Deaf Utopia - by Nyle DiMarco & Robert Siebert (Paperback)

About the Book

"A heartfelt and inspiring memoir and celebration of Deaf culture by Nyle DiMarco, actor, producer, two-time reality show winner, and cultural icon of the international Deaf community. Before becoming the actor, producer, advocate, and model that people know today, Nyle DiMarco was half of a pair of Deaf twins born to a multi-generational Deaf family in Queens, New York. At the hospital one day after he was born, Nyle "failed" his first test--a hearing test--to the joy and excitement of his parents. In this engrossing memoir, Nyle shares stories, both heartbreaking and humorous, of what it means to navigate a world built for hearing people. From growing up in a rough-and-tumble childhood in Queens with his big and loving Italian-American family to where he is now, Nyle has always been driven to explore beyond the boundaries given him. A college math major and athlete at Gallaudet--the famed university for the Deaf in Washington, DC--Nyle was drawn as a young man to acting, and dove headfirst into the reality show competitions America's Next Top Model and Dancing with the Stars--ultimately winning both competitions. Deaf Utopia is more than a memoir, it is a cultural anthem--a proud and defiant song of Deaf culture and a love letter to American Sign Language, Nyle's primary language. Through his stories and those of his Deaf brothers, parents, and grandparents, Nyle opens many windows into the Deaf experience. Deaf Utopia is intimate, suspenseful, hilarious, eye-opening, and smart--both a memoir and a celebration of what makes Deaf culture unique and beautiful. Part of the list: Thorndike Press Large Print Biography and Memoir"--

Book Synopsis

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER FROM THE CO-DIRECTOR OF DEAF PRESIDENT NOW!

A heartfelt and inspiring memoir and celebration of Deaf culture by Nyle DiMarco. Actor, producer, two-time reality show winner, and now co-director of the acclaimed film Deaf President Now!, DiMarco both shares his own story and shines a light on the international Deaf community.

Before becoming the actor, producer, advocate, and model that people know today, Nyle DiMarco was half of a pair of Deaf twins born to a multi-generational Deaf family in Queens, New York. At the hospital one day after he was born, Nyle "failed" his first test--a hearing test--to the joy and excitement of his parents.

In this engrossing disability memoir, Nyle shares stories, both heartbreaking and humorous, of what it means to navigate a world built for hearing people. From growing up in a rough-and-tumble childhood in Queens with his big and loving Italian-American family to where he is now, Nyle has always been driven to explore beyond the boundaries given him. A college math major and athlete at Gallaudet--the famed university for the Deaf in Washington, DC--Nyle was drawn as a young man to acting, and dove headfirst into the reality show competitions America's Next Top Model and Dancing with the Stars--ultimately winning both competitions.

Deaf Utopia is more than a memoir, it is a cultural anthem--a proud and defiant song of Deaf culture and a love letter to American Sign Language, Nyle's primary language. Through his stories and those of his Deaf brothers, parents, and grandparents, Nyle opens many windows into the Deaf experience.

Deaf Utopia is intimate, suspenseful, hilarious, eye-opening, and smart--both an inspiring story and a celebration of what makes Deaf culture unique and beautiful.

This is more than just an inspiring story--it's a window into a vibrant world.

• Deaf Culture: From his multi-generational Deaf family in Queens to his time as a college athlete at Gallaudet University, get an intimate, eye-opening look at the Deaf experience from the inside.
• Deaf Representation: Go behind the scenes of Nyle's historic, back-to-back wins on the reality show competitions America's Next Top Model and Dancing with the Stars.
• American Sign Language: Discover the beauty and nuance of ASL in a book that serves as a cultural anthem and a proud love letter to Nyle's primary language.
• Celebrity Memoir: Read the heartfelt and humorous stories of the actor, producer, and advocate as he navigates a world built for hearing people and explores beyond the boundaries given him.

Review Quotes

"Unique and vividly written, the memoir effectively serves a dual purpose: to showcase the author's life and exuberant pride as a Deaf individual and to bring increased awareness to the Deaf community by spotlighting 'the beauty, power, [and] magic of ASL.' An honest, heartfelt, and thoroughly memorable portrayal of growing up Deaf." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"A cheerful but sobering account of [DiMarco's] life so far, peppered throughout with a broad-strokes history of Deaf persecution and advancement. . . . Genuinely informative, and rather ambitious as far as celebrity memoirs go. He does not see himself not as some kind of unicorn, that rare Deaf celebrity to gain a foothold in the hearing world, but as part of an intergenerational struggle." - New York Times

"Nyle DiMarco welcomes you to his world. . . . his book covers the harmonious and heartbreaking parts of his childhood. . . . The book also serves as an education for readers who may not know key facts about Deaf people or moments in Deaf history. . . .Something tells us we'll all be living in DiMarco's 'Deaf Utopia' soon enough." - USA Today

"DiMarco's pride in his Deaf community radiates from every page of Deaf Utopia. . . . [This book] is generous to its hearing readers . . . and it takes the unique step of conveying ASL conversations that employ the grammar and rhythms of ASL as far as possible. . . . This joyful memoir celebrates DiMarco's ambition and adaptability, his journey to understand his queerness, and the vibrant Deaf community that made him who he is." - Booklist

"Activist and model DiMarco debuts with an immensely inspiring story of the experiences, people, and culture that made him 'the proud Deaf man I am today.' Expertly weaving in seminal moments from Deaf history. . . . This exuberant account isn't to be missed." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"An eye-opening and engaging tale of what it is like to grow up in the Deaf community. . . . DiMarco's memories, told with a true gift of storytelling and filled with his big personality, are funny and enlightening for any reader." - Library Journal (starred review)