Articulate

A Deaf Memoir of Voice

De: Rachel Kolb

Narrado por: Anna Caputo, Rachel Renee Kolb

A deaf writer’s exploration of language, communication, and what it means to be articulate—and her journey to reclaim her voice

Rachel Kolb was born profoundly deaf the same year that the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed, and she grew up as part of the first generation of deaf people with legal rights to accessibility services. Still, from a young age, she contorted herself to expectations set by a world that prioritizes hearing people. So even while she found clarity and meaning in American Sign Language (ASL) and written literature, she learned to speak through speech therapy and to piece together missing sounds through lipreading and an eventual cochlear implant.

Now, in Articulate, Kolb blends personal narrative with commentary to explore the different layers of deafness, language, and voice. She tells the story of how, over time, she came to realize that clear or articulate self-expression isn’t just a static pinnacle to reach, a set of words to pronounce correctly, but rather a living and breathing process that happens between individual human beings. In chronicling her own voice and the many ways she’s come to understand it, Kolb illuminates the stakes and complexities of finding mutual and reciprocal forms of communication.

Part memoir, part cultural exploration, Articulate details a life lived among words in varied sensory forms and considers why and how those words matter. Told through rich storytelling, analysis, and humor, this is a linguistic coming-of-age in both Deaf and hearing worlds, challenging us to consider how language expresses our humanity—and offering more ways we might exist together.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2025 Rachel Renee Kolb (P)2025 HarperCollins Publishers

Deaf experience brilliantly and beautifully shared!

This book does an incredible job of helping the reader better understand the Deaf experience, including a nice amount of Deaf culture and history. I am late deafened w a cochlear implant, along with a few semesters of ASL and although my story is very different i could relate to many aspects of Rachel’s experience. She helped me better understand the experiences of my D/deaf friends who were raised oral. She helped me grapple with important questions around disability. She fueled my desire to become a better signer. Thank you Rachel for this rich and provocative work!!

Awesome! A must read!

Thank you Dr. Rachel Kolb for sharing your experience through life!

Once I started I could not stop. I appreciated your insightfulness and your memoir has given me much to pounder about.

This is a must read book!

Muchas gracias for your sojourn and the importance of sharing it with us!