A beautiful and informative look into the experiences of the Deaf community in Australia, told through the pages of a Deaf teenager's art journal, complete with paintings, sketches, and collages. Being familiar with the Deaf community in the US, it was really cool to see not only the differences, but the many many similarities between the two.

The dystopian nature of the story (fuel shortages, inflation, food insecurity, etc.) hit much too close to home though and did send me into a bit of a panic spiral. Luckily, I resisted the urge to buy gallons upon gallons of bottled water and just enjoyed this heartfelt story instead.

This did not really work as an ebook for me but I am sure it's brilliant and beautiful in print. It's clearly a work of passion by a talented artist. I hope to be able to find a print copy.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

Gorgeous artwork, even in the ARC, which I read on my phone. The author’s note provides background into some parts of the text that hearing readers might not notice. The actual story…it’s a sort of a bleak commentary on what the future might hold. Somewhat hopeful overall with a bit of romance.

I’m at a loss for words to describe this book. Which is perhaps the truest irony and beauty, all at once, given that The Words in my Hands leading gal is Deaf.
During this book I have learned so many new things! And while knowing a tiny bit of ASL (American Sign Language) I definitely didn’t really appreciate the isolation of being deaf and left out of… well everything. Author Asphyxia describes living Deaf as only someone who has experienced it can. She herself is Deaf.

My husband knows some ASL as he used it as a toddler/child before he could speak, and worked with a lovely Deaf gal who he translated for as often and best as he could. He continues to have interest in sign language. After reading this book we are talking about learning more of it together. This could be helpful for me if I get anxious and need to suddenly leave. I could tell him from afar that I’m either okay and need space; or that I want to leave. In the past we have used signals or code words; but I love the idea of using a real language to do this in the future. And with any luck someone Deaf will see us use ASL and know they can approach us.

The learnings in this story are complex and interwoven. From the Deaf experience and community lessons, to how to build a garden and create compost, to an extremely food scarce future; Asphyxia takes the reader on a journey unlike any other I’ve ever read. A huge part of this is the amazingly beautiful pages in the print novel. This is one of those rare instances where you MUST READ THE BOOK IN PRINT. On an e-reader (I did see what it looks like) or as an audiobook an entire facet of communicating how our lead gal feels and emotes is lost. Without the dark pages of her despair and frustration, the sunny delight of flowery pages, or the intensity of her protest drawings; I truly believe you would miss an entire component of the story, and most importantly, the character progression of our leading gal.

There is a cute little romance in this. While often not my favourite part of most teen novels this one is less annoying and more realistic than most. Asphyxia does a good job of not exaggerating or over doing the romance, despair, lust and possible love at any given time.

I could go on and on about the friendships, other relationships (Deaf and oral), adults to teens, kids to teens, etc that are so well portrayed in The Words in my Hands; but honestly I’ll never do Justice to the beauty and complexity of emotions Asphyxia shares with us as the readers.

Pick this book up. Be amazed and intrigued by it. Learn from it. Consider your own green footprint on the world (and where your food comes from). Consider your methods of communication and what they mean to you. Consider how important community and inclusivity are. Above all else consider that every one of us, regardless of disability, race, sexuality, age, or other minority distinguishing aspects are all people. And people all want to be loved and included every day.

Thank you Asphyxia for sharing this story, your experiences, and pieces of you from within the novel with us, the readers. This is a book I will never be able to forget. A true gem.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is well written and the characters are described well. I enjoyed Piper's character in this book. This book is told in mixed media format. It is fast paced. I would definitely recommend reading this book to anyone and everyone. This book is in stores for $19.95 (USD).

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC digital edition.

Unfortunately, I was unable to read this in the time allotted. It remains on my “to be read” list for the future.

This book was unlike anything I've read lately. It takes place in Australia, sometime in the future, since everyone is communicating on wristlets, which can be implanted into their wrist if they can afford it. A lot of people are living off this food that comes in a box and you press a button on the box to heat it. It's a product called BioSpore that takes on the taste of whatever the item is supposed to be, whether it's steak, fish, or something else. Food grown organically is considered "wild food" and people are discouraged from growing or harvesting it. Unfortunately, there's a food shortage, so that makes things even worse.

