Five Flavors of Dumb

by Antony John

The Challenge: Piper has one month to get the rock band Dumb a paying gig.

The Deal: If she does it, Piper will become the band's manager and get her share of the profits.

The Catch: How can Piper possibly manage one egomaniacal pretty boy, one talentless piece of eye candy, one crush, one silent rocker, and one angry girl? And how can she do it when she's deaf?

Piper can't hear Dumb's music, but with growing self-confidence, a budding romance, and a new understanding of the decision her family made to buy a cochlear implant for her deaf baby sister, she discovers her own inner rock star and what it truly means to be a flavor of Dumb.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Music, Realistic Fiction, Romance, Fiction, Disability

338 pages, Hardcover

First published November 11, 2010

About the author

Antony John was born in England and raised on a balanced diet of fish and chips, obscure British comedies, and ABBA's Greatest Hits. In a fit of teenage rebellion, he decided to pursue a career in classical music, culminating in a BA from Oxford University and a PhD from Duke University. Along the way, he worked as an ice cream seller on a freezing English beach, a tour guide in the Netherlands, a chauffeur in Switzerland, a barista in Seattle, and a university professor. Writing by night, he spends his days as a stay-at-home dad—the only job that allows him to wear his favorite pair of sweatpants all the time. He lives in St. Louis with his family.

Reviews

[~Tina~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Piper has one month to get her high school band, Dumb, a paying gig and if she succeeds she gets to become the band's much needed manger. The only problem is, how do you manage a crumbling band into rising stardom when you don't even know if they're any good?
See...Piper's deaf.

Going into this book, I had zero expectations and pretty much thought it was just another fluffy piece about high school, music and teenage angsts.
Yeah..how wrong was I?

Five Flavors of Dumb is an inspiring and humorous story that features a tough fiery protag, Piper and her five flavors; Ed, Will, Tash, Josh and Kallie. It's a story about a girl finally finding out who she truly is and what she's really made of. Despite the fact that Piper's deaf, sit back and let her show you just want she can accomplish when she wants to be heard.

I loved this book. It's clever and uplifting and funny and I had a lot of fun reading it.
Antony John did an amazing job with Pipers voice and the very detailed storyline that he crafted.
I'm not one for reading music-type-books, and have a few that I actually loved, but this book felt very different from the rest. It meshes the inner workings of the music industry from contracts to negotiations to recording to interviews to finding your next gig, combining it with the true meaning and passion of music while set to a journey of self-discovery. That's a very hard task to create in ya-contemporary, and yet, John makes it look effortless and impressive, not to mention a whole lotta fun.

I really just loved every single one of these characters (minus Josh). They each have there own unique rhythm that bounces off each other.
Piper is a conflicting character. She's strong, dependable and resilient but she's also very blind to her life and the people in it. She also has one of most realistic voices with very understandable issues. She's always felt ignored, alone, disabled...but with the right opportunity truly begins to come out her shell and be the person she was born to be.
The rest of the flavors were also really great, but Ed and Finn were my favorites. Ed's that guy, the one who believes and likes you for you and only you. Everyone needs an Ed in their life. As for Finn, I've always had a thing for strong brother/sister bonds in books and these two are a great example of that.

Bottom line, I loved this book. It surprised me in the best way possible. The writing is brilliant, the characters are likable and the plot is warm and wonderful.
If your a fan of music or a fan of ya-contemporary or just a fan of feel good reads, this one goes out to you.

Well done!

[Reynje · Rating 4 out of 5]

I sort of rode into my teenage musical awakening on my older siblings’ grunge/post-grunge coat tails. Well, since coats aren’t very grunge, maybe the tails of their oversized flannel shirts. Which means that as my social circle nudged the periphery of theirs, it was Nirvana and Pearl Jam playing in darkened living rooms, The Stone Temple Pilots and Silverchair’s “Frogstomp” in the car CD player etc etc

Now that I’m older, and I find myself getting a bit crotchety when I see a kid in those of those mass-produced Ramones t-shirts and wanting to shriek ”do you even know who they are?”, I have to wonder if the generation preceding mine felt a similar protectiveness over “their” music. If they eyed my fourteen-year-old self askance when I “borrowed” my sister’s cherry red Doc Martens and tried to emulate what I perceived as her particularly cool brand of apathy. (It never worked, I have always been far too dorkily earnest to pull it off).

But I guess part of the beauty of music is that for each person the discoveries feel like they’re being made for the very first time, profound and deeply personal, no matter how handed-down it really is.

This journey of musical and personal epiphany forms part of Piper’s story in The Five Flavours of Dumb, and I have to say that this reading experience had more than a touch of nostalgia about it. Piper undergoes her own musical awakening of sorts when she takes on the role of managing high school band Dumb, with the goal of securing them a paying gig within a month. It’s a means to an end: replenishing her recently raided college fund. And Piper also happens to be deaf.

The cover quote describes The Five Flavours of Dumb as “a love letter to rock music”, and that’s partially true. Set in Seattle the story traces a path through the musical history of area, most notably touching on Nirvana and Jimi Hendrix, and their respective musical legacies. But more than that it charts Piper’s growth from a manager out of necessity to a girl with a genuine passion for what she has become embroiled in, and a greater understanding of the power of music.

Piper is one my favourite protagonists of late - she’s intelligent, resourceful and driven, yet not without insecurities and a streak of naivety. I confess I found those Ed and Piper scenes extremely cute. I wish Ed would make me a coffee. John has also created an cast of relatable supporting characters, a varied group of “flavours”, though some are more nuanced than others. And while I found Piper and her story both hilarious and witty, John doesn’t shy away from the tougher aspects of the plot, in particular the strained family relationships and perceptions of Piper’s deafness.

While ASL and Auslan are different, I think that Chrissie Keighery’s Whisper handled the explanation and incorporation of sign language into the plot better. I’m not sure that it comes across as clearly here that sign is it’s own language, with unique grammar and syntax, and there are not always equivalent translations into English. That said, I liked how it was used to explore Piper’s different dynamics with the characters, particularly her father and brother.

Another minor complaint is that some aspects of the climax beggar a little belief, especially in terms of how the Josh / Kallie situation was resolved, but honestly I found it all too entertaining to be bothered that much.

I had a feeling that I was going to like this book from the synopsis and a few reviews I’d read, but I really wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. The humour and seriousness are well-balanced, and it never feels like an “issues book”, nor does it read like it’s being glib with the subject matter. It’s an endearing story, but it isn’t twee.

It’s a fun book, but it has heart. Recommended for anyone who’s ever wanted to embrace their inner rockstar, but didn’t think they could.

[Nic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 4.5 stars

Favourite Quote: "Music. It's not about those things. It's about a feeling. It's about expressing yourself. It's about letting go."

I have being trying to write this review for days and I am having a hard time trying to sum up what makes Five Flavors of Dumb so special from most other coming of age stories. It could be Piper's believable and heart felt voice or the loveable bunch of supporting characters or the constantly entertaining plot or the wonderful writing. But whatever the reason is I loved it!

John's writing makes you feel like you are there with the characters. And what an awesome bunch of characters to be hanging out with. They would have to be some of my absolute favourites. Piper is just awesome. Strong, witty and inspiring. She isn't perfect, she makes mistakes but she learns from them pretty quick. Then there is Piper's brother Finn. I loved the interactions between him and Piper. It was absolutely hilarious at times and then they would share a really touching moment. I kind of wish I had a younger brother like him.

