Cover Image: Love for a Deaf Rebel

Love for a Deaf Rebel

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Member Reviews

I wish I would have loved this book more than I did. I feel slightly mislead by the title/cover. Signs of the author’s wife’s schizophrenia really only appeared during the last 20% of the book. I’m sitting here waiting patiently for signs of schizophrenia to appear…

Regardless of this oversight, I did enjoy the book. I didn’t feel forced to finish it. It was still interesting. I don’t know if I would own a physical copy for myself, but I would consider listening to the audiobook again, just to see if I missed any clues leading up to the schizophrenia diagnosis.


(ALC received from NetGalley in exchange for honest review. Thank you!)

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It is always hard to review nonfiction/memoirs/biographies. How do you give a subjective review to someone's real life? Overall, this memoir was interesting, but I did not enjoy the telling of the story. That isn't to say that the story was bad or told badly. It was an intense story. Often times it was difficult to listen to due to the subject matter. I would advise anyone interested in this book to look into content warnings before proceeding.

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<i>Love for a Deaf Rebel</i> is the author’s true story of falling in love with a Deaf woman, whom he later discovered also suffered from schizophrenia. King has changed people’s names to protect them but tells his experience of falling for Pearl, starting with writing notes to each other. Derrick goes on to learn sign language to communicate more effectively with Pearl. We see them fall more in love as the two take a motorcycle trip from Canada to Mexico and Guatemala. They eventually settle down in a house they bought on Bowen Island, and once there, things start to change.

It was hard listening to King’s efforts to help his wife when she so clearly was not willing to receive help. I never quite felt invested in their relationship before things went south. I think, even more than the relationship between Derrick and Pearl, I was really fascinated by the process of their trying to fix up the house they bought. It was crazy, the things that happened. Joe Vaz did a good job narrating the audiobook of the story.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.

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Love for a Deaf Rebel

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the memoir of the life of Derrick and his deaf wife Pearl. The story tells of many happy times in their marriage that also was filled with struggles and hardship just to get through life.
At first Pearl and Derrick equally worked to make a warm and loving life with each other. But then things started to deteriorate. Something that Derrick didn’t know about until well into their marriage was that along with being deaf Pearl also had undiagnosed and untreated schizophrenia. As the marriage started to deteriorate Derrick tried over and over again to get help for Pearl, but she refused. Her view of her reality, as wonderful as it was, became so distorted that she just could not be reasoned with and helped. No matter how much Derrick tried to help Pearl she just kept turning away.
This story of Derrick and Pearl is beautiful and yet very sad at the same time. I found that as soon as I finished the audiobook I wanted to start the book all over again, because the story was so intriguing that I wanted to make sure that I hadn’t missed anything. So I am nearly finished with my second time of listening to this heartbreaking story. I will not soon forget the story of the love between Derrick and Pearl.
I mostly read or listen to fiction, but this is one nonfiction book I am so glad that I came across.
Thank you NetGalley and Derrick King for allowing me the gift of reading this in-lighting beautiful/sad story.

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I find any books that include schizophrenia extremely interesting. I was heartbroken for both Derrick and Pearl in this memoir. Derrick worked so hard to make their relationship work, learning sign language and going the extra mile to establish them a home that both loved.

Pearl’s mental illness just made it so hard. And given the fact that she wasn’t diagnosed until late, late in this memoir you can see how Derrick didn’t know how to handle her mood shifts and thought patterns.

While this wasn’t my favorite memoir of all time, I did find it interesting. Learning about the correlation deafness and mental illness can make was an eye opener for me.

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In college, I studied American Sign Language and Deaf culture. I’ve read many books written by Deaf authors and CODAs (Children of Deaf Adults). This is the first memoir I’ve read of this kind. A poignant tribute to the woman he loved. How Derrick King jumped headfirst into Deaf culture. He learned sign language, mastered the TTY (audio-to-type telephone), made life safe and accessible for his wife. He casually explains each device and how it is used without making the reader feel uneducated about Deaf Life.

When Derrick and Pearl bought a run down farm, the book goes into detail (but not too much) about the day-to-day operations of running a farm with a Deaf partner. Slowly Pearl begins her decent into paranoia and Derrick sees signs she needs help. It happens so suddenly the reader might miss the signs if they didn’t read the synopsis.

The ending is beautifully written. You can sense the authors sadness as he transitions to a life without Pearl. Beautiful, captivating, poignant story. It was just what i needed.

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Derrick King writes an intriguing memoir about Pearl, a Deaf woman, and their true love story making a life together on Bowen Island in Canada. It normally takes me a while to get into non-fiction books, but the way this story is told hooked me from the beginning and kept me interested until the end. As the title suggests, Pearl has schizophrenia but lives her life undiagnosed and somewhat functional without medicine or therapies - which leads to some interesting encounters with Derrick and others.

