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Book recommendation - ‘Jellyfish Have No Ears’

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Perhaps a slight segue from usually service…but it does pivot around the decision to enter a programme.

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I’ve just finished reading this wonderful book, an English translation of the original French, which is one of the closest representations of what it is to be hard of hearing. The main character, Louise, is severely and navigates the world via lip reading primarily. Neither hearing or Deaf, her life is upended when a cochlear implant is proposed.

Although I don’t have the same degree of hearing loss, much of this book resonated with my own experience of the workplace and life generally. Well worth a read!

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Thank you! I’m really interested

DaveL

Edit

It’s available for my iPad. It’s $12 US as an iBook.

Along these lines, kind of, does anyone have references to articles that explain to the non-hearing impaired what it is like to lose some of your hearing and how those friends/relatives can be of help?

Edited

Some of the writing by Shari Eberts might be what you’re looking for. See Hear & Beyond7 for example. Her blog at the same website is worth a look.

My experience is that many hearing people find it hard to understand a person’s experience, especially if you appear to navigate life successfully in most ways. Even people you live with can still do things like talk to you from another room (I don’t respond to underline my point!) or while looking away.

In reply to @garethjwells

@garethjwells

I appreciate your recommendation. I’ve read it. It changed my attitude and changed my life. I discovered that I was behaving as a victim that was hard of hearing. It encouraged me to learn to communicate better.
I bought the book; I have it on my iPad as well.

ps Thank you to the person here who recommended the book. Was it you? You truly make a differnce suggesting that others read it.

In reply to @abalosa

I think Sharkey had simulations of hearing impairment. Phonak doesn’t.

Look for the Speech banana If you superimpose your you will see what sounds are affected

I used to think the only way to hear better was to turn up the volume.

Good hearing tests are so important

A good audiologist is so important. My dispensing Audi had good qualities. Yet he couldn’t set up my hearing aids

I see a hearing instrument specialist now. He is really skilled.
DaveL

Best audiologist I ever saw was himself, and formerly of Phonak too. Needless to say, he had a very good understanding of what it’s like but also the right questions to ask me. In one hour, I think I had a level of service I’d never enjoyed before.

Contrast that with another audiologist I saw who complained about the number of programs I had in my , commenting ‘Oh, you’re a fiddler…you only need one programme, the automatic one. Your hearing aids are very smart you know’ implying I wasn’t qualified to know which to use.

A week later I came back, saw a tech for a minor issue and said ‘I don’t think my programs got copied back into my HAs…’ Duly added back with an apology for the oversight.

David Lodge just passed away. His obit is in today’s news (Jan 3, 2025).

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