Prologue, Chapter 1 Summary and Analysis

Prologue: The author is Lou Ann Walker. Walker's parents are deaf, and she is not. This has impacted her life in a profound manner. She has felt like an outsider. She has also had to grow up quickly, having to act as her parents' translator and go-between in everything from finances to dealing with car mechanics and doctors.

Walker's parents were initially very reluctant to have her write this book. They are very private. However, they saw the potential for the book to do some good for others, and so they slowly came around to the idea of having intimate details of their lives published.

Writing the book has been a process of discovery for Walker, and sometimes it has become very emotional as she realizes what her parents had to go through as deaf people. Walker describes her...