Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law

Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law is a memoir by Haben Girma, disability rights advocate and first deafblind graduate of Harvard Law School.[2][3]

Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law
AuthorHaben Girma
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreMemoir
PublishedAugust 6, 2019 (Hachette Book Group)[1]
Media typePrint
Pages288
ISBN978-1-5387-2872-7

Synopsis

Haben covers the time from Girma's childhood in Oakland, California, to her early professional life as a disability rights lawyer. Her deafblindness is progressive and so she had some sight and hearing as a child.

She attended mainstream public schools and camps for blind youth, spending summers with her mother's family in Eritrea. She had to deal with a lack of understanding from her teachers. Her parents were worried about her ability to take care of herself while on a school trip to Mali and later when attending Lewis & Clark College far from home.

She struggled in finding employment during and after her time in college, and hoped that a law degree would help.

At Harvard Law School, she needed accommodations in the classroom. At the time, her ASL skills were limited but she was no longer able to rely on her residual hearing. She was the one who came up with the idea of carrying a wireless keyboard that would allow another person to type information that would be transmitted to her computer, equipped with a refreshable braille display.

After graduation, she went to work as a disability rights lawyer and won a case that expanded the coverage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Reception

Haben received positive reviews from Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, and BookPage.[4][3][5] It was selected as a "New & Noteworthy" book by the New York Times.[6]

O referred to Girma as "a millenial Helen Keller" in recommending her book to readers.[7] Some media attention focused on Girma's wish to not be called "inspiring" in spite of her challenges and accomplishments, because she feels that it can be a cover for people's pity for her and their own gratitude that they do not share her disabilities.[8][9]

References
  1. "Now Available: Haben". Twelve Books. Twelve Books. 4 December 2018.
  2. Pepitone, Julianne (9 August 2019). "Meet Haben Girma, the deafblind woman who conquered Harvard". NBC News. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  3. "HABEN by Haben Girma". Kirkus Reviews. Kirkus Reviews. 26 May 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  4. Priscilla, Kipp (August 2019). "Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law by Haben Girma - Review | BookPage". BookPage.com. BookPage. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  5. "Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law". www.publishersweekly.com. Publishers Weekly. 22 March 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  6. Watkins, Ali (6 August 2019). "New & Noteworthy, From Prince Albert to a Bird's-Eye View of the Apocalypse". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  7. Cain, Hamilton; Haber, Leigh; Hart, Michelle (7 August 2019). "10 August Books You Should Read Right Now". Oprah Magazine. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  8. Bobrow, Emily. "Haben Girma Is a Trailblazer for the Deaf and Blind". WSJ. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  9. Nahas, Aili (9 August 2019). "Why the First Deafblind Person to Graduate from Harvard Law Doesn't Want to Be Called 'Inspiring'". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
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