Deaf Republic by Ilya Kaminsky

I don't read much poetry. The genre as a whole intimidates me in a way. Its stylistic distinctiveness almost necessitates guidance and familiarity, which further requires effort and intent. Which is taxing. 
Deaf Republic, however, defies convention. It is a collection of poems with an overarching storyline organized in the form of a play. It has acts and characters and American Sign Language. I'm not really sure what to call it, honestly. But it is powerful. 

Kaminsky, the author, is deaf. He is originally from Ukraine. These two parts of his identity provide foundational context for this work. Deaf Republic is violent, intimate, crushing, inspiring. It chronicles a town's opposition to an unidentified occupying military force. The residents use deafness as a tool of resistance, turning the conventional disability narrative on its head. Puppeteers are the ringleaders of this movement. This likewise is unexpected as puppets and their masters are more often associated with fear and immorality than esteem. 

The townspeople act deaf and use sign to hinder the occupation. But silence is simultaneously shameful because nobody speaks up to protect others from arrest and public execution. Silence is a double-edged sword. I think Kaminsky is showing that how a tool is used can define the tool itself.  

The writing style is poetically objective. This makes it difficult to derive moral lessons from the story because Kaminsky seemingly takes no side. Things happen, horrible and beautiful, and then more things happen. The question arises, was resistance worth it? Did the people make the right decision? Soldiers continually punish innocents without facing many ramifications. They escalate any affront to a deadly level. It's unclear whether the tactic of resistance is actually "successful". But I think this confusion is part of the point. Fighting back requires a complex cost-benefit analysis that varies by person. Many make the calculated decision to not step in, not raise their voice, over and over. Others choose the opposite. There is no winner or right answer, only the struggle to survive.