Marlee Matlin

biography (deaf actress dealing with abusive relationship, marijuana and cocaine addiction, depression in the 1980s, then recovery at the Betty Ford clinic and other life events)
I read about half of this (to page 126), but wasn't learning that much about Deaf culture or even addiction--it is really more of a Hollywood bio, with lots of name-dropping and descriptions of movie set scenes, etc. Which is fine, but not really something I would benefit from learning more about.

There is some swearing, which I probably wouldn't have given a thought to except that another library user had "helpfully" censored those parts with a pen.… (meer)

This was, to say the least, an interesting read. It was written in a different style than other memoirs I've read. People sometimes say, they write the way they speak. Well, Marlee Matlin does just this. A lot of her speech is short, to the point. Sometimes I would say not as descriptive as someone else might have written it, and this may have to do with her being deaf. I learned through a little outside research, that there is Signed English, which is an almost word for word, more precise form of sign, that's designed to teach rules of syntax and grammar, and then there's of course ASL, which is more of shorthand version, it conveys the general idea being discussed. Marlee, for the most part, uses ASL in her signing, and it comes across in her writing. Many of the sentences are short and to the point, the general idea is there, without all the fluff of extra words.
One thing I felt was somewhat confusing were the transitions into some of the other topics. I could see the general idea of them, but I thought they could have been handled somewhat better, because a lot of the time I found myself thinking, "Now how did those two fit together," and having to go back and rearead a little.
… (meer)

I normally shy away from celebrity memoirs, but when I saw Marlee Matlin's autobiography at an used bookstore, I picked it up. After all, she is Deaf like myself. Published in 2009, and written with Betsy Sharkey, this covers Marlee's life up to the Dancing With the Stars era -- since then, she has done more work including "Switched at Birth". As a funny aside, ever since she became famous by becoming the first Deaf actor to win an Academy Award, I've had hearing people tell me that I look like and/or remind them of Marlee Matlin. I think we look nothing alike, although we are nearly the same age (she is about two months older than I am). Deaf people have never ever told me this. I suspect, to some hearing people, all Deaf people are alike and that is why these comments happen.

Matlin does a lot of dishing on celebrities she has met or knows -- Henry Winkler and his wife are good friends and mentors, and let her stay at their pool house when she was first starting out in LA; she had a tempestuous relationship with William Hurt (her co-star in "Children of a Lesser God"); she lived with David Kelley for a while (he is now married to Michelle Pfieffer); and so on. Those type of disclosures are to be expected from a celebrity memoir.

Matlin occasionally touches upon the challenges of being Deaf and on how the Deaf world perceives her. I could relate to those moments more (obviously) than the celebrity angle of this memoir. While I was disappointed that she didn't go as deeply in Deaf issues whenever she did bring them up, I kind of think the reason for this is that she really wants to be seen as a person, and actress, first and foremost, and that she just happens to be Deaf. I can understand that -- also, she has her feet in both the Deaf and hearing worlds, as I do.

As Marlee Matlin states:

"Whether it was the Deaf or the hearing community, I've always fought against anyone defining me, stereotyping me, limiting me because of my deafness. At the same time, I've tried to be a strong advocate for Deaf issues -- working endlessly for close-captioning and educational opportunities for Deaf Children.
But I decided early on that I had to live my life the best way I knew how. I had strong opinions and a way of living in both the Deaf and hearing worlds that made some Deaf activists angry. But I was raised that way, and I wasn't then, or ever, going to apologize for that" (p. 90-91).… (meer)

Deaf Child Crossing is a book about a girl who is deaf that moves to a new town and becomes best friends with another girl. This book deals with the struggles of both sides of being someone who is deaf and trying to explain that she doesn't always need help from her friend and being the person who can hear learning how to be a good friend. This wasn't the best book I've read but I would recommend it to others. It was boring at times but I think younger people might enjoy it especially if you are dealing with being deaf or knowing someone who is deaf.… (meer)