Coming to My Senses: One Woman's Cochlear Implant Journey

Many people now are familiar with cochlear implants, mainly from watching videos in which a baby's face lights up when he or she hears sound for the first time. Blatchford decided to get cochlear implants when she was 67 years old, despite the fact that she had been orally educated and wore hearing aids for most of her life. The author describes her experience in this engaging memoir and includes some of the poetry she had written during that time, because she felt her poems better expressed the complicated emotions she was dealing with. She also recounts some of her earlier life prior to the implantation. Blatchord's story is compelling, and her frank portrayal of life as a deaf individual is enjoyable. Besides her triumphs, she expresses the insecurities and difficulties she faced while navigating a hearing world. So much of the account is very relatable, and it is quite clear how much she enjoys her life.