Leah Hagar Cohen (1994) Train go sorry: inside a Deaf world. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Ms. Cohen's experiences as the daughter of the principal for Lexington School for the Deaf ( see New York Times Article) and as a member of the Deaf community.

Nora Ellen Groce (1985) Everyone here spoke sign language: hereditary deafness on Martha's Vineyard. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.
The fascinating study of the island off the shore of Massachusetts where there was a strong strain of hereditary deafness and, since everyone knew someone who was deaf, everyone knew sign language.

Harlan Lane (1976) When the mind hears: a history of the deaf. New York: Random House.
This was one of the first real histories of the founding of the Deaf community in the United States, tracing its roots back to France.

Harlan Lane (1992) The mask of benevolence: disabling the deaf community. New York: Knopf.
Harlan Lane's most famous book, widely acclaimed when it came out as a manifesto of the Deaf community. It brings up the topic of oralism and the history of oppression the Deaf community has suffered.

Raymond Luczak (1993)Eyes of desire: a deaf gay & lesbian reader. Boston: Alyson Publications.
A collection of short autobiographical stories by gay and lesbian Deaf individuals, gives good insight into this minority within a minority.

Carol Padden and Tom Humphries (1988) Deaf in America: voices from a culture. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
This book, along with Harlan Lane's, stresses the cultural aspects of the Deaf community in the United States. It's a good way to understand the cultural position and one of the best texts out there.

Paul Michael Preston (1994) Mother father deaf : living between sound and silence.
Aabout CODAs -- children of deaf adults.  Good way to understand the linguistic and cultural barriers between Deaf and hearing people.

Henry Kisor (1990) What's that pig outdoors: a memoir of deafness. New York: Penguin Books.
Kisor's  experiences as a deaf person from the oral perspective.