Signs, Songs, Silences and Secrets

This is the story of a young woman and her best friend as they attempt to establish lives as independent adults in the 21st century. Both have been extremely close and loving with their parents. Aubrey Priette and Sasha Perez are CODAs (hearing children of deaf adults). It is not only the interpreting needs of their parents, but the love, care and support the daughters have been given, which determine this closeness. In addition they come from homes where English and American Sign Language (ASL) are not the only languages. In Aubrey's case, her Dad is French-Canadian. Sasha's Dad is Hispanic. Being bi or tri-lingual offered both young women choices of college majors and career tracks. However, the varied languages are only a backdrop to the life-events, harrowing experiences, adventures and romances that the two mid-twenty-somethings experience in their lives. Both have hopes of finding 'soul-mates' or at least romances, whether in the U.S. or in Europe during their internships. Despite being stellar students, their academic years have been fraught with bullying, terror threats and romantic disappointments. Though their internships prove to be exciting educational experiences, they are not without problems. After a series of mis-steps in their romances, they each find a very special person in unlikely ways. Throughout the story, the love of both women for interpreting, not only for their parents but for anyone needing sign language, is evident. The warm and loving relationships between these parents with hearing losses and their hearing children as well as the humor that is an important part of their lives is emphasized. Due to circumstances (terrorist activities and a kidnapping) in Paris at the end of her senior year, Aubrey's published romantic novella based loosely on the love story of her Great-Great Grandmother and Great-Great Grandfather becomes important. Though her novella, initially a project for a college English assignment, had enjoyed some earlier success in both the hearing and deaf worlds, it becomes even more important on a personal level. This story 'set within the story' takes place on Martha's Vineyard in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It relates the harmonious relations between the hearing and the deaf on the Island. The sign language known by the deaf and many of the hearing on Martha's Vineyard enabled most residents to communicate easily with each. Some have reported that since so many hearing individuals signed, it was often difficult to know who was hearing and who was deaf. Unfortunately, with more and more development of the Island and the influx of newcomers and the departure of young deaf and hearing Islanders for work on the Mainland, Martha's Vineyard Sign Language was lost. However, many believed a great deal of it was incorporated into American Sign Language.