Enduring Classic

June 26, 2008
Dear F. Wesley Brosman,

How greatly I appreciated receiving a copy of your wonderful book, No Place Else. I have now re-read it several times and have ordered some copies for special friends. It is truly a rare accomplishment because it: recreates a somber chapter in the American experience, brings the reader deeply into your complex early experience, memorializes the few rare teachers who loved, served and believed in you, captures the heart and soul of what it means to be deaf, and illuminates the human spirit in terms of human promise.
In years to come your book will become a classic recreation of the Great Depression, just as John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath has become.
Your enduring classic will be reviewed in major terms as a true depiction of the impact of the effect of the Dust Bowl that our misuse of the land produced. However, for me, it will always be re-read in terms of:
The meaning of deafness in any life,
The importance of books and learning,
The precious gift of a few understanding, supportive and inspiring teachers.
How much we share. As you may guess, I also lived (existed) through the Great Depression. I have also faced ever-increasing deafness.
Please consider Three (!) more books,
Book II The detailed life of your years in high school. I know of no such book.
Book III Experiencing the world of work.
Book IV Your life learning and the perspective from the decades.
So, thank you more than you will ever know.

Esther Matthews

(Added note by FWB: Dr. Matthews is a professor emeritus of the University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon)

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