Reading Lips: Essays on Deafness, Disability and Identity

By Jackie Gonzalez

A Candid, Insightful Essay Collection

Reading Lips is a powerful collection of personal essays by creator and deaf advocate Jackie G (@tismejackieg)--a vibrant, clear-eyed exploration of what it means to move through the world with hearing loss. With humor, depth, and hard-won honesty, Jackie examines communication, connection, and identity through the lens of her late-deafened experience.

Bold, unfiltered, and deeply human. These essays trace the daily negotiations of lipreading, the contradictions of belonging, and the moments of joy and exhaustion that come with navigating sound and silence. Each piece invites readers to see deafness not as limitation, but as another language--one that reshapes how we listen, love, and live.

Authority with heart. With 1.7M+ followers and viral lipreading storytelling, Jackie brings nuance and warmth to every page--bridging education and empathy, and revealing the diverse realities within deaf and hard of hearing communities.

Inside, you'll find:

Honest, engaging essays on identity, self-acceptance, and community in deaf culture
Intimate reflections on how hearing loss transforms relationships, confidence, and creativity
Practical insight into accessibility, lipreading, and allyship in everyday life

If you liked Deaf Utopia, Year of the Tiger, or The Deaf Girl, then you'll love Reading Lips.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1684819172
• ISBN13: 9781684819171
• Release Date: December 2026
• Publisher: Mango
• Length: 256 Pages