True Biz

Genuine BIZ (adj./exclamation; ASL): really, sincerely, undeniably, authentic communication

Real business? River Valley School for the Deaf students desire nothing more from life than to hook up, pass their history exams, and be free from parents, physicians, and politicians telling them what to do with their bodies. Readers will be thrust into the world of a residential school for the deaf in this groundbreaking novel, where they will meet characters such as Charlie, a disobedient transfer student who has never met another deaf person; Austin, the school's golden boy, whose world is turned upside down when his baby sister is born hearing; and February, the headmistress, who is trying her hardest to keep her marriage intact and her school open, but may not be able to do so. Charlie, Austin, and February find their lives irrevocably altered and intertwined as a sequence of personal and political crises threaten to topple each of them.

This is a tale of first love and heartbreak, lipreading and sign language, disability and civil rights, loneliness and injustice, and, most importantly, immense tenacity, bravery, and happiness. This is a global celebration of human connection and an engrossing and confident, quirky and approachable trip into the Deaf culture.