While growing up in Tehran, Zhila Shirazi soon realized that she had certain peculiarities that made her different from other kids. She was not only a Jewish girl in the midst of hostile Persian Muslims but was also deaf. As if the situation wasn’t bad enough, she couldn’t afford to make use of hearing aids because of unfair cultural practices. Left with no other choice, Zhila perfected her lip reading skills as she struggled to make the most out of a miserable situation. Will migrating to America make any difference or is she bound to experience even tougher challenges? Only time will tell.
Characters in the book include Mrs. Saidi, Ziggy, Zandra, Zandra, Aunt Sabra, Mickey, Parry, Maamaan, Chava, Dalia, Aviva, and Rebecca etc.
The Lip Reader is a gripping true life story narrated in the first person. This book shows that with perseverance, individuals can triumph against all odds—a must read for everyone!
BIO: Michael Thal is the author of six published novels—Goodbye Tchaikovsky, The Abduction of Joshua Bloom, and The Koolura Series—The Legend of Koolura, Koolura and The Mystery at Camp Saddleback, and Koolura and the Mayans. His newest novel, The Lip Reader, written for adults, was published in November, 2021.
Moving from the frigid Northeast to comfy Southern California in 1973, Michael taught elementary and middle school for 28 years until a freak virus left him deafened at the age of 50. He reinvented himself as a writer composing over 80 published articles in print magazines as well as novels for middle grade and high school aged students.
