Barriers By Ruth Arieli

Mrs. XYZ

Mon, Oct 08 2007, 5:44 pm

Is that the book about the deaf twin girls? Read it a while ago. Overall I liked it very much, but some things bothered me too. I mean I cant blame/judge the mother, but she was so totally obsessed with Mindy, that she totally didn't realize what was going on with her other kids? her son? He was only seven years old, yet acting like 17 with the worlds problems on his head!
And the other twin (forgot her name...) although I loved her, she was so overly mature, exaggerated a bit, I think. I mean, a deaf 5 year old deciding which school she wanted to go to, going to the teachers house alone, deciding to make a surprise speech by the play... come on!

Mama Bear

Mon, Oct 08 2007, 7:01 pm

My issues with this book is that in 1999 there was a lot more awareness about the hearing impaired population. There was an organization called Haazinu that was pretty active in Boro park, and there were jewish schools for the autistic. This woman didnt have to be that alone in her struggle. I think like with the other book I wrote about, Ruth Arieli is not a New Yorker and did not know all the details about a family of special needs liviing in boro park. there are TONS of rsources, and she didnt have to struggle alone. Cochlear implants were coming into being then, and most mothers of special needs kids are very active and researching and on top of things.

Also, there wasnt a SINGLE school within less than an hour's drive from Boro Park that was the same hashkafah than the old school? Give me a break! Within BP, Flatbush, Far Rockaway, Willy, Crown Heights, Queens, Lower East Side etc there are HUNDREDS of schools of all conceivable hashkofos. And what's an hour away from boro park anyway? Monsey is over an hour. MAYBE Washington Heights - but you can find schools of similar hashkafos in Boro Park itself. And - send a six year old alone on a train? not in New York! She is not very well researched.