First, I want to say thank you to NetGalley for approving me free access to this book in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately, the timing was such that many things happened shortly after I was given the ARC and was thus unable to write a review before publication.

However, I have finally completed the book. And I am so so so glad that I did. It is a truly beautiful thing when someone is able to write a story for their community, but it is an invaluable gift when that person writes in a way to let those outside the community get a glimpse into it.

DiMarco and Siebert truly inspire with not just telling DiMarco's story, but clearly conveying DiMarco's love for the Deaf/deaf community. I thank them for challenging and correcting some misconceptions I had learned from 'society' about the limitations that people who don't rely on their hearing and voice for communication have. And even when DiMarco is expressing his frustrations and hurt when interacting with hearing people, he does not point any fingers are readers who are not part of the Deaf/deaf community.

Regardless of what range of pitch and volume your ears can pick up, I highly recommend this book. The love and passion DiMarco has for his community and his perseverance are beautiful, inspiring, and uplifting.

I don't typically read memoirs, but this one knocked it out of the park. I've loved Nyle DiMarco for years, and his narrative voice came through so strongly in this novel. His coming of age, coming out, and coming into the public eye were heartfelt and genuine. The insight into his deaf world and culture was intriguing. This book was honest, Heartfelt, and Engaging. Books like this are what I mean when I say we need more representation.

An in-depth and candid memoir, by Nyle DiMarch who is fourth-generation deaf. This was an awesome book to read in gaining perspective on the experience of folks who are deaf or hard of hearing. As an avid watcher of DWTS, I was super excited to learn of DiMarco's upcoming book as his and his family's story are intriguing. DiMarco is a staunch advocate for accessibility across everyday places and reading his book gives readers an opportunity to build awareness of the things those with hearing take advantage of. A must-read for anyone interested in issues with accessibility, folks who want more education around advocacy, or just fans of DiMarco!

This fun and insightful read is a wonderful introuction to Deaf culture, cultural history and memoir from a cultural icon. DiMarco won his season America's Next Top Model and Dancing with Stars back to back and has followed that success up by giving back to and representing the Deaf community as an actor, producer and advocate.

Overall, there were parts that were super interesting and I loved learning more about the Deaf community, It really made me examine my own views and prejudices that I didn't even know I had. Some of the writing is choppy and feels disjointed, the chapters tend to go in chronological order but then backtrack a lot and/or skip over parts entirely, but it really is a love letter to the Deaf.

So Nyle DiMarco is one of my biggest celebrity crushes so I was very excited to get an e-arc of his book. I enjoyed it very much and was glad to be able to learn more about him and to see how he views being deaf and the deaf community. Would definitely recommend this book to any fan of his.

What a beautiful, joyful, exuberant, insightful memoir! I learned so much and I loved basking in the pride DiMarco takes in his language and culture. There's plenty that's infuriating here, as he delves into ableism and the many ways schools, medical institutions, and other infrastructure continually fails Deaf people. But overall this is a love letter to Deaf culture and ASL, and a gorgeous one.

"Deaf Utopia" is everything a memoir should be! It provides the reader with insight into someone else's life and culture in a way that both celebrates and educates. Everyone can stand to learn something from Nyle DiMarco's experiences, and the style of storytelling throughout the book provides just enough humor, personality, and reflection to make "Deaf Utopia" a rich reading experience. This is a great book from start to finish and I highly recommend it!

From entering the public eye on America's Next Top Model to becoming a deaf ambassador and outgoing personality, Deaf Utopia brings hearing and deaf readers alike on a journey tracing Nyle's life. Even without being deaf myself, I found much more irritability in this text than anticipated.

Nyle DiMarco deftly tells his story, while teaching readers about Deaf culture and history. A wonderful book!

Nyle DiMarco's story of his life and experiences with the various worlds he's walked through is touchingly rendered in this memoir. Interesting and moving.

A really well put together memoir that looks at Nyle's experiences with education and people's attitudes as a Deaf person. I loved seeing the backside of his experience with America's Next Top Model and hearing from him his thoughts on ASL and Deaf advocacy. I highly recommend this one.

I’ve been following DiMarco on Instagram for a while for his posts on Deaf awareness, but I really did not know about his past on America’s Next Top Model and or Dancing With the Stars. I bet you my Mom could have told me, though. She loves Dancing With the Stars, and also he’s adorable, so you know Mom was rooting for him.

