If you can’t make it to American Sign Language classes — held 6-8 p.m. every Monday through Aug. 26 at the Crestview Public Library — you can access similar courses through our website, cityofcrestview.org/library.php.
American Sign Language is one of several languages offered through Rocket Languages, an award-winning program that has often been recommended as an alternative to Rosetta Stone.
Great tips and videos will guide you as you learn how to communicate with hearing-impaired individuals.
You can even join a forum to further develop your skills.
STAFF PICK
“My Cross to Bear” by Gregg Allman with Alan Light; audio version narrated by Will Patton
This personal account of Gregg Allman’s life with and without his brother Duane will interest those who love reading about rock stars’ excessive lives or those interested in learning more about a member of one of rock-n-roll’s greatest bands.
While I always associated the Allman Brothers Band with the South, I never knew they had Florida roots. One of the band’s early gigs — when they were known as the Allman Joys — was a Pensacola booking.
Gregg was writing the lyrics to “Melissa” before it was known as “Melissa”; he lacked a woman’s name that sounded right for the song. “Sweet Barbara” or “sweet Matilda” didn’t lend the right nuance for such a love song.
While in a Pensacola grocery store, Gregg was listening to an agitated mother yelling after her toddler running down the aisle. The girl’s name was Melissa, and that is how one of the band’s most well known songs was finished.
I recommend listening to the audio version. Narrator Will Patton’s Southern drawl perfectly captures Allman’s laid-back attitude.
“My Cross to Bear” is available for checkout at the library or through our website as a downloadable audio version.
Marie Garcia is the Crestview Public Library's assistant library director.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: CHECK IT OUT: Learning American Sign Language