SPOKANE, Wash., November 24, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- In a compelling autobiography, Margaret A. Pitts describes a lifetime of being deaf. In the new book, The Silent Cry: Lost Among the Hearing (now available through 1stBooks), she describes growing up in a time when the public was uneducated about deafness and many people took advantage of her because of this disability.
Born to a family in a small town in Wisconsin, Pitts endured a childhood of abuse and degradation by her father. Her emotional pain followed her into her years at the Wisconsin School of the Deaf. At age 18, she was pushed into the hearing world with American Sign Language as her primary language. Her story tells of her isolation, molestation, abandonment and her battle with a multitude of misdiagnosed mental illnesses. She tells of being forced into robbery and prostitution in Chicago and describes a brutal rape by seven men at a party, led by a man who had manipulated her into trusting him.
Although she tells of dark periods in her life, the book also reveals a life of hope, success and self-confidence. Pitts led a life of beauty in her silence and illustrates how different languages and races came together in harmony during her life. She also offers a personal look at how the public's attitude toward the deaf has changed through the years. Although a captivating true story of one woman's hardships, the book inspires hope with her courage and triumphs. Her words provide a stirring story of faith.
Pitts currently lives in Portland, Ore., with her husband. She is a champion of an Oregon House of Representative Bill to require private proprietors to install fire strobe lights for the deaf. She also spends time making jewelry and crafting silk and dried flower arrangements.
She is currently writing a new book titled Don't Shut Me Out, Hear Me Out.
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