Disappointment.
That's my immediately thought after finishing A Song Below Water. Our book club, DEAFinitely Readers, choose this book to read for June - after all, it's summer, so a black siren book that has ASL representation was a must.
Sadly, the ASL representation was really used as gimmick. It was a way to get the Deaf Community interested in reading this book by showing "Hey! We have a character who uses ASL!"
Nope. That's just wrong to do - it's rude, and while it may not be "illegal", it causes harm to the community and makes us not trust a hearing author writing about anything related to deafness.
“I know how it feels to be exhausted with yourself.”
While I may not be exhausted with myself, I am exhausted of authors who write books that have ASL or a Deaf character but do no research and it is a poor - or no - representation.
A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow
“I'm not a monster because I live in a world that gives me impossible choices.”
The main character, Tavia, may have used ASL a maximum of 10 times throughout the book. She is a siren and since they are discriminated against, is terrified of using her compulsion - her siren voice - and so she pretends to have a disability where at times she can't speak. So she signs.
Effie, the other main character, plays a mermaid at a local faire and in order to communicate, she signs underwater. She wanted to learn sign language because she found it beautiful - and everyone should learn it. To me, that is a good reason for a hearing person to learn ASL.
But, still, it was a disappointment to find out that a) there was no true deaf character and b) the actual "representation" was almost a non-issue.
Other Thoughts
Other than the ASL disappointment, there were 2 other areas that I felt were a letdown.
The characters didn't have their own voices. It was a first-person dual POV, and until about half-way through, I couldn't tell the difference in the characters chapters.
The ending was rushed. It had a big build up for Effie figuring out who she was magically and finding her father to having less than 5 chapters that took you through the ending.
The book club voted this book for both in honor of Juneteenth and for the representation. For the representation, it failed. For highlighting and showcasing that Black Lives Matter, what protestors can experience, and the racism that a POC person can face daily, it met the goal. You could really feel Tavia and Effie's emotions as they went through these experiences. I know I have privilege as a white person, and I also recognize that I can truly never truly understand no matter how much I read, or see.
So, overall, I'm struggling on how to rate this book. For the book club, I will not be adding it to the list. I also probably won't read the next book in the series. If I take out the minuscule amount of ASL, and focus instead on how it celebrates and shows the lives of two young black girls, I still would have to give the book 2.5 stars. Because while some parts were well written, I still didn't like that the voices of the girls weren't their own and the ending felt very rushed and honestly, not really fleshed out. Additionally, as a note, it is a young adult book and the characters are written as if they are closer to sixteen than eighteen.
However, would I recommend it?
There were some good parts that I enjoy reading - and several good quotes. Seeing the struggle and the fight to own her siren voice (Tavia) or to own her identity (Effie) and then using who they are to make a difference - that was special and something that young adults need to read.
“We should all speak like sirens. Use our voices to make a difference, because all of them matter.”
So for those who want to connect with a book that has 2 black girls who fight against misogyny and show that black women matter, yes.
“What we need isn’t dissuading, or discouragement, or consoling. We don’t need to be told we’re all helpless. What we need is action.”
One very lovely quote that I enjoyed:
“The thing about being underwater is that it’s not—quiet, I mean. I can’t hear what’s happening above the surface, but when I’m totally submerged, I hear the water. I hear its song, the way it sings to itself and anybody who comes below to hear it. I love the way it never changes, and the way I’m always different when I’m here.”
I'm curious to know others thoughts about the book. Leave a comment and let me know how you felt when reading A Song Below Water.
Happy Reading!
Comments