There is also a little bit of romance in the story that will make you wish your were Piper (and of course swoon all over the place). And awwww the first kiss, so perfect and completely goofy grin worthy. So I suggest not reading that part in a public place like I did!

Music is another important element in the story. It takes you behind the scenes of the music business. I for one am a big fan of stories regarding music and I loved Piper's journey into the music world.

Overall, Five Flavors of Dumb is funny, smart and completely heartwarming. A must read!

[Cara · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know how people say that something is made of awesome? Well this book is really made of awesome. The concept is golden. A girl who is deaf managing a band? Does that even work? Oh yes it can.

Piper Vaughan is eighteen, a good student that gets stellar grades, president of the chess club, and deaf. Oddly enough she gets recruited to be the manager of the local high school band Dumb. She has her reservations at first of course, but the recent emptying of her college fund drives her to try this and get some cash. As it turns out the band needs a lot more help than she knew. How was she suppose to know they were so bent out of shape? The band goes through ups and downs, and Piper feels everyone of them. Dumb (the band) becomes her life but things start to get really ugly. Can Piper keep it together so the band has a chance to survive?

The book deals with a lot of things: Piper being deaf and how that affects her interaction with people, connecting with people through music, and coming to terms with who you are. One of the things that stood out the most to me was how Piper had a family (they aren't MIA like in many young adult books) but who have problems of course. I think the family dynamic is spot on. The people in the family are real people who have flaws, make mistakes, but at the end of the day they do love each other. Piper comes to realize that she wasn't alone as she thought. Then there is the musical aspect of the book. Since the book is set in Seattle we hear about Kurt Cobain and Jimi Hendrix. I can honestly say I'm not into this type of music but now I get the appeal. It's interesting to see music through a deaf person. Piper can tell how music is so enigmatic, moving, and tells the story of people. It can capture a moment and through this experience she learns that and so much more.

There are so many enticing characters. I mean I don't think I can even write about them without coming up short. My personal favorites were (not including Piper) Finn (Piper's brother), Kallie, and Ed. All of them are exceptional in their own way, for good and bad reasons. I so wish I could give you guys a rundown of each character but read the book. You'll get what I mean, and it would be so much better than what I could come up with.

I'm not giving the book enough credit with my review. Just go and fall in love with music again with Piper. The girl who can do anything, even hear music.

[Mike Mullin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I hadn't read this book. Well, not really, but there's a chance I might meet the author in November, and now I'm going to have to put on a wig and pretend like I'm not really Mike Mullin because I'll be too nervous to meet him.

Anyway, the book: insane humor and gentle humanity wrapped in a cloak of grunge rock attitude. Five Flavors of Dumb is six flavors of brilliant!

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Original post at One More Page

In 2007, I wrote a NaNoWriMo novel with my main character as the manager and the guitarist of a Christian band. I had a pretty good idea for a story, really, with the band looking for a female vocalist and I figured the hardest part was writing about their chemistry. It turned out it wasn't. The hardest part was writing about music because even if I've helped produced some concerts before, I still didn't know how it feels like to be in an actual band, or even to just manage one. Suffice to say, that was one of the hardest novels I've tried to write.

But that doesn't stop me from putting singing characters or bands in my stories. I don't know why -- maybe it's a frustration because I know I am hardly musical? Oh I listen to a lot of songs, but I usually pay attention to the lyrics and not the music. Maybe it's because I have a secret dream of being a rock star or a manager of a band?

Antony John's latest novel, Five Flavors of Dumb spoke to my inner rock star and band manager. I've been eying this book for the longest time (even made a Want Books post about it) ever since I saw it from That Cover Girl. I was planning on waiting for the actual book to arrive but I had an ebook itch I needed to scratch and I was very easily swayed when she convinced me to. And this is one splurge I am very glad I did. :)

Five Flavors of Dumb tells the story of Piper Vaughan, deaf girl, who gets recruited to be the manager of Dumb, the new rock band in school. What would a deaf girl know about music, right? But Piper says yes to it after she finds out that her parents used her college money to buy a cochlear implant for her baby sister, Grace, who was born deaf. She has one month to bring in the cash, and it would have been easier for her if Dumb actually worked together...but as luck would have it, it wasn't. And craziness ensues.

Five Flavors of Dumb is such a fun read from the start all the way to the end. I loved Piper's voice. If you didn't read the blurb, you'd honestly be surprised to find out she was deaf as she revealed it. I loved how smart and snarky Piper was despite her circumstances, and the fact that she was hearing impaired made her rock some more. I love how the other characters were more than what they were at first, particularly the other girls, Tash and Kallie. The characters were a diverse group, and it really brought out the "flavors" in the novel.

There's also a lot more going in this novel other than Piper's deafness or managing the band. This book also tackled some music history (Kurt Cobain and Jimi Hendrix, for those who are curious), passion, a bit of self-image and a lot of family. I was torn between Piper and her family when tensions rose about her deafness and her sister's cochlear implants, and normally I would think it was unfair for Piper. I hated Piper's father at first for being so prejudiced against his daughter, but he had a good redemption in the end. It really is a difficult situation for a family to be in, anyway. The choices that Piper's parents made are choices that they shouldn't have to make, but they have to and just find ways to deal with what happens after. I loved how that issue was resolved and how everything was tied up at the end. To put it simply: it rocked.

I was kind of expecting it to be like Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway (which I also liked a lot), but Five Flavors of Dumb had all the things I liked about that novel, and more. This is one of the books that I think I will also get in print version when I see it in the stores here so I can lend it to other people and they can read for themselves how much this book rocks (and the cover is just really pretty). Don't miss out on this one rocking your world. :)

And you know what? This book just gave me a problem. I'd need to fix my Top 10 reads of 2010 again to make room for this one.

[Steph | bookedinsaigon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Antony John’s novel would more appropriately be called Five Flavors of AWESOME. This rocking good book will make you want to jump up and cheer, for wonderful characters, great narration, and an absorbing and uplifting tale.

I’m really quite bowled over at how well John captures the voice of a teenage girl. Piper may be deaf, but she struggles with many of the same issues as other teenagers: her dreams of independence and acceptance battle her sense of familial obligation, she wishes she could blend into the crowd yet simultaneously wants to be respected. Incredibly, Piper never falls into the YA cliché of the smart and quiet good girl who breaks out of her shell. She is down-to-earth and resilient despite years of having to struggle against the current, particularly her family’s subpar ways of dealing with her deafness. She is truly a character that I would be proud to call a friend, and gives contemporary YA female protagonists everywhere a good name.

A story cannot propel itself on the strength of a well-written protagonist alone, and happily supporting characters in FIVE FLAVORS OF DUMB are just as fascinating, just as complex. The band members different personalities and problems with one another are believable and add a good amount of conflict to the story without being too messy or overwhelming. The changes that Piper and her family undergo in their relationships with one another truly take the cake, however. It is subtle yet prominent, optimistic without wandering into unrealistic happily-ever-afters.

FIVE FLAVORS OF DUMB is not simply a book about the music business, or being deaf. It is, rather, the story of an incredible girl who learns how to be proud of who she is, and beautiful in her confidence. Highly recommended for those who enjoy a strong read that reminds us about why we love contemporary YA: for that gem of a character into whose journey we get irrevocably swept.

