El Deafo: A Graphic Novel with Imagery
I read Cece Bell’s El Deafo for my independent reading, an honest and inspiring story that showcases the difficulties of growing up deaf. In this autobiographical graphic novel, Bell describes experiences at school and with friends in her early childhood surrounding her hearing aids and deafness in general. This book shows the reader what it was like for Cece and how her disability impairs her friendships and school life. This book transports the reader into Cece’s world. The book does such a good job explaining her struggles that by the end of it I was annoyed by the other characters and felt lots of empathy for Cece.
The graphic novel starts when Cece loses her hearing due to meningitis at the age of four. She has to start wearing hearing aids, and although they are helpful they are visible and the kids in her class notice them. Then, Cece goes to a class with other deaf kids and is taught how to read lips and other skills. She doesn’t make many friends, and the next year she goes back to class with non-disabled students. When Cece goes back to the other class, she receives a phonic ear, a microphone that her teacher wears that connects to her hearing aids. She befriends Laura, a girl in her class who doesn’t stare at her hearing aids but is a little pushy.
Over the next few years, Cece realizes that Laura is extremely protective and very pushy. When someone else asks Cece to sleep over, Laura tells them that she and Cece were already planning one for that day. It was especially interesting that Cece started to dislike Laura but didn’t try to distance herself until she was placed into a different class than her. There, she met Ginny, who stared at her hearing aids and enunciated her words to an insulting degree. Cece became better friends with her and eventually became part of her friend group. Cece had to smile and act unbothered as Ginny introduced her as her “deaf friend” and tried to teach her sign language.
It was during this time that Cece started imaging herself as El Deafo, a superhero she created in her head that fought everyone who thought of her differently because she was deaf. El Deafo used her hearing aids to tie up Ginny, while in reality Cece stood and listened to her friends treat her like their deaf pet. The story ends with her inner and outer worlds colliding. El Deafo kicks her mom for making her go to sign language class, and Cece almost doesn’t realize that she did it in real life, too. Cece learns how to communicate better with people around her, and she starts to accept her disability. I really enjoyed El Deafo, and I would definitely recommend it as a fun, short read.
I believe this novel can connect very well with the life of many teenagers as they struggle with finding and accepting their identity, and socially interact with their peers. I also think that the binary between Cece's two worlds impactfully shows Cece's inner struggle and her personal development in later parts of the book. I have seen many of my friends reading the book but have never read it myself, partly because I do not usually enjoy graphic novels. However, I believe I can make an exception with El Deafo. Thanks for introducing this book!
ReplyDeleteI read this graphic novel a while ago when it was a bluestem book but I don't remember much. You do a great job of explaining Cece's journey and her grappling with the reality of her life compared to what she wishes it was. I can also see the hardships that Cece faces with the people around her and I'm glad she's able to come out the other side stronger. Awesome post!
ReplyDeleteI've read this graphic novel before, and I think you did a really good job reviewing it! I think you explained her struggles with friends and school really well. I also love the phrase, "her inner and outer worlds colliding," and think it sums up the ending really well!
ReplyDeleteEl Deafo sounds like a really unique book. Being able to Know the thoughts and emotions of someone who is deaf seems to me like it would be a completely different world that would give a very informative point of view and I can see how the reader might start to empathize with Cece. I would love to check this one out!
ReplyDeleteI remember reading this book a few years ago, and your review makes me want to read it again! I love how it puts you into the shoes of someone who is deaf. It makes the reader empathize with Cece, and it helps the reader learn what it is like to be deaf. Also, in a way, I feel this book shows you how to better treat people who are deaf. It shows us how we can be better people towards others not like us. I think it is a unique book and a great read as well as an informative book. Thanks for this post! It brought back nice memories and makes me want to pick up this book again!
ReplyDeleteI read El Deafo a while ago, and I thought it was a really good! You did a really good job explaining Cece's struggles as a deaf person and how her classmates treat her differently. I think I'll go back and read this book again!
ReplyDeleteI've never been able to get into reading graphic novels before but this seems like a really unique concept. I like sense of character development the book has as the main character accepts their deafness and embraces it. I might give this book a try.
ReplyDeleteI'd already read this, but your idea of a young girl stuck in her head trying to find someone that gets her is interesting. I feel like a lot of abled teenagers go through a similar experience trying to figure out who they are and pick friends who can connect with them.
ReplyDeleteThis book was quite popular at my elementary school, and seemingly for good reason. Although I haven't read it, it seems like it is never too late to read a book like El Deafo, and there are always valuable lessons to be learned. It's also a graphic novel which adds to the descriptions and helps the reader visualize the scenes better.
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