El Deafo

I absolutely loved reading this latest graphic novel! I've never read this genre before Ad Lit this semester, but I now understand why it is so likable. El Deafo really describes deaf culture in a new way, and I love that Cece Bell is so open and honest with this story. I wasn't surprised to learn that it is based on her life because it seemed so personal and detailed (didn't sound like most authors could imagine all of these funny and sad stories that happened to Cece--plus the fact that the protagonist had the same name as the author was a little giveaway!). I've become more interested in the deaf community and deaf culture over the past few years, even developing a desire to learn ASL. While I understand that not all people who are deaf know or desire to learn ASL, I liked the way Cece presented this struggle in the graphic novel. She countered the stereotype that ALL people with hearing impairments know and ONLY use ASL to communicate in a very real way. By describing her experience with ASL classes, we are confronted with our own stereotypes of people, forcing the reader to examine what he/she really believes about those who are different.

Cece goes through several years of her life in this graphic novel, allowing the reader to follow along and struggle with her along the way as she faces stereotypes, discrimination, and the general problems with growing up. She lets us into her family and friend circle while showing how they all respond to her phonic ear and hearing aids, even providing us with a picture of what she would look like wearing all of her "gear." (pictured to the left). Cece wrote her story in such a way that we could laugh at the characters, either because they are rabbits or because of what they say/do, cry with her as she experiences pain and struggles, and rejoice as she makes friends and experiences her first crush. The story is also interesting because while Cece leads a somewhat "normal" and interesting life, she also has a "superhero life" that we get to see. After coming to grips with her hearing aids and phonic ear, Cece begins to imagine that she is a superhero with super powers (amazing hearing--because of her phonic ear). She becomes the hero of her class when her "special abilities" enable her to hear when her teacher is returning to the room, so the rest of class can party and have fun while she's gone. She makes friends who aren't put off by her being deaf but rather are intrigued and interested in her "abilities" and the equipment that helps her.  Overall, this is a great story, for adolescents and adults alike, as they either struggle to be different or struggle to accept those who are different. It describes the typical coming-of-age story....with a twist.