Sail Me Away Home

By: Ann Clare LeZotte

Narrated by: Nora Hunter

As a young teacher on Martha’s Vineyard, Mary Lambert feels restless and adrift. So when a league of missionaries invite her to travel abroad, she knows it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. Paris is home to a pioneering deaf school where she could meet its visionary instructors Jean Massieu and Laurent Clerc—and even bring back their methods to help advance formal deaf education in America!

But the endeavor comes at a cost: The missionaries’ plan to “save” deaf children is questionable at best—and requires Mary’s support. What’s more, the missionaries’ work threatens the Wampanoag and other native peoples’ freedom and safety. Is pursuing Mary’s own goals worth the price of betraying her friends and her own values?

So begins a feverish and fraught adventure, filled with cunning characters, chance encounters, and new friendships. Together with Show Me a Sign and Set Me Free, this stunning story will enrich your understanding of Deaf history and culture, and forever alter your perspective on ability and disability.

©2023 Ann Clare LeZotte (P)2023 Scholastic Inc

Critic reviews

"Nora Hunter gives voice to the thoughts and signs of Mary, a young, deaf teacher. Hunter's prim and proper tone matches the period language and enhances the early postcolonial setting of this audiobook.... Hunter expresses Mary's frustration with their methods and slights in a pragmatic, rather than angry, tone. The book is an engrossing introduction to sign language history, particularly the now-lost Martha's Vineyard Sign Language. Deaf culture is presented respectfully, and Mary is a capable protagonist. A timeline and notes follow this stand-alone novel." (AudioFile)