TRUE BIZ by Sara Novic • Have you read this one? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ This was such a fascinating, well-written read! Over the course of a year, it follows three main characters at a school for the deaf: February, the headmistress, and two students, Austin and Charlie. These characters were so fully realized and so alive on the page. I knew very little about Deaf culture and the Deaf community, and I learned a lot while reading this book. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Reading about the way that deaf kids have been neglected, abused, and mistreated was so horrible. Charlie, in particular, is just trying to find a community where she belongs, a place where she can be herself. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ There are little lessons throughout the book, which are February’s lessons for her students. They contain so many interesting bits of history that I’d never heard before and I found them very educational. Also, at one point, Charlie realizes that there’s as much racism within the Deaf community as there is outside it, and I appreciated that being acknowledged. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ From the beginning, I could tell that the author has a lot of care and tenderness for the Deaf community, which comes across in her writing. This book made me think a lot about having access to language and how difficult life is when that access is taken away. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ This book really captivated me as I followed along with these characters and saw them trying to navigate various changes in their lives. I wish I could know what happens to them beyond where the book ends! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ [ID: Nnenna sits in front of a bookshelf filled with books and holds a copy of TRUE BIZ.] . . . . . . . #TrueBiz #bookreview #literaryleague #literarylife #bookshelves #bookgirl #meandmybooks #styleithappy #bookishpost #whattoread #fictionreads #litfic #2022books #recentreads #girlandherbooks #scsreadsreviews #literaryfiction #girlswhoread