[Janina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had very high expectations for Five Flavors of Dumb and therefore am a little disappointed although I can say that overall; I had a good time reading the book. It was a quick read, but on a whole, more on the forgettable side than something that made a lasting impression.

Piper is the new manager of Dumb, a high school band riding on a wave of quickly fading popularity after winning a local contest. Nothing special you say? Well, Piper is deaf. Will she be able to contradict her classmates’ prejudices and help Dumb to lasting success? Piper wants to make a change, wants to show everyone that being deaf does in fact not mean being invisible. She wants to break out of her shell and stop being the girl in the front row only the teachers like.

What I really loved about this book were the family dynamics, especially Piper's relationship to her brother Finn and her baby sister Grace. Also, I often felt furious on Piper's behalf when her parents were concerned, and I totally got how hard it was for her to swallow down her anger towards them sometimes. I found what they did inexcusable, putting her sister before her and using all her college money to buy a cochlear implant for the baby. All in all, I thought the issue of Piper’s deafness and how her family perceived this "disability" (how her father often called it) that never felt like one for Piper herself was portrayed extremely well.
Piper's friendship with Ed was lovely as well, their chess games, how they slowly opened up to each other. I’d say the outcome of their relationship was probably a surprise only to Piper, but I thought it was very cute.

On the other side, the music business part felt kind of forced and often unrealistic. Can a former garage band consisting of only partly talented high school students really rise to fame that fast and even receive recognition from fellow musicians for their skills? I somehow doubt it. Dumb came across as a big work in progress in one chapter (its members only being able to play three different chords on their guitars, never playing in time), but they only needed a little motivational talk and a talented drummer to fix those problems.
The scavenger hunt through Seattle, visiting Kurt Cobain’s and Jimi Hendrix’s homes, had much unused potential as well. Those episodes could have really added something to the story, but I just found them incredibly boring.

All in all, I think I just wished to really be able to understand how it felt for Piper to not be able to hear. Obviously never having experienced deafness, I wanted to be able to do it through her. I'm not sure if this sounds weird, but the author did not succeed in giving me this experience.

[Keertana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five Flavors of Dumb is a novel I’ve had on my radar for awhile, but one I simply brushed off a countless number of times. It was never a priority on my list, but when I found myself stranded waiting for a long time with nothing to read but this novel on my Kindle, I decided to give it a shot. Well, it would be an understatement to say I was pleasantly surprised because more than anything, I was simply astounded by the depth of this tale. Five Flavors of Dumb is more than “just another music novel.” It’s a story about family, friendships, discovering yourself, and ultimately, belonging.

One of the main reasons Five Flavors of Dumb and I hit off so well was because it was a primarily character-driven novel. Piper is the type of protagonist I love. While she knows she’s intelligent, she fails to see the other remarkable traits she possesses in a very realistic manner that never makes her come across as vain. Furthermore, as a deaf heroine, her perspective of life is different, all while seeming to be achingly familiar too. Seeing Piper grow, adjust, learn, and make long-lasting bonds of friendship was simply beautiful. John makes your heart beat in sync with that of his characters, so you as the reader are completely invested in their tale, even if you didn’t think you would be.

In addition, Five Flavors of Dumb sheds a notable amount of light on band dynamics. As a lover of music, I adored seeing the dysfunctional members of this band, Kallie, Tash, Josh, and Ed, finally come together to create something more than just music. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that the friendships Piper forms with these band members was reminiscent of the friendships formed in Melina Marchetta’s Saving Francesca. They were just as heart-warming and touching to read and I found myself cheering for this group the whole way. Lastly though, I have to mention Piper’s relationship with her family. Not only was it achingly realistic, but it is also so rare to see such an honest portrayal of family life in contemporary literature. I can’t do any justice to it through descriptions, but just know that it made tears come to my eyes on more than one bittersweet occasion.

I can’t recommend Five Flavors of Dumb enough. If you’re a lover of music, slow-burning romance, well-rounded characters, and unfailing character friendships, then you simply must pick this book up. Five Flavors of Dumb may have been my first Antony John novel, but it will, by no means, be my last.

You can read this review and more on my blog, Ivy Book Bindings.

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's hard for me to put into words how much I enjoyed reading "Five Flavors of Dumb." Antony John presents a brilliantly savvy, realistic voice through Piper, a deaf teen who ends up - inadvertently - becoming a manager for a rising teen rock band called "Dumb". It became clear to me from the opening paragraph of the novel that I would be in for a ride with a protagonist that would actively question the decision of the band naming themselves Dumb. At first, I kept thinking this might be a lighthearted foray in the vein of a book like Lemonade Mouth, but as I read forward through the story, it became so much more.

To say that it's the story of a teen who struggles with managing the band, however, is not the only thread that manages to engage within the heart of this story. The story presents a realistic look at Piper's world - struggling with family issues, dealing with facets of her identity, and even finding the value in her relationships all while navigating historical threads of music and uncovering the passion and zeal that comes with the craft. Piper stands above many teen protagonists in that the issues she struggles with have weight. There isn't any conflicts that are introduced here for the sake of drama or exaggerated - the investment in not only Piper as a central character, but also the band members, Piper's family and surrounding characters creates an environment where one can feel for the events that transpire. I didn't cry reading this novel, but there were sentimental moments that got to me (including one conversation that Piper has with her father and the way he reaches out to her).

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and would recommend it to those who love coming of age stories, realistic teen fiction, and music. One of my favorite reads in 2011.

Overall score: 4.5/5

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a refreshing YA read. I loved this book, it was so different from others in that it wasn't a coming of age focused on a romance, but on the main character's own personal development.

Piper is deaf. She makes a deal with the members of the band Dumb to be their manager and get them a paying gig by the end of the month. She can't hear the music but to her its all about the feeling you got watching the band perform. As the book goes on she becomes really invested in shaping the band to be the best it can be. Meanwhile she struggles with self-confidence and feels alone even in her family. What I loved to see throughout the book was watching Piper become her own person. The more she began to take control of her position in the band the more that translated to her personal life. It helped her open her eyes to things she hadn't noticed before and learned from it.

This book had some other great characters that I fell in love with: Ed, Kallie, and Fin. In their own ways they helped Piper be who she wanted be.

This was a very touching book and I loved that music was a big part of it.

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One word: Emotional.

Which is crazy because that was NOT the way I'd expected to react to this novel. It's about a rock band! It's called FIVE FLAVORS OF DUMB!

And yet this novel has so many layers and story arcs and relationships that I found myself getting totally, completely invested in it. The main character, Piper (yeah, she doesn't love the irony of it) is deaf, and yet finds herself manager of a mess of a rock band, with thirty days to get these guys a paying gig-- or lose her job.

It's an uphill battle, because even her parents can't resist the urge to snicker at the idea of a deaf girl managing a rockband. When she finds out they raided her college fund to pay for cochlear implants for her baby sister, she's filled with conflicitng emotions, anger the least of them. The connection they shared because of the shared disability is gone, and Piper is all alone again.

The setting in this one-- Seattle-- also plays an impact on the story, as the rag-tag group of teens find themselves visiting Kurt Cobain's mansion and Jimi Hendrix's shack.

I loved every chapter, every page, every sentence. It was beautifully told. I hope you all check it out!

Mandy

[Daisy Delfin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book I read that tackled the theme of kids who could hear but lost their hearing, was called Tone deaf by Olivia Rivers. Both books do have the music theme. But I think Tone Deaf spoke more to me.

