Words in My Hands

Sixteen-year-old Piper is Deaf, artistic and fiercely independent, living in a near-future world strained by food shortages, environmental damage and corrupt politics. Her mother has always wanted her to pass as hearing, but when Piper meets Marley, she is welcomed into a community that embraces Deaf culture and sign language. As she gains confidence, Piper starts to question what she has been taught about herself and to find her own ways of getting by in a changing world. Asphyxia tells the story through text combined with paint, collage and drawings, so the pages feel like Piper's own artwork. First published in Australia, the novel won the Schneider Family Book Award.