For those who don’t understand the special needs of the deaf and hard-of-hearing, this series a great read. However, we see Shoyo, an angry, selfish, and bored boy literally grow up with each page turn into a thoughtful and compassionate young man.įor those who have been bullied or who are bullied, this Eisner-nominated series is a great read. Being raised by a single mother who makes her living cutting the hair of his more wealthy classmates is rough for so many reasons. However, Shoyo is seen as a human being who has a rough life and makes mistakes. Most bullies are seen as mean people who should be disciplined and written off. Not only does she represent deaf people as if they were her own demographic, she also gives readers perspective of Shoyo the bully. Yoshitoki Oima has great insight into the minds of her characters and their points of view. As a deaf librarian, I very much identified with Shoko’s struggles in school because I also had to lip-read and endure bullying. Shoko’s deafness becomes a nuisance more than a uniqueness. We see her become isolated because her classmates are frustrated and tired of writing things down for her or repeating what the teacher said. We see her struggle to lip-read her teachers and classmates. Through Shoyo’s eyes, we see Shoko struggle to communicate and be accepted. Lather, rinse, repeat.Ī Silent Voice also gives readers a perspective and understanding of deaf and hard-of-hearing people. Draw on friends to inspire and encourage more laughs. Hone in on that trait in a “funny” and charismatic way. Take one person who doesn’t have friends or confidence and who has a unique identifying trait. Readers who were bullied or who have been bullies can easily see the tell-tale pattern of how and why it began. After all, bullying needs support in order to flourish. It shows how one person’s immature and cruel actions can create devastating results. In many ways, this series is an eye-opener. When the two meet up again, Shoyo has changed and does his best to make amends with Shoko even to the point of learning sign language. As the years drag on, Shoyo reflects on his selfish and cruel actions. Even though he was the ringleader of a whole classroom’s bullying of one girl, Shoyo becomes the lone outcast after she is transferred, and guilt settles in. After a final show-down, Shoko’s mother transfers her to another school and life goes on for Shoyo…sort of. The bullying included name-calling, theft, and physical abuse. This inspired her when she wrote A Silent Voice at the age of 19.Ī Silent Voice is told from the perspective of a 17-year-old boy named Shoyo who relentlessly bullied his deaf classmate, Shoko while they were in junior high. However, her mother is a sign language interpreter for the deaf and hard-of-hearing, so she grew up in Japan’s deaf community. Yoshitoki Oima is neither deaf or hard-of-hearing. For this month’s book review, I chose A Silent Voice written and illustrated by Yoshitoki Oima. In a nutshell, manga is a highly stylized form of comic book art from Japan. In tandem with October’s Paint the Town Purple, I decided to break out of the graphic novel routine and try out manga, which can be considered a form of graphic novels.
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