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True Biz

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True Biz

By: Sara Novic
Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith, Lisa Flanagan
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About this listen

A transporting novel that follows a year of seismic romantic, political and familial shifts for a teacher and her students at a boarding school for the deaf, from the acclaimed author of Girl at War.

One of the most anticipated books of 2022—Oprah Daily, The Millions, Lit Hub, BookPage

True biz (adj./exclamation; American Sign Language): really, seriously, definitely, real-talk

True biz? The students at the River Valley School for the Deaf just want to hook up, pass their history finals and have politicians, doctors and their parents stop telling them what to do with their bodies. This revelatory novel plunges listeners into the halls of a residential school for the deaf, where they'll meet Charlie, a rebellious transfer student who's never met another deaf person before, Austin, the school's golden boy, whose world is rocked when his baby sister is born hearing and February, the headmistress, who is fighting to keep her school open and her marriage intact, but might not be able to do both. As a series of crises both personal and political threaten to unravel each of them, Charlie, Austin and February find their lives inextricable from one another—and changed forever.

This is a story of sign language and lip-reading, disability and civil rights, isolation and injustice, first love and loss and, above all, great persistence, daring and joy. Absorbing and assured, idiosyncratic and relatable, this is an unforgettable journey into the Deaf community and a universal celebration of human connection.

©2022 Sara Novic (P)2022 Hachette Audio UK
Coming of Age Disability Awareness Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literature & Fiction Student Business

Critic Reviews

"Part tender coming-of-age story, part electrifying tale of political awakening, part heartfelt love letter to Deaf culture, True Biz is a wholly a wonder." (Celeste Ng)

All stars
Most relevant  
The depth of meaning and range of perspectives this author wrote about involving the deaf community and the hearing population shed new light on relationships, family struggles and hardships. Told with empathy and in the language of the people experiencing this different world.

Unique perspectives and voices of a world I knew nothing about

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This is a great, fast paced read with a slightly unexpected ending. Looking forward to discussing the book at book club

Recommended read

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I really liked this inside look, into the experience of deaf children ,the dilemmas and controversy around the cochlear implant. The horror and cruelty of deaf kids being left with no language at all when forced to try to conform to the hearing world and depend on poorly functioning devices that create sound but not language I loved how this was blended with deaf history and culture and I really loved the main character Charlie and the challenges confronting her as she navigates adolescence .

An insight into the deaf world.

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this novel is perfectly paced, interesting, realistic in the best way, highly recommend !

100% recommend

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A light easy read on teen romance that highlights tough unspoken issues in the deaf community.

A peek into the deaf community

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.