Piper is a teenager growing up in this society and her mom is a big name at Organicore, which produces the BioSpore items. There's a lot of political strife caused by Organicore and the wristlet system called QuestTool (a.k.a. "Cesspool"). Piper is also Deaf and straddling between the hearing world and the Deaf world. Her hearing aids and lipreading don't help her in most situations, so when she meets Marley, a cute guy who runs a bicycle shop, she is introduced to Auslan (Australian Sign Language) and Marley's mother, who is also Deaf. Marley's mother teaches Piper about composting and harvesting food, which opens new possibilities for her. However, there are a lot of complications, especially in the political climate.

This was definitely an interesting story. I felt bad for all the stress Piper was going through, such as her mom's job situation, lack of money, lack of food, not being able to understand most people, etc. The way it is written, we definitely see everything through Piper's eyes, which includes not understanding most of what people are saying. The story is laid out in a journal format, but I am not fond of that style when dialogue is used so often. We also get to visualize some of the dialogue, since she's describing the signs for certain words. There's a lot of artwork on the pages, which is really cool. I love the design of the book for this reason and Asphyxia is a great artist.

I was mostly fixated on everything surrounding Piper being Deaf. This hits close to home for me and it also made me think of the movie CODA (since Marley is a CODA himself). Piper is in a complicated situation, as her mother expects her to speak, yet she feels more comfortable signing. She also doesn't want new people to know she can speak because then they will think she's lying about being Deaf. Asphyxia writes more about being Deaf in the author notes and tells people how they should be treating and responding to someone who is Deaf. She shares more information on sign language too. I only really know how to fingerspell and I usually do that instead of actual signing, which I am terrible at.

I wasn't so keen on reading about gardening, as that's just not my thing, and it dragged the story at times. I did like how people came together as a community though. I also didn't like the descriptions of killing animals. I'm not a vegetarian, but it was still too much for me. I get that it was for survival, but it could have been done "behind the scenes" instead of right in front of our faces, so to speak.

Overall, the story was well-told and I was definitely rooting for Piper and her friends to win.

The Words in My Hands truly drew me in with the cover art, but kept me with the writing. It definitely has it’s own unique style, which helps emphasize the story as Piper loves to create. This story was definitely something out of the ordinary for me, but I found the importance of reading #Ownvoices stories.

We need more books with, like this one, in the world. I loved the visuals that were in this book! The author did a great job all around, and I loved every aspect. Truly, great job!

This book is amazing! It’s gorgeous and is truly a beautiful read. This is an OwnVoices dystopia story that will definitely give you a lot to think and talk about. I will definitely be bringing this into my classroom.

There was so much to love about this book. Set in a futuristic Australia where "wild food" or natural grown food is believed to be toxic, the population is dependent on the government for nutritional supplements and food parcels delivered to them. As this system begins to collapse, Piper a Deaf teen, begins to realize that there is something she can do. Piper's mother has always been determined for Piper to be "normal," using her hearing aids and voice (as Piper is an oral Deaf person), but when Piper meets Marley, a gorgeous boy who teaches her to sign and who has a Deaf mother who grows her own food, Piper understands that she can use her hands for so much. Not only can she communicate, but she can also do her part to grow food for her family and her community, and she can use her incredible artistic ability to help educate others and promote a better world.

This book was marvelous for many reasons. 1. I can't remember the last time I read a book where the main character grows and develops so much throughout the plot. She was beautifully crafted. 2. The crisis facing Piper's world felt almost too real, and could very likely be a situation that arises within our lifetimes. No food or fuel? Government control of rationed food production, corruption about nutrition, and keeping louder voices silenced? That feels like a very real threat to me. 3. The construction of the book is stunning. Piper's artwork is sprinkled on almost every page, making the story more immersive and real. It was an amazing reading experience.

I loved it. There were some graphic kissing scenes, but I think our mature middle schoolers could definitely handle it.

*The file was corrupted when I downloaded it on my kindle so I had to wait for this one to come to me from the library.

Sixteen-year-old Piper has been deaf since she was 3, and her mom has done everything she can to help Piper pass as “normal”. When Piper meets Marley, her world opens up to the possibilities of a world where deafness isn’t something to be hidden, but rather celebrated. Set in a near future time with food scarcities, this novel shows Piper finding herself and discovering what she wants out of life.

This story is told in the format of Piper’s journal, and we get to see all the artwork she makes in it. The characters in the story were all well-rounded, and Piper definitely behaved like a 16-year-old. I loved that the novel covered both the “small” issues in a person’s life, like the way Piper is treated by most of her classmates, as well as the some of the problems that surround society as a whole, such as freedom of speech. This was a phenomenal book, and I highly recommend it, especially to those who enjoy YA.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book.