Before efore he became a model, actor, and producer, Nyle DiMarco was a mischevious little boy from Queens, with a twin brother and a multi-generational Deaf Family. He shares what it was like growing up, attending a school for the Deaf, and navigating a world built for hearing people. It’s touching, heartwarming, and heartbreaking at times, and this book made my whole week.

If you’re interested in learning more about the Deaf community, ASL, or how you can get involved, he provides many resources for further reading and tools to help you learn ASL. Until recently, I wasn’t much of a reality show fan, but I’ve gotten hooked and may have to go back and watch his season of America’s Next Top Model, because I really enjoyed hearing his stories about it as well as the need to hold people accountable when they say they provide accessibility access. Definitely check it out if you’re looking for a good memoir. It’s out now wherever you get your books.

This was a deeply personal and honest memoir about Nyle's life in the Deaf community, but also about growing up in a Deaf family, his education, his abuse, his sexuality, and his career. I really loved the bits of Deaf history interspersed with the personal anecdotes—many of the stories I remembered from my time studying ASL in high school. I think the partnership with his co-author created some beautiful writing where translation was needed. One of the most important things for me with a memoir is that there is a level of introspection and self-reflection, and that was certainly the case here, especially when it comes to Nyle exploring his sexuality and his previously held misconceptions about what being queer means. I think the ending could have used a little bit of work; it ended quite abruptly, and I would've loved a bit of a conclusion. Overall, this gives a heartfelt and loving glimpse of what it's like to be Deaf in a world designed for hearing people.

CW: child abuse, ableism, internalized homophobia, suicide

Growing up deaf for Nyle Dimarco was not an unusual thing. His entire family was deaf. He went to deaf school. Testing out a public school made him realize he was "different". Nyle does a fantastic job shining light on what is means to be deaf. He has such strong deaf pride and talks about how using terms like impaired is hurtful. There is nothing wrong with being deaf in fact you can do anything you want just the same. I loved to see his journey into Hollywood and the lows and highs of his career. I have always been interested in his story and really enjoyed reading this. I hope many more pick it up and educate themselves more on deaf awareness.

Since I'm not a regular viewer of America's Next Top Model or Dancing With the Stars, I was unfamiliar with Nyle DiMarco's achievements on those shows. However, I do have an interest in books that deal with deafness/Deaf Culture, which is why this caught my eye.

This is a remarkable, stirring, and eye-opening memoir of growing up Deaf in a mult-generational Deaf family. DiMarco entwines Deaf History throughout his narrative, which enhances and enriches his story. His thoughts on his gay sexuality and LGBTQ+ culture within the Deaf community, as well as issues that arose when he dated hearing gay men were intriguing. Throughout, DiMarco asserts his pride in being Deaf as well as the challenges and inequities he and his family have faced,

Librarians/booksellers: Readers who enjoy memoirs that entertain and educate will definitely want to read this.

Many thanks to William Morrow/Custom House and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

#netgalleyarc I’m familiar with the author from his time in reality tv and was intrigued by his story. This book is an open and honest look into his life and it was well-written.

I really enjoyed this book. I first learned of Nyle Dimarco, on Dancing with the Stars and I really enjoyed watching him dance.
This book is really fascinating. Nyle talks about life growing up with deaf parents and siblings and going to a deaf school. It was really a neat glimpse into his life, and learning about people in the deaf community. I would definitely recommend this book .

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Deaf Utopia was an entertaining and educational memoir. I would recommend it to anyone wanting to understand the Deaf culture or anyone wanting and entertaining read. It is both. As someone who is not unfamiliar with the Deaf world it provided me with deeper understanding of how it is to be deaf. I gained more insight into how a deaf person thinks and how that thinking is molded, especially for those with ASL as their primary language. Language affect thoughts and actions, so communicating in a visual mode with different grammar and structure will make something think and process differently. I appreciated the inclusion of ASL concepts in the writing. As someone who knows and has used limited ASL, it reinforced the conceptual differences.
The book was also a good look into the life of someone who grew up and lived a life in a world different than what most of us (hearing) live. The joys and sadness was well portrayed. It took me into that world in a way that is not often available. The bit of history included gave a very good insight into things I was not aware of and helped me understand where things came from and how the are and need to change. I love the behind the scenes view of "reality TV" and how unreal it really is. Fun peak behind the screen.
One topic I wished was covered better was how a deaf child in an ASL primary communication family / world gains English fluency. That is one of the challenges i would see, for an adult to gain full access to the educational and career world to express their full potential. The book makes clear the power of teaching and learning in a dear person's primary and most accessible language. Eventually the deaf person will need English language (reading and writing) fluency to fully engage in higher education and career opportunities.