Jennifer Pinto

A Voice of My Own Jennifer Pinto

16 year old Amy Taylor has a secret .....her mom is Deaf. She hides this from her friends to avoid ridiculous questions like "Does your mom know Braille?" Having a mom who can't hear or speak is a challenge and Amy often finds herself thrown into the role of sign language interpreter, secretary and mediator between her Deaf mom and the hearing world. She has never minded helping her mom ....until now. It's her senior year of high school and Amy longs to go to college with her friends. But she is torn between her responsibility to her mother and her dreams for her own future. With the help of her friends, Theo and Julie, Amy hatches a plan and sets out on the quest of a lifetime. Will she discover what she is looking for and finally find a way to follow her dreams? This coming of age story explores responsibility, secrets, first love, and the true meaning of family. It describes with a heartfelt sensitivity what it is like growing up with a Deaf parent.