And No Birds Sing

In her memoir "And No Birds Sing" written in 1931, Pauline Leader described her helpless existence of being "doubly different" from other people and how her poetry and strength of spirit elevated her despite her ethnicity and disability.

Pauline was born to immigrant parents from Eastern Europe, the eldest of six children. Her mother, the breadwinner of the family, ran a profitable market despite her inability to read and write English and worked back breaking, long hours. Pauline's lazy father was physically abusive while her mother was verbally abusive. Spirited Pauline has a disobedient streak causing her parents to threaten to send her away to a reformatory for misbehaving. One year for her birthday, Pauline unwrapped a present only to find a pair of her father's old shoes. The Leader family laughed at the joke. Pauline threw the shoes at her father.

At age 12, Pauline lost her hearing as a result of meningitis. She loved to read but the world closed in around her. Her mother, now ashamed of her daughter, threw Pauline's books behind the refrigerator and in the winter months hid her coat, hat and shoes confining her to the house. She embarked upon a crusade of self-education helped by a washed up lawyer who rented a room from the Leader family. He lent her books and taught her the use of a typewriter. Additionally, she corresponded with a poet who corrected her poems, sending helpful feedback. Sometimes his letters were intercepted by Pauline's jealous parents. Looking inward to her creativity, her love of poetry, her imagination became her comforter.

Pauline was now shunned and laughed at. As a Jew, she did not attend church and felt singled out for not having a clean dress to wear on Sundays. As a deaf child, she was treated as though she could not do anything or learn anything. She referred to the hearing world as "fish mouths" since she could not lip-read. How could she find her place in such a hostile world?

Pauline seemed to inhabit a separate, unequal universe. It was difficult to view her struggle for some degree of normalcy. As a society, our view of disabilities and differences has changed. Reformatories and institutions have been replaced by special education with the hope of tapping into every child's true potential. We have a long path to travel to be all inclusive.

"And No Birds Sing", although written in 1931 by Pauline Leader is still very timely. The emotions and feelings expressed by Leader were heartbreaking and difficult to read. I would like to see this book become a standard read for special education educators.

Thank you to Gallaudet University Press and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "And No Birds Sing".

And No Birds Sing by Pauline Leader was originally published in 1931 by the Vangaurd Press it is now newly republished by Gallaudet University Press.


This is an autobiography of a woman who became deaf at 13 years old as an effect of meningitis. The introduction is an extensive look at Leader’s life and her writing, it gives the reader a good idea of the writer and what is to come in the book. This is a wonderful autobiography showing us the authors life before she lost her hearing and how she saw life and started to acclimate to her new world after. We are shown how she begins to use vibration through her body to hear footsteps and piano notes.


This is a great look at the life of someone with a disability. I am grateful that it has been newly republished. I think that it will give people a greater understanding of those with disabilities. I recommend it to anyone who wants to open their eyes to those with disabilities and see the world from a different perspective.


I acknowledge that I received this book free of charge from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest and unbiased review of it.