As an ASL interpreter, I appreciated the inclusion of Deaf culture and ASL usage in the narrative and learned a bit more about the culture during the 1970s and 1980s. It was informative hearing the parts about the Alberta School for the Deaf and Pearl's experiences there. I enjoyed travelling along with Derrick as he learned ASL and the instances where he acted as an interpreter.

Most of this story takes place on their homestead on Bowen Island where they are working to build a farm. Growing up in the city with all modern comforts it was sometimes shocking to hear exactly what Bowen Island residents put up with as they built their homes and their lives.

The audiobook narration was easy to listen to, follow, and understand. The chapters were approximately 30 minutes long so it was sometimes hard to find a place to stop and would have to stop mid-chapter.

Overall, this book was worth the listen and will keep your attention and guessing what will happen with Pearl next.

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Love for a Deaf Rebel by Derrick King
Narrated by @joevaz_actor

A very moving autobiography of Derrick's relationship with his 'deaf' wife, Pearl. This books traces the entire trajectory of his relationship..from the time they met for the first time till their very last phone call.

This book touches upon many topics most wonderfully ... We get to see the intricacies of being a person who cannot hear, how they adapt to so many circumstances which are so normal to most of us 'able' people. The different approaches their families may adopt, the relationships they forge with 'hearies', the paranoia which may creep in and how things can crumbling down.

Then this book gives a vivid description of life in a small island, it shows farming, it shows the whole process of a couple choosing to live in a certain place, adopt a certain manner of life, building a house...and being swindled in the process. And then it speaks of schizophrenia and how mentally ill persons, sick as they are, keep destroying their own lives and also, in ways, those of their loved ones. And while it's true that they are not to 'blame', that's how life turns out. Broken. And it is just so sad. My own grandmother had symptoms of schizophrenia and the mistrust and disharmony it brings, especially in the absence of a formal diagnosis, is tragic to say the least.

It's just sad. Everything. I am sad. This is one of the sad phases. Also, I am not well.

Anyway. Got it as an ARC. Thank you Provenance Press and @netgalley

🌟🌟🌟💫

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A tragic story that was well written. Derrick tells the story of how he met and fell in love with Pearl. Things seem to be going well until she can’t hide the symptoms of her mental illness. The narrator of the audiobook did a fantastic job of inputting the emotions of the story.

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Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook ARC!

Love for a Deaf Rebel is a heartfelt memoir that deals with some tricky topics. If you've never thought about how a relationship between a deaf individual and an individual that can hear, it may not seem like there's a lot of cultural differences to navigate. I certainly had never thought about it. The author does a great job of illustrating and educating about just how wide that culture gap can be. And then trying to deal with mental illness on top of that, I can just imagine the heartsickness and sorrow. I learned a lot from this book, and enjoyed the read in the process.

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This book, set in Vancouver in the early 80's, follows the relationship between author/narrator Derrick and Pearl, the "deaf rebel" of the title, a woman he falls in love with and will later marry. While Derrick begins to pick up on oddities in Pearl's behavior, he doesn't connect them to a mental illness, and only discovers much later that she has schizophrenia.

I appreciated Derrick's honesty; he walks the reader through his relationship as though we're right there with him. I only wish the publisher hadn't chosen to put Schizophrenia in the title. I think the book would have been more effective if the reader went along Derrick's journey in a state of ignorance, much as he did, so that we, too, could be surprised by the mystery of Pearl's increasingly irrational/paranoid behavior. Still, I felt sad for both Derrick and Pearl and moved by their story.

Thanks to Netgalley and Provenance Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Coin toss for me. I don't reread a synopsis after choosing to read a book. I want a fresh take with no expectations. On occasion a life like this one filters in.

The story is written chronologically, from first sight to last call. The events (for lack of a better word) that transpired throughout the years, the silence from her family and people she knew was and will always be cruel. Many times as I read I had to shake my head. More than halfway through the story, I read the synopsis. I wanted to know what I was reading, what had appealed to me. Then, I saw it. Schizophrenia. My God -- yes it was.

The life that transpired should sicken people. Sadly, taking advantage of someone with a debilitating disease is not prosecuted enough in this country.

My heart is full for the one man and his family that loved her, and all they did to get her treatment.

There is profanity, and as I had the audiobook, I would recommend using individual buds, as opposed to a room speaker.

Thank you NetGalley for accepting my request to read and review Love For A Deaf Rebel.

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This was a really interesting listen. Equally uplifting and also heartbreaking in parts, Pearl’s story was so full of life and love that I found myself wanting to meet her.

I have always been interested in illnesses such as schizophrenia after studying them in my psychology degree, so it was really interesting to get more of an accurate representation of someone’s life with the illness developing while they don’t realise it.

There were some things mentioned revolving around the deaf community that I had never considered previously, so I loved hearing about those sorts of lifestyle changes and issues surrounding living with a deaf person.

This was a really good listen and I’m glad I was accepted to review it!

