Breaking the Silence

By: Joanne Milne

Narrated by: Colleen Prendergast

Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

Jo Milne was profoundly deaf from birth, when she also began to lose her sight. Just before turning thirty, Jo was diagnosed with Usher syndrome, a rare genetic and progressive condition that will one day rob her of her sight altogether.

In 2014 she made a life-changing decision to undergo major surgery. She had cochlear implants fitted, allowing her to hear for the first time. Every moment of Jo's days since the operation has become a journey of discovery.

©2015 Jo Milne (P)2015 W F Howes Ltd

Inspiraring

Excellent story and easy to follow. I felt like I was right there with her.

A look at deafness, blindness, sight and sound

I enjoyed this book immensely. I've read Rebecca Alexander's "Not Fade Away", and both she and Joanne Milne are living with Usher Syndrome, and both chose to receive cochlear implants. This book is unique in that Joanne Milne has spent her entire remembered life deaf. Her supportive family, her life experiences, are both similar and yet different from mine as a blind person.
The narrator was terrific! I will definitely pick up more of her performances.

I hesitate to write this, but as a blind woman, I felt particularly troubled by Joanne's perceptions of the capabilities of a blind person. And yet, I have friends who are blind who are losing their hearing and express similar sentiments. This is above all a personal book, so I won't begrudge her experiences, but for those reading this, blindness isn't the end of the world, just as Joanne deftly expressed in this book that deafness is not.