Deaf Utopia A Memoir - and a Love Letter to a Way Of Life
Before becoming the actor, producer, advocate, and model that people know today, Nyle DiMarco was half of a pair of Deaf twins born to a multi-generational Deaf family in Queens, New York. At the hospital one day after he was born, Nyle “failed” his first test—a hearing test—to the joy and excitement of his parents.
In this engrossing memoir, Nyle shares stories, both heartbreaking and humorous, of what it means to navigate a world built for hearing people. From growing up in a rough-and-tumble childhood in Queens with his big and loving Italian-American family to where he is now, Nyle has always been driven to explore beyond the boundaries given him. A college math major and athlete at Gallaudet—the famed university for the Deaf in Washington, DC—Nyle was drawn as a young man to acting, and dove headfirst into the reality show competitions America’s Next Top Model and Dancing with the Stars—ultimately winning both competitions.
Deaf Utopia is more than a memoir, it is a cultural anthem—a proud and defiant song of Deaf culture and a love letter to American Sign Language, Nyle’s primary language. Through his stories and those of his Deaf brothers, parents, and grandparents, Nyle opens many windows into the Deaf experience.
Deaf Utopia is intimate, suspenseful, hilarious, eye-opening, and smart—both a memoir and a celebration of what makes Deaf culture unique and beautiful.
About Book Discussion Group
Since 2015, Continuing Education has offered book reading and discussion groups. Each semester, a book is selected that allows participants to learn more about the students we serve, our colleagues on campus, and issues in our community. Staff and faculty read the book over six weeks, and meet weekly at lunchtime to share their perspectives in respectful and safe facilitated conversations. For more information on the book discussion groups, contact Kari Borne at bornek@uww.edu.
Register
Spring 2025 Book “Deaf Utopia : A Memoir-and Love Letter to a Way of Living” by Nyle DiMarco. Register by January 6 at https://my.uww.edu/SignUp/Registration/Details/177330