This book was a surprise but I was so angry that the parents played favorites. They gave the College fund of their oldest daughter away so that their deaf youngest daughter could get an cochlea implant. I do understand this, but I don't understand how you can't talk to her first? Just pressure her that she has to understand when they never bought her new hearing aids. I could bond with her anger.

The FMC had to so a lot of growing up but not with responsibilities but with mingling with people and she starts managing the band dumb. She has to bond with the band members and also try to figure out, that the people are interested in her, more than she thinks. And she has to lean to feel and understand feeling of other people.

In many ways the book was well done. It was clear, that the author did do research on this topic. He also tried to get professional help here. Working with the Band wasn`t sunshine ans roses. a lot of things didn't go smoothly. But that's actually realistic. The FMC had a lot of family problems. She and her Dad had to change their dynamics and they did. Took the adult a while to understand why he needed to lean to sign.

All in all, this book was a good suprise and is now my second favorite book with hearing disability.
Having grown up with a deaf person, I do understand that their are many challenges for the. Especially the fear of speaking weird when they lean to speak by imitating other people but they never hear themself. It is difficult. Also a lot of people think that deaf people can't communicate well with other people. But that's so false. They can communicate with signs and body language even if it's not the signing deaf people use. And it works well, if you are willing to jump into it and give it a try.

[Miranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been on my radar for a while when it first caught my attention back in November ‘10, when I saw that it had a deaf protagonist. It’s rare to find characters with disabilities in YA outside of an issues book, and the blurb sounded great. Combine that with the fact that everyone and their dog has been praising this book, and my need to read it grew pretty dang high, as did my expectations.

Let’s just say I was not disappointed. At all.

I’ll get the bad stuff out of the way first, because it’s such a seriously small list that I may as well. There was a character in the latter end of the beginning that was introduced, a DJ at a failing radio station that Dumb gets an interview at, who was portrayed in a way I didn’t like. He’s a fat man (and he’s fat because he eats junk, as evidenced when Piper sees him pull a bag of gummi bears out of his pocket. Newsflash, not all fat people are fat because they eat junk food) and he’s pretty much portrayed as a loser. He leers at and comes on to Kallie (who is seventeen, and he’s in his thirties) and we’re obviously not meant to like him. I’d be fine with it, except Piper made a few disparaging remarks about his weight, and we’re obviously meant to see him as a loser because he’s fat, in addition to being creepy. I’m quite tired of that cliche being portrayed as acceptable. It stood out to me because I’m a fat woman, and because of the over all strength of John’s characters. They’re all obviously fully realized people, so to see that stereotype pop up was incredibly disappointing, especially in a cast of extremely strong characters.

Now on to the good!

The amount of YA cliches Five Flavors of Dumb breaks is almost astounding. For one, the story is more focused on Piper’s journey as she learns to handle the band, grow up, and deal with her strained family. There’s a very slight romantic angle for her and another character, but honestly, it took up maybe forty pages of a 352 page book, if that. It wasn’t the focus of the book and it wasn’t the focus of Piper’s life. But what we DID get of the romance was beyond awesome, and it’s definitely a romance that other writers should take notes from. They respect each other, he respects her agency, they fight sometimes and have disagreements, they have lives outside of each other... it was honestly a little shocking to read because, to be frank, I’ve gotten used to lead couples in YA being obsessively in lust, not love, with each other. There were times when I honestly had to put the book down and sigh happily because, finally, a couple in YA did it for me.

Another great thing is the characters. They’re all greatly rounded and well written, but I want to focus on the female characters, Tash, Piper and Kallie. I loved these girls. I love how they do start out unfriendly towards each other, their emotions ranging from uneasiness, dislike to downright hatred, but then they grow and learn and finally respect and love one another. They all have moments of empowerment, which was amazing to read. When Kallie first joined the band I was afraid she was going to be the evil slut girl of the group--you know, the one who wanted Piper’s true love and therefore was a horrible girl for it? Well, more fool I. Kallie ended up being my favorite character out of all of them, right next to Piper. A scene of hers near the end of the book moved me right to tears, and it’s not often that a book or a character does that. I love that Antony John gave us people, not cliched characters. The only character I wish we had maybe gotten more development on was Will, the lead singer’s brother, but honestly given his personality I think it was deliberate on John’s part not to focus so much on him.

There was another situation that I thought would go the way of the YA cliche, but again, more fool I! One of the band members ends up becoming the most hate-able character in the book (and that’s saying something considering who I’m going to be talking about next), and he does a lot of stuff that’s passed off as romantic in some popular YA right now. I dreaded reading his story arc, because I was SO scared everyone would forgive him for being an abusive, creepy jerk. But no. Everyone calls him out on his crap, and he’s portrayed in a VERY negative light as the abuser he is, and the resolution to his storyline was so, so pleasing to read. I honestly cheered when I realized what John was going to do with him. Big props to Antony John for that

The other two characters that stood out to me were Piper’s parents. At first I honestly hated them because they made a decision about Piper’s younger sister, who is also going deaf, that was an extreme breach of trust between them and Piper. I’m not saying that I’d know what to do in that situation, or that it’s an easy situation to deal with, but I do know that I’d talk it out with my kid first and ask their permission instead of going behind their back. The way they handled it was just horrid. Add to that the fact that her Dad is quite honestly a total jerk for the better part of the book, and I just did not care for them at all. However, John does eventually redeem them, and that was no easy feat. It’s a credit to his writing skills that I was able to come out of the book not loving her parents, but at least liking them instead of outright hating them.

But hey, at least they’re actually present and trying to parent their children. A lot of other books seem to have mysteriously disappearing or conveniently absent parents to make their plots easier to write.

Antony John has obviously done his research about deafness and has taken every measure to portray it well. The conflicts Piper has because of her being deaf and being surrounded by people who aren’t were well written, and I loved reading her POV. From the little details like realizing John hasn’t written in any kind of sound description, unless people or objects are close to Piper and her hearing aid, to the big things like Piper tackling the issues that arise from her deafness head on with other people, including her family. I have major respect for Antony John and how he portrayed it, because he obviously did it with the greatest respect himself.

Five Flavors of Dumb is definitely one of those books that lives up to its hype. From the strong cast of characters (especially the women) to the strong, respectful writing, it is absolutely a book every contemporary YA fan should check out. I’ll be eagerly looking forward to devouring future books from Antony John.

[Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy) · Rating 5 out of 5]

After spending years working with children with various disabilities, I find I can be pretty critical of books with characters with special needs. In the case of FIVE FLAVORS OF DUMB, I was worried at first. Though I am hearing, I did my graduate program in education at Gallaudet. In addition to my experience as a Deaf and Hard of Hearing Teacher, I have also been a Special Education Administrator. I had to wonder, as I started, how much would this book irritate me or how much would it ring true? By chapter 3, I was admittedly a little annoyed. Yes, hearing aids are expensive. Yes, they come in all kinds of bright colors which young children like. But seldom would a 17 or 18 year old be wearing the same pair of hearing aids as when they were 7 or 8 years old (i.e., the character would have physically outgrown her hearing aids automatically necessitating new ones). And even with "olympic precision" lip-reading, we are talking about someone getting only 46% of spoken language?! I was concerned that if John had taken some creative licenses to fit his story or failed to get some basic details where would the rest of the story go? So I took a deep breath, reminded myself that the average reader would not know this and moved on. And I am very glad that I did.

