Kirjahaku

Edna Edith Sayers has written the definitive biography of T. H. Gallaudet (1787–1851), celebrated today as the founder of deaf education in America. Sayers traces Gallaudet’s work in the fields of deaf education, free common schools, literacy, teacher education and certification, and children’s books, while also examining his role in reactionary causes intended to uphold a white, Protestant nation thought to have existed in New England’s golden past. Gallaudet’s youthful social and political entanglements included involvement with Connecticut’s conservative, state-established Congregational Church, the Federalist Party, and the Counter-Enlightenment ideals of Yale (where he was a student). He later embraced anti-immigrant, anti-abolition, and anti-Catholic efforts, and supported the expatriation of free African-Americans to settlements on Africa’s west coast. As much a history of the paternalistic, bigoted, and class-conscious roots of a reform movement as a story of one man’s life, this landmark work will surprise and enlighten both the hearing and Deaf worlds.

More than thirty years after the groundbreaking publication of "Angels and Outcasts: An Anthology of Deaf Characters in Literature", Edna Edith Sayers re-envisions the anthology for the twenty-first century. In "Outcasts and Angels: The New Anthology of Deaf Characters in Literature", Sayers shows us the work of eminent and underrepresented deaf and hearing writers to encourage readers to come to terms with ingrained perceptions and biases towards the deaf. Sayers introduces three lesser known deaf writers: Charlotte Elizabeth (1790-1846), Howard Tracy Hofsteater (1909-64), and Douglas Bullard (1937-2005), but also includes luminaries such as Daniel Defoe, Flannery O'Connor, and Julian Barnes. Finally, Sayers features a global cast, including South African writer Nadine Gordimer, Danish writer Karen von Blixen-Finecke (writing as Isak Dinesen), and Lithuanian writer Juozas Grusas. "Outcasts and Angels" is sure to take its place with "Angels and Outcasts" as an insightful and important contribution to the field.

"Mrs. Sigourney in Hartford" brings together the poems and prose of Lydia Huntley Sigourney (1791 - 1865) inspired by her deep dedication to those neglected by the traditional educational system, especially people who are deaf. Sigourney played a key role in the fledgling American deaf community, influencing Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet in his formation of the first American school for the deaf. The writings collected here are a testament to Sigourney's foresight and will reinstate her importance in the history of the deaf community.