Deaf physician releases new novel about deaf community

From the press release about the novel, Four Days in Michigan:

“An elegant, beautifully written novel about love and turmoil, set in the twin worlds of the hearing and the deaf, amidst a world at war. You don’t want to miss this wonderful book.” Kit Sloan, Margot O’Banion/Max Skull mystery series.

On her deathbed, Sandra Winter calls her only son back home to tell him a secret, a secret she kept even from her now deceased husband. It involves events that took place long ago, in an America emerging from the Depression as it entered World War II. And learning about those special happenings results in her son deciding to take a bold step, one that could change his family's life forever. The question is whether his efforts will be too little too late.

The telling of the secret by itself would be a remarkable tale. What makes the story one-of-a-kind is that Sandra is Deaf. The Deaf community, even more isolated from hearing society back in the 1940s, has its own culture, language and customs (such as capitalizing the “d” in the word Deaf). The novel conveys the richness of Deaf culture, weaving everyday Deaf experiences into the plot, revealing unique ideas most hearing persons have no concept of, thus creating situations that would never occur in an ordinary tale.

Even today, every Deaf person struggles every day with hearing society. The novel provides an inside look at this skirmish, and without passing judgment on who is right in the daily conflicts, gives an inside glimpse into a different world. The end result? A story for the ages.

Author bio:

Philip Zazove, born and raised in Chicago, was the first deaf person mainstreamed in public schools in the Chicago northern suburban area. He subsequently graduated from Northwestern University and received his M.D. from Washington University. This made him one of the country’s first deaf physicians. After marrying a medical school classmate, Philip completed a family practice residency at the University of Utah hospitals then hung out his shingle. He remained in private practice in Salt Lake County for eight years before accepting a faculty position at the University of Michigan Medical School.

Philip has been involved in multiple activities since moving to Michigan. He sees patients at the University, conducts research on health care for people with hearing loss, is a member of multiple non-profit boards, and often speaks at meetings. His first book, “When the Phone Rings, My Bed Shakes,” received favorable reviews, coast-to-coast media attention, overseas printings, and kudos from around the world.