This vividly detailed memoir describes the author's experiences as a survivor of the Holocaust who narrowly escaped death by living a childhood of constant vigil and, along with his family, continuously dodging the ever-present threat of a Nazi capture. Intended to illustrate the fate of not just the Bergman family but more broadly the Polish Jewry and its surviving remnant, the memoir begins with a brief foray into the history of Jewish life in Poland, detailing the complicated relationship that developed between Poland and its Jewish population. This section details the author's early life in Poznan, a northwestern Polish city where the Bergmans were one of only a few Jewish families among a larger population of Poles and Prussians. After the Nazi invasion of Poland, Poznan became an increasingly dangerous city in which to live, as evidenced by the author's account of being struck deaf by the butt of a German officer's rifle while playing in the street with other children. Though traumatic and certainly life-threatening, this vicious attack would also ultimately save his life several times, including once when an assailant fired several shots at his retreating form only to relent upon realizing that his shots could not be heard. The story continues with equally vivid accounts of the family's narrow escapes to (and from) the Lodz, Warsaw, and Czestochowa ghettos, describing some of the more horrific vignettes of life in the Jewish ghetto and detailing how the family barely survived through a fortuitous combination of luck, skilled deception, and an underlying will to live.

Dickens, Welty, and Turgenev are only three of the master storytellers in Angels and Outcasts. This remarkable collection of 14 short stories offers insights into what it means to be deaf in a hearing world. The book is divided into three parts: the first section explores works by nineteenth-century authors; the second section concentrates on stories by twentieth-century writers; and the final section focuses on stories by authors who are themselves deaf. Each section begins with an introduction by the editors and each story is preceded by a preface. Angels and Outcasts concludes with an annotated bibliography of other prose works about the Deaf experience. In addition to fascinating reading, it provides valuable insights into the world of Deaf people.

It is through his deafness that we hear his story. -- The New York Times Book ReviewHis memoir has a universal appeal. -- Library JournalThe richness and variety found in signing and in the Deaf culture permeates his montage of stories. -- Publishers WeeklyTo succeed as an actor is a rare feat. To succeed as a deaf actor is nothing short of amazing. Lessons in Laughter is the story of Bernard Bragg and his astonishing lifelong achievements in the performing arts.Born deaf of deaf parents, Bernard Bragg has won international renown as an actor, director, playwright, and lecturer.Lessons in Laughter recounts in stories that are humorous, painful, touching, and outrageous, the growth of his dream of using the beauty of sign language to act. He starred in his own television show The Quiet Man, helped found The National Theatre of the Deaf, and traveled worldwide to teach his acting methods.