This book club choice was much more wide ranging than I expected and very interesting. I wish I had read the section on hearing aids when I was trying to get my Mom to try hearings aids and she complained that they were way too expensive. As usual, she was completely right! This was a really comprehensive look at the causes of hearing loss and wide variety of ways it is "treated" and so many other angles on hearing loss that I had only marginally considered. It was also well-written and engaging and had a nice balance of personal stories and research. I learned alot and enjoyed learning it!

Yes, once in a while I do read non-fiction. In this case, it's all about hearing. The causes of hearing loss, some helps for hearing loss, the ways people cope, the medical research, and so forth. All things hearing. It's a fairly extensive coverage of the topic of hearing.

The one big problem, I think is that there are no damn pictures! So we get extensive attempts to tell us in words about the physiological structures that enable us to hear, and the ways people try to mitigate hearing loss, both by gadgets, like hearing aids (what I'm doing), and by surgical means, like cochlear implants.

Well, ya know? A couple of pictures would really, really have helped me better to envision what's going on. Yes, I can Google it all, but why read the book then? I'm a bit disappointed in it all. Hence, I took a half * off the score because of the lack of pictures.
( )

I dipped in and out of this book. I found a lot of information that was helpful to understanding hearing loss I learned a lot about genetic vs acquired hearing loss, the new technology that exists, the research that may lead to more solutions and the business models that keep hearing aids expensive. The book was mostly narrative, but included a laymen's explanation of the science as well. ( )

A very good overview of the history, science, and treatment of hearing-related issues. The focus isn’t as narrow as the title suggests – it includes a fascinating amount of information about Deaf culture, including the American Sign Language / assistive devices debate, and it dishes the dirt on the hearing aid industry as well. This is a must read for anyone considering treatment options for hearing loss and for those looking to protect the hearing they already have. ( )

This was a terrific book. I'm not sure how interesting it would be to a fully hearing person, but it was amazing to me as a hearing-impaired individual. Because it was recently published, it contained very relevant information for me.

Not all of what I read was making me very happy, though. In fact, I was fuming after I read the way that the hearing aid industry is ripping off people for the costs of hearing aids. I learned a lot more about alternatives to hearing aids, a product that my husband had been pushing me to try. Now those less expensive, self-programmable alternatives don't seem quite as strange. In fact, there is one product I'd really like to try. Maybe one day I'll have the chance.

I liked learning about the difference in the way hearing aids and cochlear implants work. Since I know personally about hearing aids, I think now I more fully understand what the sensation of a cochlear implant must be like. The experience sounds (no pun intended) quite different.

I was happily encouraged by the section about hearing research. I think I more fully understand what my hearing loss is really about (loss of connection to the auditory nerve rather than loss of hair cells). I was also intrigued by the discovery that loud noises which seem temporarily resolved after the fact then later in life can be the cause of hearing decline. I'm sorry that I was of the generation who paid no attention to hearing protection so now I'm suffering because of it. I liked the very last chapter about hearing protection and am glad to report that my grandchildren know exactly when it's time to don those sound-decreasing ear muffs.

This book was comprehensive, easy-to-read, and very informative. I recommend it mostly to those who are either hearing impaired or who interact with others who are hearing impaired. ( )