Book Recommendation

A Man Without Words by Susan Schaller
This short book tells the compellng story of a 27 year old man who was entirely without language.  Born deaf to an impoverished family in southern Mexico, his request to go to school was denied by his parents so he could work and beg on the street.  He knew not a single word in any language, even sign language: he could only point and mime his thoughts.  Without language he was unable to understand many simple concepts, such as writing, time and geography.  The author finds him as an illegal in the US and struggles to open his mind to the world of language.

There are many touching moments in the book: After much frustration, he finally understands that the word "cat" stands for the animal, that the written word and hand sign are symbols, they have meaning.  The discovery is so profound that he weeps.  At another time he shows his teacher the first sign he has learned from someone other than her: "stupid."  He tells he "you smart, me stupid".  She rejects this thought and tries to convince him of their equality.  She acts out showing him that they were both babies at the same time and then both grew to be children.  She then went to school, but what did he do?  He then acts out for her his begging on the street.  While she went to school, he begged.

The book has a happy and uplifting ending, although you become aware that his case is far from unique.  As a parent I was struck by the immense value of education.  Without it, one is cut off from almost all human contact, all human culture.  How much one enters into human society is to a large degree determined by how much one is educated.  (I do not mean only formal education.)

There is also much in the book to make one think about human nature, human society and the nature of language.