Echoes of Jerry

by Judah Leblang

Growing up in suburban Cleveland, Judah Leblang felt a deep connection with his Uncle Jerry, an orally-educated deaf man who lived an isolated life between the deaf and hearing worlds. Like Jerry, Leblang felt different too, struggling with his sexuality and trying to find his place in society, finally coming out in the mid-1980s. Many years later, after working in the Deaf Community and later, losing much of his own hearing, the author goes on a quest to understand his late uncle and to give him a voice—this man who died of a heart attack at 44, and who remained a mystery to those around him, encased in his silent world.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction

162 pages, Paperback

Published October 15, 2019

Reviews

[Lynn Jewell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I met Judah over 40 years ago when we were in college. Echoes of Jerry gave me good insight into his many life experiences (before and after college), moves to new locations, and career changes that have led him to where he is today. He is now surrounded by strong community, doing what he loves - writing, performing, and teaching/mentoring writers. As a teacher of the deaf, I was especially interested in his stories of teaching deaf children and studying to become a sign language interpreter. Anyone in the field will understand his description of Total Communication (that was pushed when we were in college) as "visual noise". It was funny that he said after much interpreter training that he still felt he signed with a "hearing accent", yet I felt his frustration. I can't speak for the Gay community, but I'm sure many would relate to his struggles, anxiety, and the feeling of being an outsider as a child and new man. The book is an easy, interesting read and I enjoyed it very much.

[Randy Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moving story, snappy writing, highly recommended!

[DotCathDot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Struck by lingering feelings of loss at the death of a deaf uncle he’d hardly known, Judah Leblang later finds aspects of his own life echoing the life of his uncle Jerry. In Echoes of Jerry, a combination memoir and creative biography, Judah seeks out those who knew Jerry, revisits the Cleveland of his childhood, and explores their shared otherness in a quest to understand the connection he felt but didn’t fully understand. Reviewing their lives, Judah writes tenderly yet unflinchingly of the love, harshness, and disappointments of family; of the misguided mid-20th-century views on the education of deaf children; of the various forms of social isolation; and of his own journey to live authentically. Though Judah learns much about his uncle, Jerry’s life remains elusive: even his unexpected death at 44—just as Judah is on the cusp of finishing high school and starting his own adult life—is inexplicable. In Judah’s deft exploration of the parallels of their lives, he gives richness and dignity to Jerry’s experience as an orally-educated deaf man in a hearing world, bearing the weight of a father’s disappointment. The points of connection also guide Judah’s own (happier) account of struggling with his sexuality, finding acceptance and community, and discovering his voice as a writer and teacher. I finished this book with the deep satisfaction good storytelling brings and with the conviction that sometimes it is loss that shows us who we are.

[Patricia M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Judah LeBlang's Echoes of Jerry is a touching, yet sometimes painful journey as the author navigates growing up in a straight world where he senses he doesn't fit. Early on he feels a strong connection with his Uncle Jerry, a deaf man, also caught in the quagmire of mainstream thinking, forced into oral education and a lifestyle that didn't work. Both men struggled, but before Judah truly understood their bonds, his uncle's premature death left him alone. Judah's loss drew him to the deaf world, where he spent many years teaching, interpreting, and searching to learn more of his uncle's life and to understand his uncle's isolation. And then, slowly, the world began to change. American Sign Language was recognized, and the Deaf Culture that accompanied it was acknowledged. GLBT rights were recognized too. This intriguing web of two men's lives is a search for belonging and and for longing to be able to be who you are, a hunger that is as great as that which demands food. Echoes of Jerry will touch anyone who has felt different or like an outsider.

[Barbara Beckwith]

The depth of this “dual memoir” comes from both the author’s empathy for his uncle Jerry, a deaf man forced to “assimilate” via lip-reading and oral speech (American Sign Language was not yet accepted as legitimate), and Leblang’s own marginalization as a gay man whose coming out took decades, hampered by unhelpful people like the therapist who dismissed his attraction to men (“you’re avoiding your anger at your parents and your feelings toward women”), and by his need to stay closeted at work. His Uncle Jerry eventually got an education, married, raised a family, and held down a living wage job. Leblang eventually shared his life’s challenges (including his own partial deafness), in front of live audiences as well as in his slim, readable, relatable memoir.

[Priscila Drummond · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a seamless and well-built memoir. It is a more rounded book than Judah's first book. It is poignant and light, which is a characteristic I thoroughly enjoy. From the middle to the end, the book converges into the theme of finding oneself by looking for similarities in others (or another, Jerry). And finding communion/belonging while doing this. The end, and the deconstruction of the "hero/victim" narrative, is an important transition to lead to the "happy ending." The repetition of snippets of stories in each chapter moves the story forward and builds, as probably happens with the author/character, the slow process of self-learning.

[Mary Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Judah's style of writing pulls you in to the story from the onset. I'm not a big reader these days, but I picked up this book on a friend's recommendation and was hooked. It's an in-depth look at the life of deaf and hard of hearing population, something everyone should enlighten themselves with. Just as interesting was the life that Judah has lived so far. Not one to sit back and let life happen, not conforming to the status quo, Judah took chances in life and shares these events with meaning and vivid illustrations. As a gay man he describes the struggles he dealt with along the road in our society, while making the most of situations. If you need inspiration to get out and live life, this is a must-read!

[Jean Duffy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A full-of-heart story of a searching for one’s community

Echoes of Jerry is a compelling memoir about being different and the struggles to find a sense of belonging. The poignant stories of the lives of the author Judah and his uncle Jerry are interwoven. Young Judah is drawn to his uncle, who is deaf and faces with the challenges of living in a hearing world. His uncle’s early death leads Judah on a path to engage with and contribute to the deaf community. Meanwhile Judah shares his own journey from initial denial to eventual acceptance of his sexuality and finding his own supportive community.

Judah bravely and eloquently puts it all on the page for us to understand and appreciate the universal need to belong.

[Ronny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Echoes of Jerry is more than just a compelling and heartfelt memoir, readers will identify with the author's message especially if they've ever felt different, cast aside, or found themselves on the outside looking in. Judah Leblang takes great care to share not just his personal story from youth to adulthood set in specific geographic/time periods, but to create scenes that resonate and hit home no matter the reader's age or experiences. There were many things that reminded me of my own life, many lessons to take away. It's incredibly helpful to feel that no matter what you're facing, someone has felt the same way you have.

[Anneli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mostly I read fiction. This is a memoir.
Luckily for me, the author is local to me so I heard readings from it and so bought a copy.

In this slim memoir, Judah writes about growing up in Cleveland, his beloved deaf uncle, his evolving work in deaf communities, and outsider status - parallels between his uncle's as a deaf man when signing was looked down upon, and the author's as a gay man.

You can't know what lessons you will take from others.

There are twists and turns along the way.

I liked how he ended his memoir.

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I appreciated the daily struggles and moral dilemmas faced by the author and his observations of his uncle and family as they spread across the generations. I lost the rhythm on occasion and felt we were being sidetracked by some of the stories. I couldn't connect their point to the overall theme of adaptation, oppression, and freedom. Was interested in the local nature of place which did keep me interested throughout as well as the authors own path to being truly who he is without apology. Glad he had that moment with his father.