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This book is a factual account of the author's love and marriage with a deaf person. The two, Derrick and Pearl, met in Vancouver. Pearl was bravely living on her own. They communicated by writing on napkins, and then he learned sign language.

Pearl is a pretty and vivacious Canadian woman. Derrick is the voice of the book where he recounts his roller-coaster ride with Pearl. Unknown to him, Pearl has a history of paranoid schizophrenia in her genes. Follow their encounters through actual notes written before Derrick learns sign language. They go on a motorcycle ride to Mexico and Guatemala. Following this, the happy couple move to Bowen Island, a British Columbia community with just three paved roads. Pearl and the Derrick marry and build their dream home and hobby farm. Unfortunately, they encounter one obstacle after another while building their life together. Derrick and Pearl trust a local man who's working on his own house, to also do work on their own. By the time they realize that you get what you pay for, they are stuck with so many projects to redo that they are in a financial mess. As if this isn't enough to bring any couple to strife, Pearl begins to become paranoid. She gets upset about having to delay their marriage, then having to delay having children, and somehow through a series of misunderstandings she starts to believe that Derrick is trying to kill her. She claims he is psychologically and physically abusing her.
She leaves him and Derrick is still genuinely in love with her.

I found the book deeply personal and raw and just sad. I felt so sorry for the couple. When she did professional help, it completely worked against their marriage. He begged Pearl to go to couples counseling but she never would.
I hope Pearl and Derrick found happiness later in life.

Even though this is not a happy story with a happy ending, I really enjoy this read. The narrator was perfect for this book.

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This is such a beautiful story. I am so touched by it. It is so sad that one single human, Derrick, had to love so hard and still go through all this. I hope Pearl can get better and live her life. This was a beautiful read and I hope you can get many more comments on the book. And please feel free to quote my comment, the pleasure is all mine.

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I listened to the audiobook version of the memoir. I did not connect with the narrator as much I would have liked.

Nevertheless, as a mental health professional myself, King’s account of living with a loved one with a severe mental illness is realistic as it is captivating.

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Thank you for my first netgalley arc. This book provided a great insight on schizophrenia and also highlights how mental health can take it’s toll on one’s life and relationships. The author was fully supportive to Pearl and oh the love and family they could have created. About the audiobook itself, I think the narration could have been a little better.

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Many thanks to @netgalley and #ProvenancePress for this audiobook read.
This was not really what I was expecting.... and I cant really explain what i was expecting but Ill try. I was expecting more info on schizophrenia from the couple's experience with it. What we get here is a dynamic couple - a deaf woman and a hearing man who meet by chance and fall in love. They decide to build their house in the wilderness of #BowenIsland. Thats when things start to get bad. As anyone who is doing a construction remodel on a shoe-string budget knows, you try to find someone who will do the job as economically as possible. Derrick and Pearl trust a local man who's working on his own house, to also do work on their own. By the time they realize that cheaper isnt always better (or any good at all) they are stuck with so many projects to redo that they truly struggle. As if this isnt enough to bring any couple to quarrel, Pearl gets really paranoid. She gets upset about having to delay their marriage, then having to delay having children, and somehow thru a series of misunderstandings starts to believe that Derrick is trying to kill her. She makes claims of psychological abuse. She leaves him. There is never any proof of the diagnosis of schizophrenia other than second hand stories from her family that oh so conveniently come to Derrick after Pearl leaves him. Im not saying he's lying, I just wish there was a pov from Pearl. I cant imagine being a deaf woman and fearing my husband. I have a lot of sympathy for people with paranoia and delusional thinking. I am just wondering if schizophrenia is really what Pearl had? How could she go for so long not exhibiting symptoms? I mean we all know paranoia ppl in our lives who believe things that arent true. Are they schizophrenic too?
I suppose if you like hearing what homesteading on Bowen Island, Canada is like OR if you like hearing a man talk about his crazy wife (not for me) then have at it. It's narrated well and i enjoyed listening. It just didnt quite sit well with me. It disturbed me on a lot of levels. Have you read it? Dm me or leave comments below!

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Firstly I wanna thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this audiobook.
Oh boy where do I even begin? Pearl, a vivacious deaf individual who also had paranoia schizophrenia questions everything others do and on her disillusioned self thinks everyone is out to hurt even though they all love her and wants to help her. She is paranoid of everything and everyone . This was one of the hardest novel I had to read/ listened to so far on one hand I understand why she acts the way she acts and think but on the other hand am very frustrated and sad and even angry that Pearl is suffering and do not thinks there is anything wrong with her and refuses to seek help.
A 2 stars read for me.

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Having some family history of mental health issues, I could feel the frustration and confusion Derrick experiences in his relationship with Pearl who is diagnosed later in life with schizophrenia and is Deaf. This account feels very honest as he relates his experiences trying to maintain the relationship, fix up an old house and farm and considers starting a family with Pearl.

Thanks to Provenance Press and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

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