Author: Antrobus, Raymond
Memoirs
Published on 28 August 2025 by Orion Publishing Co (Weidenfeld & Nicolson) in the United Kingdom.
Hardback | 224 pages
145 x 223 x 22 | 326g
**The 'essential', 'important', 'masterclass', 'must-read' memoir by award-winning writer Raymond Antrobus**'This book left me transformed' CALEB AZUMAH NELSON'Destined to become a modern classic' ROGER ROBINSON'A must-read' ROSE AYLING-ELLIS'Should force readers to pause and reflect' INDEPENDENT MEMOIR OF THE MONTH'This book is an essential education' SAFIYA SINCLAIR'Read this book' LEMN SISSAY'Effortless, often lyrical' NEW YORK TIMES'Changed how I will move through the world' CLINT SMITH'A timely book' GUARDIAN'A masterclass' DAME EVELYN GLENNIE'Brilliant' AMY KEY'A gift' JENN ASHWORTH'A beautiful exploration of an interior life' HANIF ABDURRAQIBRaymond Antrobus was first diagnosed as deaf at the age of six. He discovered he had missing sounds - bird calls, whistles, kettles, alarms. Teachers thought he was slow and disruptive, some didn't believe he was deaf at all.
The Quiet Ear tells the story of Raymond's upbringing at the intersection of race and disability. Growing up in East London to an English mother and Jamaican father, educated in both mainstream and deaf schooling systems, Raymond explores the shame of miscommunication and the joy of finding community, and shines a light on the decline of deaf education in Britain.
Throughout, Raymond sets his story alongside those of other D/deaf cultural figures, from painters to silent film stars, poets to performers - the inspiring models of D/deaf creativity he did not have growing up.
The Quiet Ear is a groundbreaking and much-needed examination of deafness. A memoir, a cultural history, a call to action.