The Lip Reader
“It’s not what you get in life, it’s what you give back that truly defines you.”
Set in Iran during the 1960s and 1970s, and later in Los Angeles, California, Zhila Shirazi tells her story firsthand. She reveals the real-life struggle of being a deaf woman who refuses to allow adversity to stop her from reaching her dreams of living a normal and fulfilling life.
In 1985, disgusted with the treatment of Jews by the new Islamic government, Zhila immigrates to the United States in pursuit of better circumstances and a chance to receive a cochlear implant to improve her hearing. However, it isn’t until she is forty-nine, when she meets her soulmate, Mickey Daniels, that she begins to feel her life truly complete.
A decade later, after they have fallen deeply in love, Zhila learns that she is suffering from an aggressive form of cancer. In the months that follow, Mickey becomes Zhila’s primary caretaker, and the two grow ever closer as they fight the disease together.
Right up to the end, Zhila shows her caring nature, innate intelligence, and will power to overcome almost any challenge. Her courage and the beauty of her memory is certain to inspire all who venture to follow her on their quest for a truly meaningful life. Winner of the 2022 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Inspirational (Fiction)
Writer Tabby Rafael wrote a beautiful book review for The Lip Reader that was published April 5, 2024 on the Jewish Journal. She says, “In his inspirational novel, The Lip Reader, Michael Thal enables us to experience the nexus of deep compassion and wide-eyed gratitude through the journey of a woman who ultimately frees herself from the emotional burdens of her physical limitations. Here’s the link: The following article can be found in the Jewish Journal in print and on line: https://jewishjournal.com/culture/arts/books/357675/for-a-deaf-woman-from-iran-freedom-never-sounded-so-good/
More recently, in the Summer 2023 issue of Hearing Life, Larry Herbert wrote an excellent review of the Lip Reader He said, “This is an emotional book, weaving sadness and joy into a powerful, uplifting saga of hardship and resilience.” It can be found in print and on line at: https://www.hearingloss.org/wp-content/uploads/hi-2023-3-herbert.pdf