First, I like books that I would call "ensemble" stories. Meaning that all of the characters truly play an important role in the book and develop along with the main character. This is an ensemble book - Piper may be the main character but her family, and the members of the band all have significant roles to play and they all grow and develop over the course of the story.

Second, yes, there is some romance in the book...but we don't spend page after annoying page reading about every detail of how wonderful, beautiful the lusted after romantic target is. It is subtle and appropriate to the story.

Third, not only does the book focus positively on a character with special needs but also has characters of various ethnic/racial/socio-economic backgrounds. Yay for diversity that is not overly done but included in just the right way.

Fourth, I actually appreciated many of the adults in this book even with their flaws. Piper's relationship with her parents are some of the most honest and real things about a deaf child dealing with hearing parents - this is one part that I felt John nailed. I also liked the interesting advice and mentoring she received from Baz, Mr. Belson, Tash's mom, etc. And though Piper's brother Finn is not an adult (so maybe this should go under another point but...) - I find myself pleasantly pleased with how that relationship developed. It was surprising in a very good way.

Finally, despite my initial irritation over the technical details and sometimes wondering if John was trying to fit some of the deafness to his story, I definitely found myself loving the book. The book's back drop of Seattle, mentions of Nirvana & Cobain, and Hendrix provided a complimentary and story enhancing references. Once I started it, I pretty much couldn't put it down.

Since I can't change a couple of the technical things, I am giving this a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

[Sofija · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five Flavors of Dumb is the cream of YA genre. I loved this book to pieces! Educational, inspiring and just plain fun!

It is a story about 18-years-old deaf girl who became school rock band manager. Quit simple plot, isn’t it?

At first I was a little bit concern about male author writing from female POV. But Antony John did a wonderful job. If I didn’t knew I would never guess it was written by a man.

Piper became one of my favorite characters! Not even once was she annoying or unreasonable in any way. She was smart, fun, and resourceful and as one of her teacher said “calculating, conniving, and generally vicious”. I liked that despite her deafness she doesn’t count herself as disabled. And she finds it strange and a little bit offensive when other people do.

I loved the Vaughan family dynamics. With out-of-job father, long-hours-working mother, fully-hearing brother and deaf little sister there are a lot of problems in their household. It was nice to read about them overcoming these problems and support each other like real family should do.

I love music. Any kind of it, in any form. But I am especially fond of rock. And this book spoke so passionately about it that you couldn’t help to be inspired. There were moments when I would stop reading in the middle of a story and just go listen to Nirvana songs.

Dumb was one hell of a rock band. All the members were writing masterpieces. Fame-seeking Josh, indifferent to all except his guitar playing Will, hard and always angry Tash, music loving beautiful Kallie and finally geeky gentlemanlike drummer Ed. All so unique, with their own unforgettable flavors. One of the best secondary character cast I’ve ever read. I would like to meet and be friends with them.

This book had no mean girls, no pages upon pages describing some guy hotness, not even a hint on any love triangle. The romance in it is delicate and sweet like little sprinkles on big chocolate cake with thick lair of frosting (the cake will still be delicious without it, but sprinkles make it even better).

You often expect the book portraying disable characters to be dark and angry and heavy. But Five Flavors of Dumb was anything but. It was very light, fun, spirit lifting book that warms you.

I think you all should read this book. It will make a great pastime!

[Christina (Ensconced in Lit) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five Flavors of Dumb is hard to describe and simultaneously do it justice-- most superficially, it's about a band named Dumb and a deaf girl aptly named Piper who serves as their manager.

Things I loved, and there are many. As a reader, my heart and soul is in characters, their development and their relationships with each other. And boy, was this book a rich breeding ground for that love. In most typical books, there are one or two characters who stand out in my mind as favorites, but in this book I loved them all. Each of Piper's family members is deftly drawn, loved and cherished. Both parents, Finn, and even little Grace is given their due. I was very moved by the conflict between Piper and her father. The pinnacle of that conflict was done pitch perfectly, and I remember gripping the pages, willing myself to get through it. I felt everything that she was feeling, and at the same time, I felt everything that her father was feeling. I loved how Piper and Finn started to see their father as a real person and not just as their father.

Don't even get me started on the band members. I will always have a special place in my heart (and a bit of a crush) on Ed Chen. Tash was vibrantly painted, a splash of color on every page. And Kallie. Somehow I knew she had a big story to tell, and I wasn't disappointed.

I am also a musician and loved all descriptions of the music, but the way the story is told, even non-music fanatics will be drawn into the rich description of the music and the band, the stories of the bands from the past and the great artists that came before.

Other surprises: I cried. Twice. Which I do not do often. And two twists that I completely got wrong. And loved that I was wrong, because the answers were so right.

The last thing I want to add is that I never questioned that Piper was a girl. I was so amazed that Antony John got the tone of a teenage girl so right. I was completely impressed because that is hard to do for even a female writer.

If it's not already patently obvious, I was floored by this novel even though I started it with high expectations-- it completely delivered in ways that I never expected. Antony John will be a force to be reckoned with in the YA genre. I will definitely be following his novels eagerly for years to come.

[Gwennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book a long while ago. The back synopsis at the bookstore made me curious but once I got it I just kept pushing it off for other books.

What a friggin damn shame!

This was a really good book. I'm astounded that it was written by a man. I'm not trying to say that men can't write, they can. There have been many books written by men that I enjoyed, even books that contained a romance. I'm astounded though, because in my experience those books MC's are generally men (or boys). As I type this I realize that Fault in our Stars had a female MC, but that's John Green and I'm familiar with him, I never questioned that he could pull it off. Antony John surprised me because while the back sounded good I was a little put off by an author I'd never heard of before writing a book about a deaf girl. Add to that there's a slow developing romance in there. A really friggin good slow developing romance.

I suppose that maybe the end was too perfect, but sometimes don't you just want that perfect ending, especially after it comes on the heels of all that strife? Sometimes you just want to feel good. This book made me feel good. Piper and Ed felt good. Finn, he was such a little cutie!

And the references to music were awesome. I want to rock some Kurt Cobain!

There's so much good in this little gem. It's a feel good YA, a little angst but a happy ending, similar to Anna and the French Kiss. So fun!

Mr John, if you read this, big kudos to you. I'll read pretty much anything you write.

[Disability in Kidlit]

Review written by Andrea Shettle for Disability in Kidlit. Follow us for more MG/YA reviews from a disabled perspective!

On the rare occasions that I stumble across a book featuring a disabled character while browsing, I gravitate to it. But I also feel afraid. Afraid to invest my hope in finding characters I like only to feel betrayed—again—to find that the character most like me is just there as a prop for another character’s personal growth.  Afraid to feel betrayed—again—by an author only interested in using disability as a metaphor for “broken” or “twisted” spirits.  As if our bodies belonged to them to use as metaphor.  As if either our bodies or our spirits were automatically broken or twisted just because we are people with disabilities.

If you understand how badly disabled readers need to meet ourselves in a book, and if you also understand how often we’ve been betrayed, then perhaps you’ll understand the mingled excitement and trepidation with which I approached the task of reading Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John. The protagonist, Piper Vaughan, is a young deaf woman finishing her last year of high school. She’s smart, academically successful, mainstreamed at a public high school, a wicked good chess player, and interested in attending Gallaudet University in part so she can finally be among other deaf signers like her.  In these ways (apart from the chess) she is like me if you subtract a quarter century from my age.

