"Silent Speech" by Tennessee Hill made me smile from deep inside. In a plainly written yet descriptive piece, the author skillfully writes about her communication with her brother through American Sign Language. Despite the story's seemingly simple situation (a discussion about the author having been burned by a hot pan), this piece is well-written, deeply emotional, and revealing.
      I cannot, by any means, claim to understand the experience of being deaf. But I do feel that deaf culture is one that is widely misunderstood and overlooked, and Tennessee did a wonderful job of bringing light to the feeling and  beauty of American Sign Language. This is especially apparent when she describes the sign for "I love you" as having "the same love I feel when those words are spoken aloud. It feels just as sweet in the form of two fingers and a thumb." I love this passage because I truly felt the impact of the hand gesture, beyond its shape and look. She shows familial love and the bond between a brother and sister all within one sign, and I was struck by its raw emotion. People generally seem to think that when you are deaf, something is lost. In a vivid description of a sibling relationship built on sign language communication, however, Tennessee proves just the opposite.