"Loved it! Thank you for sharing your stories, your life, your wisdom, your beautiful spirit! It was wonderful to read it... It was really sweet to read through experiences that I could relate to — not exactly the same as my experiences, but similar in ways. Thank you for gifting your book to the world! You’re going to touch many lives with this book!"
​- Haben Girma (First Deaf/Blind Graduate of Harvard Law School)

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Once in a great while, a book liberates you in ways that will astonish you. Amanda McDonough’s warm and moving memoir is one such unforgettable book. What seems like a straightforward memoir about a woman grappling with the fact that she has gradually, then permanently loses her hearing, unexpectedly, becomes so much more. This is a story about grit, self-love, celebration, and finding relatability with a world that I was completely unfamiliar with.

Amanda McDonough writes with unabashed joy and tenderness. In the end, you'll find yourself embracing the differences that make you unique, and the differences of others, who all are here on earth to experience the same human condition in their own right. -Kate Ibarra

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"I LOVE this and this book will be a required reading when I teach Deaf Studies." - Neil Sprouse (ASL Consultant/ Actor)

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"Like Amanda, I have a similar timeline and background. Born hearing, I became profoundly deaf at the age of five, lived as hearing society demanded, and did not know my options as a deaf person until much later in life. Amanda has shown how a person can simultaneously grieve and rejoice with loss. It is a difficult task to express the experiences of a person that must navigate a changing landscape, one in which the external world reacts differently to a person experiencing feelings of sense betrayal. She paints an auditory lens as her original connection with the world and with each new challenge, a new direction that leads to a fuller understanding of what it means to be an "in-betweener." This account also shows the separation that occurs because of individual bias, a painful reminder of how we are different and the barriers they can impose if not acknowledged. Much appreciation for showing the inclusivity of the Deaf community and it's ever-widening spectrum." -Shannon Connell 

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" Love your book!" -Karen Putz (Author and writer for Hands and Voices Blog)

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"Amanda's story teaches all something about who we are, and more importantly, who we should aspire to be.”
-Brian Calvert (Radio Broadcast Reporter)

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I was inspired by Amanda's challenging journey and how she continued to not only strive for a better outlook, but how she mentored others. What a strong, capable and beautiful young lady who has the balls to share her most intimate secrets about hearing loss, battles with bullies, challenges in school and how once we are labeled we are treated differently. Everyone can relate to Amanda's story in one way or another. Time to start the discussion of how we, as a society, need to change the stigma of being different. Amanda chooses to live her life with no limits, I totally admire that. Therefore, that was my biggest take away from this amazing book, "Ready to be Heard". 
-Julie Marie (Amazon Confirmed Purchaser) 

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“Her extraordinary life journey has taught me this- the only thing that makes us stop achieving our dreams and ambitions is our own fear.”
 - Heyjin Jun (USC School of Cinematic Arts M.F.A. Candidate)

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I finished the book in about three days- I didn't want to put it down!  I probably could have finished it in a day, but you know, work.  I loved it.  It was remarkably well written, and really made me feel.... [Amanda McDonough] threw herself into scholastic achievement when so many others (including myself) take the road more traveled and make poor choices.  [Amanda] really embraced life and has lived it to the fullest.  It's amazing!
​-Alison St. Clair

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"My boys were so impacted by [Amanda's] candor and genuine story of overcoming... [Amanda is] having tremendous impact with [her] message of encouragement and example for kids and adults alike.”
–Elizabeth Van Tassel (Author)

 

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"What a courageous young woman! She has been through a lot. She made me tear up when I was reading"
​- Bill Lewis

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“My ASL students LOVED your book and were impacted by your story. Thank you for sharing your life story with us!” - Linni Weishaar (ASL Teacher)

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“Amanda lives a mile from me and my son went to school with her. She completely lost her hearing in both ears during the school years. I recommend the book to anyone with loss of hearing or not” - Gina Berman

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