Goodbye Tchaikovsky

Twelve-year-old violin virtuoso, David Rothman, is plunged into a deaf world, necessitating him to adapt to a new culture and language in order to survive. (Now in its second printing.)

DAVID ROTHMAN is an overnight success. He performs Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in New York’s Symphony Hall with rave reviews attracting the attention of the Queen of England. His future is laid out for him like a well-lit freeway. Then, on his twelfth birthday, David suffers from a sudden and irreparable hearing loss, plunging him into a silent world.

The novel shows how an adolescent boy copes with deafness. How will he communicate with his friends? What can he do about school? Where does his future lie?

At the age of fifty-one I had a severe hearing loss taking me away from my job as a sixth grade teacher. From that experience, I was inspired to write this story. It shows by example how middle school children can cope with adversity. If a person has a willingness to learn and an open mind to explore all possibilities, he can find a way to succeed. 

Audiologist Dr. Shahrzad Cohen AuD, FAAA says,“Goodbye Tchaikovsky is a fascinating novel about hearing loss with an emotional component that does not get taught in schools.”

10-year-old reader, Bryce, had this to say: “Goodbye, Tchaikovsky by Michael L. Thal is a wonderful and moving tale of music, hearing loss, and of course, goodbyes. A 12-year-old male violinist wakes to find that everything is silent. He’s prescribed pills to help. Nothing. He is forced to go to a school for the deaf, where he learns sign language, with the help of his uncle, makes friends, and practices for his bar mitzvah.

David, like many people, feels stuck. While he wants to hang out with his hearing friends, it’s hard to understand them, for they talk too fast and get too restless speaking slowly. His deaf friends sign too fast. He feels he can’t fit in in either world. The author, Michael Thal, is also deaf and therefore can relate to David’s struggles, which makes the story more realistic. If you have a lot of empathy, you will have a lot of cries. If you have a sense of humor, you will have a lot of laughs. If you don’t even like books, you will love this, I guarantee!”

 Won Honourable Mention in the 2012 Hollywood Book Festival.
Won Honourable Mention in the 2013 Paris Book Festival.
Won Second Prize in the 2015 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards in the Young Adult category

Note: Goodbye Tchaikovsky is now in its second printing. You can order directly from the publisher at the link provided.