Listen

Genre(s):

• Testimonial narratives, autobiography

Keywords:

• The hard of hearing
• Physical handicaps
• Society
• Committment to a cause
• Human dignity

Audience: suitable for all audiences; fans of testimonial narratives and life stories; handicapped individuals and those who help them (hard of hearing in particular)

Right sold abroad: /

Concept

Not deaf, but not able to hear either: how does a hard of hearing person go about having a normal life? This is the story of how one person was able to adapt thanks to her own tenacity and the unwavering support of her entourage.

Universe and references

• Film La famille Bélier
• Film The Intouchables
• Film Read My Lips
• Battle for the social recognition of handicaps

Pitch

The true story of young woman who is hard of hearing, Listen is her journey in a society that is ill-equipped (at least for now) for those with this poorly understood handicap.

Mélanie Hamm doesn’t really fit in the deaf community, but neither does she fit among the people who can hear. This is the story of how she was able to earn her diplomas and teach at the university level; how she met the love of her life at a poetry reading; and how she was finally able to truly live.

Author

Mélanie Hamm teaches educational sciences. She shares her life with the poet Jacques Goorma.

At a glance

• An unusual life story (handicap)
• Word count: 246,000 characters including spaces
• Available material in English: this presentation (including an overview of the work’s characteristics) and a translated excerpt