El Deafo

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Author Cece Bell tells the story of the illness that caused her hearing loss when she was a little girl through a graphic novel with animal characters. One day Cece is playing like normal when she begins to feel sick. After she becomes worse her family ends up taking her to the hospital, where they find out that Cece will be permanently deaf. Now Cece will have to wear a hearing device to school and everywhere she goes. At first she is going to a school where there are other students who are like her. However, one day her family has to move so she has to leave her school behind and attend a regular school. Cece has to work through some difficulties including being self conscious of her hearing device and having people misunderstand her hearing loss. Many of the students at her new school think that for her to hear them they must yell. However, this does not help Cece understand. At times Cece has a hard time because children who are thinking they are being her friend are controlling her, but she is afraid to speak up because she does not want to be without friends. She also has to battle teachers not wanting to wear the device that will help her hear or mistreating her device. By the end of the story Cece has found friends that are good to her and she is beginning to know how to deal with her hearing loss through becoming El Deafo, the super hero who happens to have hearing loss.

This story teaches students that they can do anything that they set their minds to and that everyone is special in their own way. Also, teachers can use this story to discuss the fact that differences make us who we are and that differences need to be celebrated. This story is appropriate for many different age groups with the way that it is written and the material is appropriate for readers of all ages.

In my opinion reading graphic novels are perfect for aesthetic experiences. The pictures and organization of the story are beautiful and draw me in. However, some graphic novels are not only beautiful in their drawings, but are beautiful in how they introduce and develop topics as well as how they present information through word choice and symbolism. I felt this way when reading El Deafo by Cece Bell. The pictures were beautiful and eye catching with their wonderful colors and cute creatures but the way that she presents her struggles as a student with a disability struck me to my core. I laughed at the funny portions and my heart hurt for her when she was mistreated or when her teachers were unwilling to work with her and her hearing device.

Citation

Bell, C. (2014). El deafo. New York, NY: Amulet Books.