In the story, Piper struggles to manage a new high school hard rock band called “Dumb”. Struggles, not because she is deaf, but because the band is comprised of members who do not always get along well. In the midst of all the drama involving “her” band, Piper also is figuring out how she wants to relate to her parents and her two siblings.  The dynamics of how this plays out in the story is much influenced by Piper being deaf and her family hearing.  But the dynamics are also much influenced by Piper being an ordinary adolescent figuring out who she wants to be as she emerges into adulthood.

If you’re just reading this review to know if there is a deaf/Deaf reader who is comfortable recommending this book as being largely free of stereotypes and other problematic representation, then here’s my short answer: Yes. Despite some flaws, it is clear the author did his research. I enjoyed this book and recommend it.

That’s the short answer. If you want analysis, this is where I get into that.

Let’s start with technical accuracy in portraying deafness. When dealing with things other than music, Antony John is pretty consistent in how he portrays Piper’s ability—and lack of ability—to hear the sounds around her. This is what makes it frustrating that he robs her of all ability to appreciate the music (or, as is often the case for this group of novice musicians, the chaotic noise) that the band, “Dumb”, produces.

Piper can hear well enough that her hearing aids significantly boost her ability to lip read others, at least in quiet situations where there aren’t other sounds to compete for attention. There is even one scene where she is able to catch a few words that another character speaks directly into her hearing aid even though she cannot see her face. Piper hears better than I do—just like plenty of real-life moderately deaf or hard of hearing people.  Although I hear some loud, low pitched sounds and some limited speech, there’s nothing “moderate” about my hearing loss.

All this being the case, when Piper is standing close enough, she should be able to hear the sound of Josh singing even if she still misses what the words are.  She should be able to hear Finn demonstrating a chord on his guitar even if she cannot reliably distinguish one chord from another or whether each chord sounds the way it should.  And she also should be able to hear the band well enough to decide if she likes their music or not.  In my case, I do hear music well enough—if well amplified—to know what I like and don’t like.  And Dumb is never stingy with their amplification.  Piper, who hears more than me, should be able to hear it also.

I think Antony John may have meant to amuse his hearing readers with the apparent “irony” of a deaf girl managing a band she cannot hear. Unfortunately he is apparently so enamored by this concept that he has allowed it to override the overall accuracy he otherwise achieved so well. If I had the power to direct a re-write, I would encourage him to consider either making her ability to hear and enjoy music more consistent for someone with a “moderately severe” hearing loss, or else making her more profoundly deaf (though the latter would mean making her less of a champion lip reader).  I also would encourage him to consider the fact that there are many deaf people who love music even if they cannot hear it at all.  They love the sensation of vibrations from a strong beat thrumming through their bodies, which can work well for hard rock and other loud, rhythmic music.  And Anthony John does, in fact, sometimes describe Piper picking up the vibrations of the music in her body.  So why should Piper be so alienated from the music that her band produces?

Despite this and some other minor issues, Antony John’s depiction of what it can be like to be deaf is still mostly on target. There are many little things he gets right, like Piper needing to remove her hearing aids before a hair stylist starts to wash her hair, or the fact that it’s easier to lip read people when they’re directly across the table from you than it is if they were next to you.

Although the author does fall for the tiresome trope of the champion deaf lip reader, Piper’s lip reading abilities are nevertheless largely consistent with her level of hearing loss. I also count in his favor that Antony John manage to show that lip reading isn’t an easy task even for a champion like Piper. She misses a homework assignment when the teacher’s announcement competes with the sounds of other students preparing to leave class.  She has trouble understanding speech in the poor acoustic environment of the girl’s bathroom.  It comes clearly that even a stellar lip reader is still working their butt off to make it work.  It is clear why Piper prefers to use sign language when the opportunity is available.

Other things I like: Antony John avoids the trope of a single disabled character alienated from the disability community. Although she is apparently the only deaf student at her school, Piper does have a deaf friend who, like her, feels most comfortable signing. Granted, this is a friend who has moved away, which means Piper can only chat with her via computer.  But it’s nice to see validation of the fact that many people with disabilities, particularly signing culturally Deaf people, have connections to others who share their disability and highly value these connections.

Antony John’s depiction of how hearing people react to Piper’s deafness is also true to life. Some, like Ed, seem comfortable with whom she is and adapt easily to her communication needs. A few other characters are obnoxious jerks who patronize Piper and underestimate her capabilities.  And many characters are trying to do the right thing—at least sometimes—but are still somewhat clueless.  This mix of reactions can be tricky to get right in fiction.  I’ve seen other efforts that either have their disabled characters living in an unrealistically inclusive utopia, or else there might be one scene with clumsily blatant prejudice that does little to give a sense for the pervasiveness of micro-aggressions toward deaf people in daily life.  Antony John steers the balance between these extremes well.

I also like the balance Antony John strikes between showing both Piper’s limitations as a deaf manager of a rock band and the strengths she is able to use to evade these limitations. She cannot, for example, realize without being told that the band only knows how to play songs that use a specific sequence of three chords. But she recruits her brother, Finn, and her friend, Ed, to help identify these and other weaknesses she cannot assess on her own.  Meanwhile, Piper discovers a knack for marketing the band and negotiating deals.  She also is able to “read” the dysfunctional relationships among the band members through sharp-eyed observation of facial expressions and body language, even in contexts where she cannot understand everything they say.  She sometimes stumbles in managing these relationships—as you would expect from a young, inexperienced adult.  But she learns from her mistakes.

Here, let’s shift gears to look at other kinds of diversity.  The cast of Five Flavors is almost exclusively white, cis, and straight with the story set in a “predominantly white, middle-class suburb of Seattle”.  There is only one important character, described as having dark skin, whose mother is African American. There is one other major character, Ed, whose last name is Chen.  Otherwise, there is little racial or ethnic diversity, even among minor characters.  It seems we are meant to read characters as white unless told otherwise.

Also, apart from Piper’s family temporary money issues, most characters seem to be either middle class or wealthy. Poverty is only addressed when the characters visit the old homes of rock stars. Antony John’s language often becomes lurid in passages that talk about poverty.  I usually found myself feeling uncomfortable while reading these passages.  They made me wonder if the way he writes about poverty is what some poor people have meant when describing the sensation of having their stories presented to the world as a form of “poverty porn.”  Meaning, packaged to elicit emotional responses from people who haven’t experienced poverty without consideration for how poor people feel about their own experiences or about the presentation of their stories.

I think Antony John means for his descriptions of the former poverty of rock stars to elevate the importance of rock music for readers.  But if so, these don’t have that effect for me.  There were other scenes, in which characters talk about the personal meaning of certain pieces of music to them or in which characters react to the music they are listening to, that I felt were much more effective.

Despite my criticisms, I enjoyed getting to know Piper through this book and watching her grow as a problem solver, as a rock band manager, as a sister and daughter and friend.  Although this book was weak in other areas of diversity, I feel that Antony John did a solid job of handling a deaf protagonist and hope he will consider writing more novels with disabled characters in the future—perhaps including a sequel to Five Flavors of Dumb.

