InTrain Go Sorry, I must admit that the first few chapters of the book just could not capture my attention. But as Cohen gradually worked towards more recent times, it became a lot more interesting. Train Go Sorry is an amazing introduction into the world of deaf education. She followed the stories of James and Sofia as well as her own life story. She tells the story of her father and her grandfather (deaf) who were both important figures in the deaf community through Lexington. She adds her insight into the major issues and controversies in the deaf community. Controversies like main-streaming (teaching deaf children to be more like their hearing counterparts so they can blend in), oralism (whether schools for the deaf should teach in ASL -sign language- or hearing or both) and the movement and empowerment in the deaf community. It was interesting to dive deeper into the deaf world through others perspectives. Yet, the way Cohen changes perspectives between herself and the two students, Sofia Normatov and James Taylor, was quite confusing. It was a bit difficult attempting to keep up with whom the speaker is supposed to be. I constantly had to go back and read again to even somewhat understand it.
The backgrounds of the two Deaf children were interesting though. Sofia was a young Jewish recent immigrant from Russia. She had been instructed to learn American Sign Language and English in order to attend college. James was born and raised in the projects of New York City. Unlike most kids, he did not receive much support from his family and friends. The fact that James, being as bright of a kid as he was, gained so little support from his loved ones is saddening. Nevertheless, James always seemed to be determined to do anything he set his mind to. He encouraged himself to pass the Regents Exam and get a diploma in which he succeeded. Reading about James’ life was actually inspiring- the way he pushed himself so that he would have an equal opportunity...