Literally millions of people in Britain are affected by hearing loss, and the number is growing steadily. For many, it is a desperate situation, for others, an unwished-for challenge: to enter the world of hearing aids and gadgets, and to somehow come to terms with other people's jokes--blindness is never laughed at--and the need to adjust a muffled, or even silent, environment. Michael Simmons, a distinguished international journalist until his retirement...