The Loudest Silence

By: Sydney Langford (Author), 2024, Hardcover

Two disabled, queer teens find belonging in this poignant platonic love story about singing, signing, and solidarity.

Sixteen-year-old Casey Kowalski dreamed of becoming a professional singer. Then the universe threw her a life-altering curveball—sudden, permanent, and profound hearing loss—mere months before her family's cross-country move from Portland to Miami. Now, faced with the dual challenges of starting over at a new high school and learning to navigate the world as a Deaf-Hard of Hearing person, Casey is mourning the loss of her music while trying to conceal her hearing loss from her new schoolmates.

Soccer captain Hayden González-Rossi is facing his own challenges. Three generations of González men have risen to stardom on the soccer field, including Hayden's older brother. Hayden knows his family expects him to follow in their footsteps, but he has a secret: he wants to quit soccer and pursue a career on Broadway. If only his Generalized Anxiety Disorder didn't send him into a debilitating spiral over the thought of telling them the truth.

Casey and Hayden are determined to hide who they really are. But when they meet at school, they bond over their shared love of music and feeling like they don't belong, and the secrets spill. Their intimate friendship is the beating heart of this dual-POV story featuring thoughtful disability representation, nuanced queer identities, and a lovably quirky supporting cast.