Ann clare lezotte biography of christopher

Praise For…

Distinctions and Praise for Show Me a Sign:

Schneider Family Book Award Winner

Jane Addams Children's Book Award Finalist

New England Book Award Finalist

NPR Best Books of 2020

New York Public Library Best Books of 2020

Chicago Public Library Best Boooks of 2020

Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2020

School Library Journal Best Books of 2020

American Indians in Children's Literature Best Books of 2020

University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education Best Books for Young Readers

Capital Choices Best Books List

CCBC Choices Best of the Year List

Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award Reading List

"LeZotte's novel is more than just a page-turner. Well researched and spare, it's a sensitive portrayal of a young girl's fight for respect and human dignity... Like Laurie Halse Anderson's "Seeds of America" trilogy, this work of historical fiction offers a fresh perspective on the post-Revolutionary War years by exploring issues that are just as relevant today. Middle-grade readers of every age will find a girl to root for who is asking all the right questions as she grows." -- Newbery Medalist, Meg Medina for the New York Times

* "LeZotte weaves threads of adventure, family tragedy, community, racism, and hearing people's negative assumptions about Deaf people into a beautiful and complex whole. Mary overcomes her own ordeal with the support of her community, but in the process she discovers that there is no silver bullet for the problems and prejudices of the world. There is no hollow inspirational content to be found in this tale... LeZotte acknowledges the racial tensions among the English, black, Irish, and Wampanoag residents of Martha's Vineyard, creating a dynamic that Mary interacts within but cannot fix... A vivid depiction of Deaf community along with an exciting plot and beautiful prose make this a must-read." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "Everything abo

Written by Ann Clare LeZotte
Review by B. J. Sedlock

The title refers to the Nazi plan, hatched at Tiergartenstrasse 4 in Berlin, to eliminate the disabled in the name of racial purity. While it was officially cancelled in 1941 in reaction to public unrest and church protest, the killings went on in a less centralized form in individual hospitals and institutions. LeZotte casts Paula Becker, 13 and deaf from a childhood illness, as her protagonist, who lives a relatively normal life in Germany with her family in the late 1930s. Then a priest comes to tell the Beckers that because of Aktion T4, the government may seize Paula and put her in an institution. He arranges to hide her with a retired teacher, but when the Nazis become suspicious, Paula is forced to move on to a church-run homeless shelter. An attempt to escape from the constant fear leads her to a forest hut inhabited by a Jewish family in hiding. Paula endangers everyone by returning to the shelter to try to persuade the priests to take the Jews in, as well.

I usually don’t care for novels in free verse, but this one grabbed me early on because I wasn’t very familiar with this lesser-known aspect of the Holocaust. LeZotte is deaf herself, which gives Paula’s condition a real ring of truth. That outweighs a couple of small negatives: the lean text prevents extensive character development, and one part of the denouement is rather pat. An author’s note provides references for further reading, and explains that the characters were inspired by real-life people. The large amount of white space on the pages and Paula’s compelling story should tempt reluctant readers, while the subject matter would make T4 an excellent discussion starter for a school unit on the Holocaust or disability studies.

In her debut novel, Show Me a Sign, Ann Clare LeZotte, who has been Deaf since childhood, introduced 11-year-old Mary Lambert who, like her father and many of his ancestors, has been deaf from birth. The historical novel (winner of the 2021 Schneider Family Book Award) takes place on Martha’s Vineyard, an island off the coast of Massachusetts. The year is 1805, a time when deaf and hearing Islanders used a common sign language to communicate. Mary has no idea that deaf people anywhere are treated as anything but equal by society until, through an act of brutality disguised as scholarship, Mary is taken to Boston where she’s treated as a medical subject. Set three years later, LeZotte’s companion novel, Set Me Free, brings Mary to a remote manor house, where she is tasked with teaching a younger deaf girl with no prior language how to communicate. PW spoke with LeZotte via email about the inspiration behind her novels, her research into Martha’s Vineyard life in the early 19th century, and how her work as a librarian in Florida has impacted her writing.

How did you first learn of the historic, expansive deaf community on Martha’s Vineyard, and what was it about the Islanders that compelled you to write Show Me a Sign and Set Me Free?

I grew up in Long Island, N.Y. I was a beachcomber from a young age. After I received my B.A., I moved back home and worked at the local library. I have itchy feet. When a college friend invited me to come live with her on Cape Cod, I packed up my car and arrived on her doorstep. My first visit to the Vineyard was in the winter. It was a cab driver from the airport who told me about the island&rsq