The Deaf Republic—A Review

The power of its images, the lyrical storytelling, and the illustrations rendered in sign language make The Deaf Republic a reading experience that moves the heart. The story unfolds in an indefinite time and an imaginary place—the city of Vasenka, a crucible where two seemingly distant worlds collide: the former Soviet Union and the United States. An occupying army suddenly takes hold of the city, convinced it has the right to possess the lives of its inhabitants. Plunged into a collective deafness, the population struggles to survive brutality and violence, inventing a new language in the process—the language of signs. In this book, Kaminsky (deaf until age sixteen, born in Ukraine and who emigrated to the US as a teenager) weaves together the contradictions and anxieties of both worlds. A contemporary epic in which deafness is reimagined as a gift. It captures a minority's new way of being together—a people who radiate vital energy against all odds.