammatical structure, its power to express an infinite array of ideas — Shea underscores the tragedy of its suppression. . . .  Not only is ‘The Language of Light’ a thorough history of deaf language and education, it is a keen look at the ways people’s worlds can be circumscribed by powerful others who think they know best. In Shea’s telling, we come to see forced oralism as the figurative foot-binding it really is.”—Elizabeth Svoboda, Undark

Runner- up in the 2018 New England Book Festival, nonfiction category

“A gracefully written, tightly reasoned indictment of those who would deprive the Deaf of their language.”—Harlan Lane, author of When the Mind Hears: A History of the Deaf

“Shea’s scholarship is excellent, and his sourcing of the book and the new material he found in his research is outstanding. It has much to offer, both in its exploration of known history and in its development of new material. It reads well and easily, not a small achievement.”—Tom Humphries, author of Deaf in America and Inside Deaf Culture

“An invaluable social, intellectual and scientific history of the Deaf, and the emerging recognition of the linguistic nature of signed languages. Essential reading for anyone interested in understanding the troubled past of these issues and the history of the family of signed languages that includes ASL.”—Stephen R. Anderson, Yale University