In This Sign

Author: Greenberg, Joanne

Sign languages, Braille & other linguistic communication

Published on 12 September 2024 by Penguin Books Ltd (Penguin Classics) in the United Kingdom as part of 'the Penguin Modern Classics' series.

Paperback / softback | 304 pages
130 x 198 x 21 | 228g

The bestselling classic about three generations of a deaf family in modern America, by the author of I Never Promised You a Rose Garden ‘A miracle of empathy, a tour de force’ The New York TimesTwo young deaf people, Abel and Janice, elope from their punitive school in the 1920s and begin married life with high hopes. But navigating ‘Outside’, the world of the hearing, is harder than they anticipated. After a misunderstanding about a car payment kickstarts years of debt for the couple, we follow them through the birth of their daughter Margaret, through grinding work, quiet tragedies and humble triumphs over the decades, as the rich language of Sign – and their powerful love for each other – enable them to survive. Inspired by the author’s work with the deaf community, In This Sign is a rare, compassionate portrait of the lives of deaf people, and a moving family saga.

With an Introduction by Sara Novic and a new Afterword by the author