Disclaimer: I received this e-book from Netgalley. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: The Words in My Hands

Author: Asphyxia

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 5/5 (just so I don’t lower the rating due to book formatting issues)

Recommended For...: young adult readers, science fiction, dystopian

Publication Date: November 2, 2021

Genre: YA Sci-Fi Dystopian

Recommended Age: Can’t recommend, DNFed

Explanation of CWs: Can’t recommend, DNFed

Publisher: Annick Press

Pages: 388

Synopsis: Set in an ominously prescient near future, All the Words that Matter is the story of Piper: sixteen, smart, artistic, and rebellious, she's struggling to conform to what her mom wants--for her to be 'normal, ' to pass as hearing, and get a good job. But in a time of food scarcity, environmental collapse, and political corruption, Piper has other things on her mind--like survival.

Deaf since the age of three, Piper has always been told that she needs to compensate in a world that puts those who can hear above everyone else. But when she meets Marley, a whole new world opens up--one where Deafness is something to celebrate rather than hide, and where resilience and hope are created by taking action, building a community, and believing in something better.

Review: If I wasn’t having to put a review in Netgalley I wouldn’t be writing one for this book at all. I’m also posting this on my pages because I use Goodreads, Storygraph, etc. and my blog as a journal keeping method since I do not retain a lot of information in my brain well enough. I’m sure this is a lovely book, but the format I was given is very screwed up. The pages are sideways and out of order. I really want to read this book, so I will come back to it one day, but for the purposes of getting it removed from my Netgalley lists I have to write this review and say I DNFed it at 6% in.

Verdict: I’m sure it’s great, but it was not in a format that was readable for me.

I always review a kindle version of ARC's for #NetGalley. The #Kindleversion of this book appears to be sideways pictures of the actual pages. I am 54 years old and find it very difficult to read. So I am just leaving it like this. No actual review of the story. No rating of the story. Just information as to the horrible format of the digital copy.

Since NetGalley will not accept a review without a ⭐rating. I will leave a neutral star since I cannot read the format given.

This book's strengths:
The striking artwork supports the personal journal form of the book.
The story exposes readers to d/Deaf culture.
The back-of-book includes Art Journal Ideas as well as a Notes on Sign Language that explains the differences and foundations of Australian Sign Language (AUSLAN) and American Sign Language (ASL).
Its components are compelling -- a deaf girl finding her way in a futuristic Australia, where food is scarce and politics are scary. I love that she learns to be a bike-builder while she's also learning to sign and to garden. But the overall story fell flat for me. Still, this novel has a lot to recommend it.

The Words in My Hands is a story of independence and interdependence told through the drawings and text of the main character's journal. It is a visually eloquent testament to the Deaf community and to the ethical farming. Set in a dystopian future, marked by increasingly extreme food scarcity and governmental failure to meet the needs of its citizens, this story keeps the reader involved in rooting for the protagonist. There were a couple of slow sections, but overall the story flows and holds the reader's attention

This book was formatted incorrectly for my Kindle. The file came through with sideways pages and they're all out of order. Instead of jumping back and forth and trying to figure out what I'm supposed to be reading, I'll just wait until I can get my hands on a physical copy. I'll give 3 stars for now as a middle of the road rating to not impact positive/negative feedback.

This book is a very unique story told in an even more unique format.
The great way in which art and words combine to tell the story adds to the impact of the setting and characters. Even when the topics or the situations might seem too dark, it somehow feels like there is still hope because there is still art and beauty.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and Annick Press for the early read!

I read an e-book version of this book, but I feel like I will need to see the physical book. Even digital it was beautiful and truly reminded me of a visual journal with words and amazing art work. This was an uncomfortable book to read because the apocalyptic time shortages of fuel and food were believable and this book didn’t seem quite as futuristic as I might like. The protagonist, Piper, is the deaf daughter of the food scientist that created an alternative food called recon that has been genetically created to do away with health issues like cancer. Piper is oral and relies on lip reading and hearing aids to communicate. This creates a lot of difficulties in hanging out with people. This book is about huge issues like freedom of speech and the damage humans are doing/have done to the planet, but at it’s core it is about a deaf teen who discovers who she is through learning about the Deaf community. It was a beautiful story and I know it is one that will stay with me.