Chapter 12, Chapter 13 Summary and Analysis

Chapter 12: After Harvard, Walker moves to New York and gets an editing job with first New York magazine and later Esquire. To supplement her income, she acts as sign language interpreter on nights and weekends. Deaf schools seem to be in the worst parts of town, a comment about how the deaf are neglected in general. She joins the National Registry of Interpreters, and interprets in a wide variety of situations, from court proceedings to hospital settings to classrooms. Walker sees more prejudice against the deaf in her job, particularly in the justice system.

One example of injustice is a boy named El Mudo, who was duped by other teenagers to drive the getaway car during a botched robbery. His own lawyer treats El Mudo with contempt, claiming he was "playing dumb" and wanting to immediately plea bargain because...