In its scope and potential impact, however, the book is enormous. This is an enormously informative, meticulously researched and annotated, fascinating book. It belongs in every lending library on this continent."
Mary Ellen Carew, Perspectives, September/October 1999
"This book is easy and enjoyable to read and not only provides interesting information about hearing impairment and cochlear implantation but also reveals the inside feelings of non-hearing individuals about their silent world."
M.L. Ng, Illinois State University, Choice Magazine (ALA) April 1999
"This book deserves to be widely known ... not only a captivating story in its own right, it is also a fertile field from which to harvest information of every sort on the topic of cochlear implants."
Geoff Brown, IFHOH Journal
"I found reading Wired for Sound such an exhilarating experience that I e-mailed the author. ... A book reviewer for more than 40 years, I can't remember having such an immediate need to praise an author!"
Shirley Stott Despoja, Better Hearing Australia
"I cannot think of a better way to learn about the experience of cochlear implantation and the many issues surrounding this technology. ... [Wired for Sound] is compelling and enlightening."
Mindy W. Sirlin, ASHA Leader
"This book is the most comprehensive overview for the lay person presently available. ... It should have a wide audience and a long shelf life."
Marjorie Boone, Hearing Loss (SHHH)
"Above all, Wired for Sound is a moving story of personal transformation, told with intelligence and a charmingly light touch, that should resonate with anyone who has undergone radical change."
Pat Moffat, The Globe and Mail
"The memoirs are both poignant and poetic in their candor. Biderman gives an intimate glimpse into the impact of her deafness, as well as her decision to have the implant, on family relationships. Medical specialists and educators alike will find this book informative and inspiring.....It demystifies the complexities of deaf politics, defuses the fears surrounding the cochlear implant, and gives a deeper understanding into deafness and its role in the lives of deaf people."
Canadian Book Review Annual, November 2000
Those of us who are hearing tend to take the world of sound for granted. We cannot imagine or recollect hearing sound for the first time, for this early experience is lost in infancy. But it is exactly this - the experience of sound as revelation, that Beverly Biderman evokes. Wired for Sound is a unique personal account, an adventure (sometimes delightful, sometimes terrifying, often funny and poignant) into a new world of sound, acquired through a cochlear implant after 30 years of deafness.
-Dr. Oliver Sacks, author of "Seeing Voices"
The book is very well written and really drew me in quickly. The combination of personal story plus detailed information makes for compelling reading. I literally went through it in one sitting and didn't want to put it down.
Susan Goldberg Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Toronto
A quietly competent book that could prove a valuable addition to the growing library of books about deafness, deaf education, and the difficult choices parents of deaf children face. "Zsuzsi Gartner (Quill & Quire)"
Combines vivid personal experience and great knowledge with a sense of justified excitement about one of the great scientific rescue operations of the modern age. Her account will grip deaf and hearing people alike. --Lord Jack Ashley, author of Journey into Silence
This is a delightful book, which is basically the story of one woman's deafness, her decision to have a cochlear implant, and her determination to make the best possible use of it despite having been deaf for most of her life. But the book is much more than merely one woman's story: it is also an excellent review of much of the history of the Deaf culture, the controversy that surrounds cochlear implantation in children, and the advantages and shortcomings of current cochlear implant technology.
Even if it stopped right there, the book would still be excellent; however, the author also includes extensive references at the end of each chapter illustrating a tremendous amount of work in reviewing the literature on cochlear implants. Finally she includes an appendix listing many organizations to serve as source material for the potential implant candidate or parent of a deaf child.
This book is a "must read" for everyone involved with cochlear implants, be they deaf, parent of a deaf child, manufacturer of cochlear implants, or professional.
-Dr. Noel Cohen (Professor and Chair, Dept. of Otolaryngology, New York University Medical Center)"
