Insightful and Introspective, Yet Terribly Judgmental

Rating: 6.5/10

Sue Thomas’ memoir Silent Night has healthy doses of insight and introspection, as well as a few too many scoops of judgment. In her memoir, the author discusses some of the struggles that she experienced during her childhood and early adult life. This honest storytelling journey really allows readers to understand her trauma. Readers might be able to connect to her experiences and find solace in building comradeship with Thomas, but this happy conclusion seems unlikely given where Thomas’ narrative wanders off to as the book progresses. I feel it is my responsibility as a reviewer to warn readers of the dangers that can result from reading this memoir, and I feel that I must also take a clear stand on the issues addressed in the text. Although Thomas admits that she has experienced trauma such as sexual abuse, and she tells readers that she has had amorous relationships with people of the same gender, she twists these events so that they appear to be examples of her own wrongdoings. She tells us that she suffered sexual abuse at the hands of a male relative during her childhood, and she states that this led to her becoming involved in homosexual relationships. Thomas’ deeply religious background and strong religious convictions--her beliefs guide her decisions so strongly that she attempts to join a convent--cause her to continuously tell readers about how “wrong” homosexuality is. I understand that homosexuality does not feel like the right choice for her, and it makes sense that she might have sought out homosexual relationships as a reaction to the abuse she experienced rather than because of a natural choice/feeling, but it is immoral and judgmental for her to be constantly denigrating homosexual people throughout her book and attempting to teach her readers that homosexuality is sinful or unnatural. Readers who are in a fragile state of mind, or who are confused, lost, or have been taught misguided ideas about sexual abuse or homosexuality could read Thomas’ memoir and become convinced that sexual abuse victims are to blame for the actions of their abusers or that homosexuality is a disease or a sin that is unnatural and unacceptable. **These ideas are terribly erroneous and should be eradicated from the public perception. I do not condone--in any way --Thomas’ messages regarding homosexuality or sexual abuse, and I sincerely hope that anyone who has experienced abuse or who is searching for their sexual identity will seek out more positive resources that can truly help them understand their situation.**

After mentally putting aside the passages that discuss sexual abuse and homosexuality, I was able to consider the other attributes of this book. The book is certainly an interesting but odd little memoir; the front cover advertises Thomas' life story as focusing on, or at least strongly leading up to, her experiences as a deaf F.B.I agent. And yet the majority of the book describes her early childhood, and the chapters about her adult life are surprisingly brief and anticlimactic. The text has a remarkably easy language level and the font is larger than average, but on a positive note, this makes the book a quick and easy read (the book is also a quick read because the story itself is interesting). Silent Night did have some very moving moments; it gave a great glimpse into the world of d/Deaf people (and I say glimpse because no single personal story fully encapsulates that experience/life journey). It put deafness into a personal perspective, which is important because we are often told to categorize others based on broad and often inaccurately simple labels. It is important to see how the focused picture fits into the larger image. For readers who do not have much prior knowledge about the lifestyles, struggles, and beautiful journeys of d/Deaf people, this book can be a great starter text. If you truly want to learn more about Deaf culture or hearing loss, I would suggest that you seek out a wide variety of texts. Reading diverse texts about the unique and similar experiences of d/Deaf people will allow you to see how their stories weave together to create a broader, yet personal and intricate, narrative.

#SilentNight #SueThomas #BookReview