Love for a Deaf Rebel

Schizophrenia on Bowen Island

By: Derrick King

Narrated by: Joe Vaz

Love for a Deaf Rebel introduces listeners to a vivacious Canadian woman who was born into a silent world and with the foundation for schizophrenia. With pathos and nostalgia, the author recounts his roller-coaster ride with Pearl, a vivacious deaf maverick, who, unknown to him, had paranoid schizophrenia. We follow their encounters through actual notes written before Derrick learns sign language; we go on their motorcycle ride to Mexico and Guatemala; we watch as the happy couple moves to Bowen Island, a British Columbia community with just three paved roads.

Pearl and the author marry and build their dream home and hobby farm. They encounter one obstacle after another while building their life together as Pearl’s perception of reality - and, crucially, their perception of each other - begins to change. The author learns what it means to be deaf, what it means to struggle with mental health, and what it means to love such a woman unconditionally - the ecstasy and the agony. There are other books about discovering schizophrenia in the family, such as Hidden Valley Road, and about deaf woman-hearing man relationships, such as Children of a Lesser God, but none that tells the true story of a woman who struggled with both disabilities.

Love for a Deaf Rebel: Schizophrenia on Bowen Island is narrated by actor-director-writer Joe Vaz.

©2021 Derrick King (P)2022 Derrick King

So good

It was recommended to me by a friend and wow am I glad it was! Such a good book. Sad but good and I’d definitely listen again just to hear about their relationship again. The author really makes you feel the love and hurt he felt