The Haynie Public Library hosted a book signing by author Shanna Groves, daughter of former Prague police chief Jim Bartlett. Groves will be signing copies of her debut novel, Lip Reader.

The book tells the story of Sapphie Traylor, a young girl growing up in rural Oklahoma in the early 1980s. Twelve-year-old Sapphie describes her relatives with vivid detail— her mother who lives in a fantasy world, a grandmother born deaf, a stern preacher-grandfather, and an aunt fluent in sign language but lacking in social graces. It is up to Sapphie to solve the mystery of her mother's secret life while finding the courage to forgive and have faith.

Groves was diagnosed with progressive hearing loss at age 27 after the birth of her first child. The book sheds light on how hearing loss affects all ages and how one family copes.

“It is becoming more common among people ages 20-50,” Groves said. “Of course, a family history of genetic hearing loss can make young people more susceptible.” Groves has written about her hearing journey in Hearing Loss Magazine, The Kansas City Star and A Cup of Comfort for Nurses. Lip Reader is her first novel.

Read more about Lip Reader at http://shannagroves.blogspot.com.