Book Review: True Biz by Sara Nović
[ID: A book cover with an illustration of a hand and colorful block letters laying on a gray wooden floor with a black typewriter. Two black and pearl hair pins frame the book. Three stickers are laying next to it that illustrate ASL signs in abstract.]
“True biz (adj/exclamation; American Sign Language): really, seriously, definitely, real-talk””
It’s official, I’ve found one of my most favorite books of 2022! Thank you so much to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for sending this book my way and making my year. TRUE BIZ (releasing April 5th, 2022) portrays a year in the lives of two students and their headmistress at a boarding school for the Deaf. Each of them faces both personal and political crises that will change them forever…
TRUE BIZ is a five course meal for the reader. It delivers on absolutely every level from the plot to the characters. I learned SO much about sign language, Deaf culture, disability rights, the cochlear implant debate, and language development through this book. It was truly mind-blowing. At the same time, I was thoroughly entertained and moved by the story. The book was enriched even further by the inclusion of Brittany Castle’s ASL illustrations.
I don’t want to tell you too much about the plot because I think it’s best to discover it for yourselves. The characters go on an intense journey of self-discovery that is inspired by real issues and events. The ending itself left me feeling conflicted… It felt perfectly right and yet I wanted things to go a little differently in the last third of the book. Although I’ve seen it marketed as both YA and adult fiction, it’s hard to pin down but seems to combine both worlds.
This book was a treat in every possible way. I could not put it down and since I’ve finished it’s continued to haunt me. This was a 5 star read for me and I’m certain it will be a highlight of 2022! Please go out and preorder this book as you will not want to miss it when it releases April 5th!
P.S. Participating in the preorder campaign will get you these super cool stickers by Deaf artists @meeyadoodles, @58creativity (who also illustrated the book), and @salvadorsanchezartist.