Our Father Abe Response

Our Father Abe Response

CSD 101

3/10/15

Emma Lincks

        Our Father Abe written by Harvey L. Barash M.D. and Eva Barash Dicker was a highly inspirational book that showed Abraham Barash’s hard work throughout his entire life. This book explains the events in ‘Abe’s’ life that led him to be the man he was and how he effected almost everyone he ever met in his lifetime. Written by his two children, Harvey and Eva, it shows the impact that he had on others. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the courage it represents.

        During the beginning of the book when Eva and Harvey describe Abe’s childhood and difficulty experienced as a young boy, I think the really wanted to acknowledge their grandparents-especially Freda, Abe’s grandmother. I think Freda really did everything she could to make Abe successful even though that was not the prime time for a deaf person to be living. It was awesome all the hard work that Freda did to get Abe and his Lillian over the United States from Russia. When Abe struggled with school throughout his young adult life, she kept pushing him even though he fought with her constantly. I think most mothers would do this now a days for their deaf child, but because the deaf were looked at by others as inferior at that time, it’s very impressive that she didn’t just accept that he would be dependent on her and her wife Peter his whole life. I really enjoyed reading a book that talked about people’s real problems instead of sugar coating everything like some books seem to do. 

        One of my favorite parts in the book to read was about when Abe and his eventual wife Hilda meet and dated. I thought it was very unusual that Abe’s mom arranged the whole thing. I feel like in America and at that time it wasn’t a very common thing. But I suppose with Abe’s parents being very strict about him marrying a Jewish woman and the luck that Hilda was also deaf, they thought it was the perfect match. Even though it was sad that Abe sometimes blamed Hilda for him not being able to travel and be more successful, I think they still were very good for each other. It was very shocking to read about the intense fights that lasted for sometimes years between Abe and his parents. 

        Once Abe and Hilda started having children, it seemed like they both matured and started to have a better relationship with their parents. After Harvey and Eva grew up and they started having to help their parents it was very cool to read about what they helped them with. Abe’s shoe store was very important to him obviously and I don’t think he realized how important he really was and how he made people feel. I’m really glad that as his children were growing up, he was able to give them the life he always wanted to. Even though he was worried they might grow up behind on their speech because they couldn’t talk to their parents normal, Abe and Hilda involved them with a lot of UW students renting a room and other hearing children within the deaf community. Before reading this book I had no idea the extent of the deaf community in areas. I assumed they had deaf friends and people they spent time with but I never realized that there was big get togethers that united many people throughout the state.