In Finding Zoe: A Deaf Woman’s Journey of Love, Identity, and Adoption (2014), Brandi Rarus recounts her journey from losing her hearing as a child to adopting a deaf child, Zoe. Struck deaf by spinal meningitis at age six, Rarus navigates the challenges of living between the hearing and deaf worlds while becoming an activist for the deaf community. Her memoir, praised for its original perspective, follows her life from the moment she loses her hearing to the day she meets Zoe, a child who has endured multiple foster homes due to her deafness. Rarus, who has three hearing children, finds a unique connection with Zoe, teaching her how to thrive in a hearing world. The book explores resilience, motherhood, and the transformative power of love, revealing how Rarus’s own experiences prepared her to give Zoe the understanding and care she desperately needed.
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