***

Andrea Shettle, a program manager at the U.S. International Council on Disabilities (USICD), is passionate about disability rights both domestically and internationally. At USICD, she coordinates an internship program for students and recent graduates who aspire to careers in international development. She also assists with the national campaign for U.S. ratification of the international disability treaty, Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). In her free time, she reads voraciously. She blogs (and reblogs from others) about disability rights, the CRPD, and disability representation in books and other media. She published a fantasy novel in 1990, Flute Song Magic , which is out of print. Find her on Twitter and LinkedIn.

[TheBookSmugglers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally Reviewed on The Book Smugglers (2010) and as part of the Nerds Heart YA Tournament 2011

REVIEW

Ana's Take:

Five Flavors of Dumb was one of my notable reads of 2010 and I was super happy when I heard it made the final of this tournament. I think this is a book that celebrates diversity in a very positive, uplifting way and it well deserves to be in the final. In the interest of being totally fair, I decided to read it again to see how it would fare on second reading. And do you know…I still love it.

I still feel this book is well-written, engaging, with a bunch of vivid characters and a lot of fun. Having said that, I do have to say that perhaps the book is too neat – every single problem is resolved by the ending, all problems addressed. It is perhaps an unrepentantly happy book - not that there is anything wrong with that.

Since this is a tournament to celebrate diversity in books, I have of course to address the fact that the main character Piper, is deaf and I will quote from my original review since my opinion hasn’t changed about that:

And finally, of course there is the fact that Piper is deaf. That put me on guard before starting the book as I was worried that her hearing impairment would be the beginning and the ending of her characterisation. But being deaf is not what defines Piper as a character at all. It is of course part of who she is, how she interacts with the world and the people and a source of conflict especially amongst her family like her father’s horrendous lack of skill when dealing with Piper and avoiding sign language like the plague even though it’s Piper’s favourite way of communication. Speaking of language, I love how Piper observes how different people use the sign language in different ways to talk to her: some use it as a way to soften her up, because no matter what she always felt gratitude when someone uses it but also there are other characters who learn it as a way to show her how they respect her.

Piper is an awesome character: she is smart and resourceful. But she is also a bit of a prick when the book starts, judgemental and even resentful of her baby sister and that makes her even more awesome because she feels like a real person, with all the good and bad, instead of a Pollyanna-type character. It is easy to understand too, both her behaviour and also that of her parents – just imagine the situation they are in: three kids, one completely healthy, one whose deafness developed over time and one who is born deaf but who with an operation would no longer be. How to deal with all of it? It is a hard situation with no easy answers and I think that the author addressed it all really well.

Thea's Take:

As I said in our last review for this tournament, contemporary YA is not really my forte. I had heard of Five Flavors of Dumb not just from Ana and her review last year but from other reviews across the blogosphere, so I was at least familiar with this title when I started reading. And you know what? This is one lovely, charming, uplifting book. I agree with Ana on all counts - the book is well-written and the characterizations are the heart of the novel, particularly Piper's narrative voice. The frustration that Piper feels with her family is painfully rendered and powerful. The relationship she has with her parents - her anger with her mother and distant, resentful father as they dote on Piper's baby sister Grace (who was born deaf but because she's so young was given an expensive transplant with money taken from Piper's college trust) - is a layered, complicated thing. Her relationship with her brother, Finn, is also a complex creature, as - how many several years older siblings are wont to do - she tends to underestimate, misunderstand, or even ignore her freshman brother. There's also Piper's relationships with the band, Dumb, and how she becomes their manager and helps maneuver them into the limelight with a climactic final performance. I loved the time spent with the female members of the band, with curmudgeonly Tasha and (supposedly) vapid Kallie and how they are revealed to be so much more than appearances suggest. In contrast, the male band members are slightly underdeveloped (with the exception of Ed, who is awesome), but since the other characters and Piper, in particular, are handled so well, I can hardly complain.

On a tangential note, I also loved the very clever way of introducing younger readers to rock icons like Nirvana and Jimmi Hendrix - because Piper is deaf and doesn't have that grounding in musical history, as she learns their stories, new, younger readers that don't necessarily know about these legends also get indoctrinated - and never once did this feel inauthentic (it's ingenious, really). Five Flavors is as much about a girl finding her voice and growing up as it is a tribute to Seattle - not just musically, but also with subtle odes to the city itself (even down to the weather and love of coffee). But I digress.

At the end of the day, Five Flavors of Dumb is a fairy tale. It's the story of a struggling band trying to make it, filtered through the unique perspective of a band manager who happens to be deaf. Along the way, even if the band doesn't make it, each of the characters learn something invaluable about themselves and each other, and grow because of it. My only criticism for this novel isn't really a criticism at all: the story is sweet, happy, uplifting, and...well, like a fairy tale. There's nothing wrong with that at all and does not diminish my love for the novel in any way - but it does mean something in the context of this Nerds Heart YA Tournament, in my opinion.

Is It Award-worthy?

Ana: Abso-freaking-lutely. Now the hard thing will be to decide between this one and the other finalist as they are both so good and deserving but in different ways.

Thea: I think this is a fantastic, lovely, fairy tale of a book and I thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end. I completely understand and support the fact that it is a finalist in this competition. After finishing this one, though, I immediately knew which of the two NHYA titles would be my pick for winner.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely, positively, and profoundly AMAZING!

Piper is trying to bring the high school rock band "Dumb" some paying gigs on a certain dare. And given that fact that she is deaf isn't an incentive to the situation.

She struggles not to be jealous of her baby sister who has had a cochlear implant surgery and now can hear almost perfectly, of her brother who has escaped her fate altogether, angry at her father who refuses to sign when it is her preferable way to communicate.

Her band "Dumb", also has problems.
Kallie, who has been asked to join only to be an eye candy.
Josh, the proudly obnoxious jerk.
Tash, a girl who seemingly have only joined to ogle at Will.
Will, who shows no emotions at all.
Ed, the geek in the making of a rock star.

I have thoroughly loved every chapter of this book and have tasted all flavors of Dumb and totally fell in love with them all.
Don't hesitate to pick this book up. Because even in the worst of times, this book will still be able to cheer you up. =D





"I know managing Dumb must be very difficult," she said,"but in the past week I've had my guitar unplugged during a recording session, and been cussed out by Tash. Now you're threatening to sue me if I quit. I don't know what to do."
I swallowed hard. "I'm sorry," I mumbled.
"Me too. But I still want you to know that I think you're a really good manager. And I don't hate you at all. I don't even hate you for having blond hair, and gorgeous blue eyes, and a chest people can actually see. Or for the way people listen when you open your mouth." She began tearing up again. "You're deaf...but I may as well be dumb."
She didn't wait for a response before leaving, but that was just as well-nothing I could have said would have made things right.


Over eighteen years, I had done so much to earn the trust and respect of my family and peers-a lifetime of noble works, you might say. And yet it took just eighteen minutes for me to perfect the art of lying, misleading, and perverting truth for personal profit.
Friday OCtober 26, 1:23 a.m.: the moment Piper Vaughan develped a taste for being bad.


In phrases long and short, scrawled and carved, Kurt Cobain's apostles had composed eulogies to their fallen leader. And however much I wanted to dismiss the words as simple graffiti, I couldn't ignore the sentiment or the distances covered on the way to this place, the final destination on the Kurt Cobain pilgrimage. I could have been cynical, of course, but that would have been dishonest. Because the painful truth was that each and every person who had sat on that seat before me had experienced music in a purer, more visceral way than I could evven begin to imagine. And I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't profoundly jealous of every single one of them.


