A Sign of Her Own — Sarah Marsh

A mesmerizing tale of historical fiction that explores the legacy of the telephone centered on a young deaf woman, the prized student of Alexander Graham Bell.

Ellen Lark is faced with a dilemma. After losing her sense of hearing as a child, she's learned from the best deaf school teachers, including Alexander Graham Bell. She is initially enamored by his charisma for teaching and unique mind for inventing, and becomes his close confidante. But after learning about Bell's past, she has a new story to tell -- that Bell has betrayed her and the deaf community in his work on the telephone.

When a rival inventor disputes his right to the patent, Bell asks Ellen to speak up publicly in his defense as his gifted former student. Ellen knows that this is her one opportunity to tell the true story -- her story -- but to do so will risk her engagement, her future prospects and will defy her mother's last wish for her.

Inspired by journals kept by Alexander Graham Bell's real deaf students, A Sign of Her Own casts new light on the inventor and the invention that would forever change how we communicate.