Born profoundly deaf in one ear and about 50 percent HoH in the other, Johnnie suffered a fall at four years old. That fall resulted in his spending six years pinballing from hospital to hospital, enduring painful surgeries attempting to save his leg. As a result, he had no chance to develop basic communication skills until he entered Deaf school at age thirteen. One of his teachers there was Dr. McCay Vernon.
It was at Deaf school that he developed interests in sports, math and science, and art. After graduation, Johnnie worked numerous hard labor jobs. In the days preceding OSHA, many of these jobs were dangerous, and Johnnie suffered several lifelong injuries, one of which dashed his hopes of succeeding as a professional athlete. With the help of Albert Greenberg, Colorado Department of Rehabilitation's first counselor for the Deaf, and Reverend DeMeree from Denver Temple Baptist Church, Johnnie developed a professional engineering career. He married and raised three boys.
In cowriting the book, David Greenberg carries on the legacy of his father, Albert, and his mother, Joanne, writer of In This Sign and I Never Promised You a Rose Garden. Writing was only one of the skills David needed to master to complete this project. He's an accomplished ASL signer and a computer and communications engineer. Together, they created an inspirational and insightful book in casual, non-scholastic language that treats the reader like a friend.
Written in first-person, from the emotional perspective, My Quiet Fight for Home emphasizes Johnnie's lifelong efforts to develop communication and career skills, as well as essential character traits, like honesty, courage, kindness, and loyalty.