Book Review

Listen with the Heart: Relationships and Hearing Loss
by Michael A. Harvey; Dawn Sign Press (June 2001); 256 pages; Paperback

      Hearing loss can pervade into nearly every aspect of life whether it is educational, vocational, emotional, or social. Listen with the Heart focuses on the emotional and social aspects with emphasis on relationships. It is one thing to understand that hearing loss can cause communication breakdowns, but it is another to understand how a hearing loss can cause a child to feel a loss of control, how a parent can blame themselves for their child's disability, or how a spouse can over- or under-advocate for their significant other.

      This book was recommended to me by a friend who was raised in the United States by parents who moved from Korea. He indicated to me that his parents blame themselves for the cause of his early-onset hearing loss, and as a result, he feels that his parents do not truly appreciate the impact of hearing loss in his life. As a result of reading this book, I have an improved sense of self and empathy for others, I understand how my hearing loss can affect others, and most importantly, I am reminded that we can listen in many more ways than just through vision and hearing.

      Whether you are an individual with a hearing loss, a parent of a child with a hearing loss, or a spouse of an individual with a hearing loss, this book can help you to heal and grow by using ten true stories understand the other side of hearing loss. Dr. Harvey (clinical psychologist) uses wisdom, humor, and care to demonstrate the process with which to "listen" with the heart.

Reviewed by Samuel R. Atcherson, M.Ed.

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