- Playing
- For a Deaf Uncle
- From
- Judah Bruce Leblang
This brief piece contrasts memories of my uncle, who lived between two worlds--the deaf and the hearing--and didn't really fit in either, as an oral deaf adult. Today, after years of on-again, off-again work in the Deaf Community, I've lost some of my own hearing.
More from Judah Bruce Leblang
The Stress Test: Or another piece of my heart now, baby
(00:04:58)
From: Judah Bruce Leblang
A reflective piece about a middle aged man's visit to the cardiologist for his annual stress test.
My Training Bra
(00:05:01)
From: Judah Bruce Leblang
A short humorous piece about fighting middle age in Provincetown, MA during Carnival week.
Becoming Interesting
(00:05:21)
From: Judah Bruce Leblang
A first person essay about dealing with illness and middle-age
Necessary Losses
(00:05:36)
From: Judah Bruce Leblang
A short first person essay about losing my hearing
Remembering My Father
(00:03:16)
From: Judah Bruce Leblang
A son's rememberance of and tribute to his dad
"Focus"
(00:01:16)
From: Judah Bruce Leblang
A funny, wistful piece about discipline my lack of same
Everything is Relative
(00:02:46)
From: Judah Bruce Leblang
A humorous personal essay about growing older
Remembering Doris
(00:04:29)
From: Judah Bruce Leblang
A remembrance of a special woman, my godmother
Going in the Wrong Direction
(00:03:10)
From: Judah Bruce Leblang
A commentary about Alito, Corretta Scott King and Civil Rights
Related Pieces
Piece Description
This brief piece contrasts memories of my uncle, who lived between two worlds--the deaf and the hearing--and didn't really fit in either, as an oral deaf adult. Today, after years of on-again, off-again work in the Deaf Community, I've lost some of my own hearing.
Broadcast History
None
Transcript
To a Deaf Uncle
Judah Leblang/2007
I am five years older than my uncle Jerry,
who is frozen in time, forever forty-four.
Meanwhile, I go on, surpassing him,
though when I think of him, I morph into a small boy.
Even when I grew tall, in my senior year of high school,
I still looked up to Jerry,
until--near the end of that year,
he died, of a heart attack
and left me looking only at newly tilled ground.
Now, at 49, I?m pulled back toward the deaf world,
a world my uncle visited but didn?t value.
He?d learned that ?sign? wasn?t a language,
and forbade its use in his own home.
Later, in my twenties, I learned to sign,
which I could have shared with Jerry,
if only he?d survived,
and known more of his own culture.
Today I take hearing tests, see ear specialists,
first one physician, and then another.
The first offers nothing, but rules out a brain tumor...
Read the full transcript
Timing and Cues
No special cues
Related Website
Aaron Henkin
Posted on June 04, 2007 at 06:43 AM | Permalink
Review of For a Deaf Uncle
This short piece from producer Judah Bruce Leblang addresses an ironic issue, considering that it's a radio essay: hearing loss. Judah is currently in his late forties, and he's confronting the prospect of going deaf. He's seeing doctors, getting discouraging audiograms, and being presented with dispiriting diagnoses. The experience has given Judah occasion to remember his late Uncle Jerry, who decades ago confronted the same scenario and who (it seems) met it with some stubbornness and denial. This essay comes with a beautiful economy of words and a delivery that makes it feel more like poetic free verse than prose. I think it would make a great companion piece to go along with any radio feature dealing with hearing loss or the challenge of facing a disturbing medical diagnosis. The producer, Judah Bruce Leblang, is obviously a talented and versatile writer... he's got thirty different essays posted on PRX, dealing with topics ranging from family to aging to national politics.