This is another helpful book for us confused people looking into deafness education.

An Intellectual Look At American Sign Language encompasses contributions from some of America's top researchers, educators, and commentators on sign language communication, aptly edited into a single volume by Tom Bertling. In addition to American Sign Language, the contributors discuss deaf education, the importance of English reading and writing skills, deaf culture, ethical questions, Cochlear Implants, residential schools for the deaf, and the future of education and life for deaf children. Critically important reading for educators, administrators, parents, and others working with the deaf, An Intellectual Look At American Sign Language is an informative, thoughtful, challenging, and rewarding venture into the essence of deaf language and cultural issues framed with critical thinking and skepticism toward the ASL-based approach to learning for the deaf.

When I bought this book, I was hoping to read about new arguments but all I found were old articles written by a very small group of these narrow-minded people who were so anti-ASL without any sound research backing up their allegations. Buying this book is a waste of money when one can easily find these articles on internet. This book is published by a very small publisher, probably at the writer's expense. Spend your money on a good book, not this one.

Being a DODA ASL instructor fluent in various other methods of communication (TC, SEE2, PSE, Oralism), I have found Bertling's publication a refreshing look into the other side of the entire ASL debate that encompasses the Deaf community as a whole. Expertise from Parsons, Stewart, and others shed light upon the dark corners of ASL that many are rarely exposed to. Topics regarding the failure of Deaf education, Bilingual-Bicultural, immoral intimidation tactics, Harlan Lane's Mask of Benevolence, and other pressing points are mentioned.

The reader also can take comfort in the fact that many of the contributing authors are Deaf themselves. They are not only speaking from the viewpoint of empirical research, but also from their own personal experiences. Personal accounts that go against the traditional ASL mindset are also given, serving as a reminder that no political faction in the Deaf world has the right answer to the education of each and every Deaf child.

With that in mind, Bertling's book is a very highly reccomended read for anyone who is interested in Deafness and the Deaf world. ASL: Shattering the Myth provides a (needed) balance to a very disproportionate war of propagandists.

Presumably, this book was written in part for people like us: hearing parents of deaf toddlers, struggling to know what is best for our child, and what his or her world will be like. From that point of view, Bertling DID provide us with some perspectives not available elsewhere, and I'm glad I read (both of) his books. At the same time, I have some serious misgivings about this book. For example, I wanted hard data: names, dates, places. Bertling provides almost none, making me heavily dependent on HIS assessment of what he says things were like. He might or might not be accurate; I have no way of being sure. Bertling also seems unaware that many of the kinds of things he criticizes in Deaf culture occur in other cultures as well. For example, Bertling criticizes the Gallaudet student strike in 1988 as being orchestrated by outsiders. But student unrest all over the world is often aggravated by outside forces. My question is, how is this relevant to DEAF issues? If his point is that Deaf culture is no more immune to such manipluation than are other cultures, he convinced me; but if Bertling's point is that such manipulation is a fruit of Deaf culture (and I rather think that IS his point), I'd have to say sorry, not convinced. The first two chapters of "No Dignity" are especially inflammatory (a criticism I do not make of the rest of his work). The problems of residential schools are real, and little Joshua was additionally brutalized by an extremely sick person. Who could disagree that this is horrible? But, is this where we should start the analysis? If proponents of a given educational regime are rightly criticized for only parading their success stories, why should not opponents of a system be castigated for trotting out the worst case scenarios? Bertling's second book, although still quite short, is better written (or perhaps it is just better edited) than was his first. Obvious English errors have been greatly reduced and the references at the back are improved, lending an improved sense of credibility to the text. To the degree that Bertling has provided a reality check to the fanatics that exist in every cultural group, I think his book is a service. Moreover, so many people in the Deaf world still so new to us seem to have read it, that it merits a reading if only to keep up on the current discussion. But I do not recommend that this book be early on one's deafness reading list, and when one does sit down to read it, I recommend that it be read with a VERY sharp eye to detail.

I came to read this book as a student of American Sign Language (ASL). I wanted to see the negative side of the Deaf community. I did not find it here.

This book is filled with inconsistency and irrational hatred of the Deaf community. I expected a reasoned critique, but all I found was immature and poorly thought out backstabbing of a community.

Like other reviewers I found gapping lapses of logic. Beyond the claims of bigotry and sexism in the Deaf community (I can find all of this in any public school or PTA meeting), Bertling picks and chooses his assessment of the Deaf community to fit his needs. On page 35 he derides the Deaf community for attempting to get a Deaf superintendent for the first time at his school (an unnamed deaf residential school) and then on page 37 he claims that the Deaf community is resistant to change! It seems he only counts changes that reflect his dislike of Deaf people in positions of power.

And his take on ASL betrays bigotry and ignorance. He claims that deafness has the tragic result of "difficulty [in] obtaining a language" (pg 31). He seems to ignore the fact that ASL is a language. This is either a mistake, or just another part of his puzzling attempt to dismantle the progress in Deaf education in the past 30 years.

The fact that the book is only 108 pages long comes as a relief. It would be difficult to read more of this irrational dismissal of a cultural community.

Enjoyed this helpful book. I was previously confused about deafness education and deafness schools until I read this book. Deafness schools are not for all. This book explains why. Some deafness people are angry about this book but we cannot keep hiding facts from everybody, especially parents of young kids.

I wish we knew of this book when our hearing impaired child was younger to better understand these deafness controversies. I recommend Sacrificed Child to parents as a must read and to share with other parents. Know more before you send your child away.