Lip Reader Featured on NBC News-Kansas City

Christa Dubill, morning anchor with KSHB NBC 41 News in Kansas City interviewed Shanna Groves about her hearing loss and new novel, Lip Reader, during the mid-day show on June 9.


Here is a transcript of the interview.


Christa: For today’s everyday parent, we invited Shanna Groves, an Olathe mom and an author, to talk about her new novel, Lip Reader, just actually hit bookshelves on June 1st. This is a pretty big deal for you.


Shanna: It is.


Christa: I first want to talk a little bit about your background, because at the age of 27, you’re this young mom, and you start to lose your hearing.


Shanna: My son had just been born, and two months after that, I went to a doctor with persistent ringing in both of my ears. And I was diagnosed with Progressive Hearing Loss in both ears. Basically what that means is that over time, my hearing will continue to decline. There was no cause or explanation for the hearing loss other than I do have a family history of hearing loss in my extended family.


Christa: So it was one of those things where now you’ve got an 8 year old, a 4 year old, and now a one year old. Folks at home, can you imagine having the hearing loss. You said you have to direct your kids to repeat, or look at you when they’re talking. You do a lot of lip reading.


Shanna: I do a lot of lip reading. My children do have to repeat themselves when we’re driving in the car. I tell them to wait until the car is stopped, and then I’ll either turn around or I’ll look in the rearview mirror so that I can read their lips.


Christa: Yeah, and so now lip reading, you titled the book LIP READER, and this is a novel that you’ve been working to try to get it done. We understand you’re a busy mom, but it’s finally finished! Tell me a little bit about the book.


Shanna: The book involves a family, with the narrator being a 12 year old girl, centered in the early 1980s in a small Oklahoma town. The other characters include her mom, grandparents, aunt, uncle, and a younger sister. Each of the family members in some way is dealing with a hearing loss, or a deafness, a cultural deafness.


Christa: And you said this is sort of, could be inspiring for families if they’re dealing with any kind of hearing loss with the members of their family. To read this might help them understand things a little bit better.


Shanna: Exactly. Christa, the book has a list of resources for people dealing with hearing loss in the back of the book. It also has discussion questions that family members can discuss with their kids who are concerned about why people use sign language, why they lip read, why you wear hearing aids. And, so, it would be an educational thing to share with your children.


Christa: I do want to mention that you’ve got a book signing set up on June 13th, that’s this Saturday, from 1-3 p.m. at the Deaf Cultural Center, that’s on East Park in Olathe. And you said you can get the book there, it’s one of a couple of places you can get it. Also, Amazon and Barnes and Noble.


Shanna: Yes, barnesandnoble.com.


Christa: Ok. But there’s one coming up is this weekend.


Shanna: There is.


Christa: Well, good luck with everything.


Shanna: Thank you.


Christa: And happy parenting.


Shanna: Thank you.


Christa: It can be tough no doubt. We will have that information posted on our website right after this mid-day newscast.