"Be honest, though. Do you think I'm going to like this look a year from now?"
She replaced the hairdrayer in its holder with the utmost care.
"Does it matter?"
I thought about that for a moment. "Well, I guess I don't want to believe that this is just a stage, you know? That next month I'll wake up and say, 'That's not me at all.'"
Cassie leaned forward like she was about to divulge a secret.
"Honestly, one day you will wake up and say that. And no matter what godforsaken mess KAllie ends up with today, she will too. And so will Tash, and everyone else who comes in here. But you're worrying about the wrong thing. Don't worry about wanting to change; start worrying when you don't feel like changing anymore. And in the meantine, enjoy every version of yourself you ever meet, because not everybody who discovers their tru identity likes what they find."

[Kat (Lost in Neverland) · Rating 3 out of 5]

True rating; 3.5

Being the manager of an oddball band called Dumb isn't easy. Especially when you're deaf.
Already struggling at home Piper Vaughn is doing just that.
Let's be honest; Piper's life kind of sucks. Her parents ignore her because of new baby Grace, particularly her father who doesn't know how to sign and fails to communicate even just by talking. It turns out her parents took money out of her college fund to buy hearing implants to Grace, so now she and her family are broke.

When Dumb comes into the picture, Piper thinks it's going to ruin everything...and it does. At first. But it's Piper's only chance to earn a little money so she can buy herself into college.

The five flavors, or members, are all different, unique, and weird in their own ways.

Josh: Lead singer. He's marked as 'egomaniacal pretty boy' but he's really a rich, perverted, annoying-as-hell jackass. And he totally deserved what he got in the end.

Will: Bassist, and Josh's brother. He's silent, and doesn't care much about anything besides music.

Tash: Guitarist. Angry most of the time, and hates the newest member of the band, Kallie.

Ed: Drummer, and an awesome one at that. And he's also a smexy nerd.

Kallie: Guitarist, but talentless. Josh just wants to hook up with her, even though she sucks. But she's also useful as eye-candy for the band.

Five teens, all put together, mix in a deaf manager, and you have Dumb. Literally.

Piper's parents were the worst. I was glad they were a part of her life, unlike most other YA books, but they were so annoying. They kind of made up for it in the end, but getting through the family parts was extremely difficult.
The book itself was hard to get through, because it's super slow paced. Heck, I almost gave up on it on the 30th page.

Okay, so, favorite characters? Finn and Kallie. Finn is Piper's 14 year old brother, and I just really liked his character. I have no idea why I like Kallie, maybe because she's real, as in has a tough life? And I completely expected her to be the 'mean girl' in the story, but she surprised me by being kind, sensitive, and compassionate.
When I think about it, I liked a lot of the characters actually.
Ed was awesome. A NERD love interest?!



I make ALL of my love interests nerds, and I finally find a book that also does! Plus he has such a sexy name. Ed.

Tash was a tough girl, with spiky hair and anger issues. Cooooool!

Piper confused me. At times, she was so awesome I could hug her, but then in other times, she wouldn't stand up for herself and it made me want to scream.

It's a decent read when you can get past the slow pacing of the book. I probably wouldn't recommend it to people who are used to fast paced books, because this one reads like a snail wrote it.

[Isamlq · Rating 4 out of 5]

If the cover doesn't get you to read it, then the blurb will:

The Challenge: Piper has one month to get the rock band Dumb a paying gig.
The Deal: If she does it, Piper will become the band's manager and get her share of the profits.

The Catch: How can Piper possibly manage one egomaniacal pretty boy, one talentless piece of eye candy, one crush, one silent rocker, and one angry girl? And how can she do it when she's deaf?

Piper can't hear Dumb's music, but with growing self-confidence, a budding romance, and a new understanding of the decision her family made to buy a cochlear implant for her deaf baby sister, she discovers her own inner rock star and what it truly means to be a flavor of Dumb.

I LOVED IT. The characters are pretty hilarious.

First there's Piper. Oh, Piper, Piper, Piper... what can I say about her with spoiling the book? She starts out as this solid student but by the end of the story she's found her niche... boyfrend and everything! I liked her. I found her amusing, at times I found her 'denseness' annoying, but all in all she's a good lead especially considering what she had to do. She also painted a pretty bad picture of her dad; midway I didnt understand why she still lived with them.

The five flavors: Josh, Will, Tash, Ed and Kallie. The blurb shows only a little of the things I really liked about them. Tash, Ed, and Kallie in particular were quite cute.

Then there's Finn... Jiminy Cricket, anyone?

It definitely isn't a "real" read if you catch my drift, but it's quite fun.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Piper opens her big mouth at school which she normally tries hard not to do, and finds herself as a result, manager of a high school music band group. There is one little problem. Piper has committed to finding a paying gig in one month and she has no idea if the band is any good since she happens to be deaf. Excellent exploration of a hearing impaired girl's life. I love the fact that she is not a victim but stuck with a big problem, her hearing.

2018: It is so nice to read a YA book I can respect! I read this in hopes of finding another book I could toss from the house. It didn't work since I am keeping this. On the other hand, it was nice to reconnect with Piper. This is what I'd like to see more of in YA. Teens who are not devastated because they move away for a few years or other rather minor issues. This was a good exploration of several issues and concepts: that Deafness, like Blindness, comes in a huge number of varieties and that deaf rarely means entirely deaf; A great short tour of a couple of Seattle's finest contributions to modern music; that the persistent boy gets the oblivious girl; the problems a girl can face because she is gorgeous and not taken seriously; How a family has to renegotiate the family pact when big changes happen, and still remind each other they are loved. This is a book that only seems simple but has many different themes well woven into the main plot.

[Cary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must confess I don't really like hard rock music. I never did but this book has really achieved something in giving me a better image of rock music.

Honestly, i dont find Five Flavors of dumb a catchy title but thanks to the high ratings given to this book here in goodreads, i got curious enough to give it a try. Indeed, this book is really great! I love every part of it--the characters, the plot, the theme. Who would have thought that a deaf girl can be a manager of a rock band and Piper is perhaps one of the str0ngest character i've ever met. She never let her disability keep her from getting what she want.

[Jabiz Raisdana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fun and cute and rock and roll! It has some layers of complexity about growing up and how teens deal with identity, parents and authority etc...as well as some stuff about how families deal with (dis)differing abilities.

This book will not change the world, but it will make your week. If you like music and the rock and roll spirit give it a spin.

[Jenn G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things I liked about this book
1. The main character is deaf which is very interesting since she's the manager of a band.
2. The journey of the music history of Seattle. I love rock music!
3. It was about music

Things I didn't liked too much about it
1. Josh
2. So.many.fights.
3. Too long sometimes.

If you love rock music and different characters read it!

[Eden · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS BOOK. THIS BOOK.

It's so wonderful. I don't even have the words for it -- Piper's strength, Finn's awesomeness, Ed's adorablenesss, the growth of the band... READ IT. Go read it. And then you'll understand my speechlessness.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.

[Scarlet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a sweet book about a family, friendship, love and music.
Last 25% blew me away!
I am a big fan of Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain so this was pretty awesome to me.

[Sisters Three · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, yeah I didn't finish...got to chapter ten and they had already used the other kind of dam three times, h-e-double ll three times, and blasted me with the 'a' word....so not finishing...
~Kayti