Silence Isn't Golden - Paperback

by Mary Shelton (Author)

Silence Isn't Golden" is an autobiographical story about the life of Mary Louise Shelton. It starts in rural North Carolina with her hearing- impaired bi-racial parents who move to Detroit, Michigan where they are able to wed and start a family. Mary and her brothers are all born hearing, but Mary becomes the interpreter for her parents. Life takes her from Detroit to Los Angeles and then full-circle back to North Carolina. It is the heart-breaking story of the sexual abuse of a small child along with other family tragedies that impact her life and the hard road to recovery that takes a lifetime to achieve. It is not a book for the faint-hearted but was written to inspire others who are recovering to never give up! The subject of sexual abuse, the difficulties of living in a silent hearing-impaired world and the tragedy of siblings lost, all serve to shape the author into who she is today. Mary does this with frank and candid skill which translates to an accomplished, inspiring and thoughtful book. Truly, Silence Is Not Golden!

Author Biography

Mary Shelton lives and works in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina where she has resided for nearly three decades. She has served on the Board of Directors of the Optimist Club, is a member of the Fuquay-Varina Writers Guild, and is a certified Ambassador for Peace. Mary was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan to hearing-impaired parents and worked as a Social Worker in Michigan and California. After a family tragedy, she moved to California in 1976 where she continued her career in Social Work and taught American Sign Language at California State University at Northridge. ASL is Mary's first language. After settling in North Carolina in 1989, she began a career with American Airlines, taking early retirement after 15 years to care for her aging parents in her home. She became an Interpreter for the Deaf. More than a job, it was a commitment to a voiceless community; a commitment she continues to this day. Mary has a passion for the hearing-impaired and their treatment both in and out of institutions. This is her first book chronicling her life living with parents who could not hear and did not speak along with the unkind treatment they suffered because of their disabilities. Mary, too was caught in the family cycle. Her book tells about the sexual abuse she endured at the hands of a relative and how it has impacted her life. She encourages all who suffer any kind of abuse to speak out until someone listens and helps. Silence indeed, is Not Golden!