Love for a Deaf Rebel: Schizophrenia on Bowen Island

Written by Derrick King

Narrated by Joe Vaz

Love for a Deaf Rebel introduces readers to a vivacious Canadian woman who was born into a silent world and with the foundation for schizophrenia. With pathos and nostalgia, the author recounts his roller-coaster ride with Pearl, a vivacious deaf maverick, who, unknown to him, had paranoid schizophrenia. We follow their encounters through actual notes written before Derrick learns sign language; we go on their motorcycle ride to Mexico and Guatemala; we watch as the happy couple moves to Bowen Island, a British Columbia community with just three paved roads. Pearl and the author marry and build their dream home and hobby farm. They encounter one obstacle after another while building their life together as Pearl’s perception of reality—and, crucially, their perception of each other—begins to change. The author learns what it means to be deaf, what it means to struggle with mental health, and what it means to love such a woman unconditionally—the ecstasy and the agony. There are other books about discovering schizophrenia in the family, such as Hidden Valley Road, and about deaf woman-hearing man relationships, such as Children of a Lesser God, but none that tells the true story of a woman who struggled with both disabilities.

This audiobook of Love for a Deaf Rebel: Schizophrenia on Bowen Island, eBook edition, is narrated by actor-director-writer Joe Vaz (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1978748/).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Provenance Press
• Release date: Feb 28, 2022
• ISBN: 9789811836336

Reviews for Love for a Deaf Rebel

[Mary Powell · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Coin toss for me. I don't reread a synopsis after choosing to read a book. I want a fresh take with no expectations. On occasion a life like this one filters in. The story is written chronologically, from first sight to last call.

The events (for lack of a better word) that transpired throughout the years, the silence from her family and people she knew was and will always be cruel. Many times as I read I had to shake my head. More than halfway through the story, I read the synopsis. I wanted to know what I was reading, what had appealed to me. Then, I saw it. Schizophrenia. My God -- yes it was.

The life that transpired should sicken people. Sadly, taking advantage of someone with a debilitating disease is not prosecuted enough in this country. My heart is full for the one man and his family that loved her, and all they did to get her treatment.

There is profanity, and as I had the audiobook, I would recommend using individual buds, as opposed to a room speaker.

[RobynGermaine · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What an interesting and beautiful, sad twist of events. I appreciate of the patience this man demonstrated throughout his life.