El Deafo

Bibliography

Bell, Cece. El Deafo.
New York, Amulet Books, 2014. ISBN 978-1-4197-1217-3

Plot Summary

Cece Bell lost her ability to hear at age four. She acquired meningitis and got so ill that her hearing never came back. With her huge hearing aid Cece pretended that she had a superpower and named herself El Deafo. Cece struggled with making friends and wants to find a friend that does not treat her differently for being deaf.

Critical Analysis

This book is a semi-autobiographical graphic novel. The book is uplifting to anyone who struggles with being different. The book is full of colorful and detailed illustrations and the authors story pulls the reader.  The characters in the story are all rabbits but they represent people from Cece's real life.  The dialogue is realistic and reflects how children thought and spoke during the seventies. Cece's journey towards becoming the superhero known as El Deafo is what engages the reader. The plot and events are believable and the way hearing aids are described from the seventies is true to life. This book should be read from start to end in one sitting. The ups and downs of friendships and relationships in the story are unexpected but come to a satisfying resolution. References to pop culture icons like Batman and the Beatles appeal to older generations and younger readers who are familiar with these icons.

The themes of the story are: acceptance of people with disabilities, growing up, myths about deafness, friendships, and empowerment. Kids identify with these themes because even without a disability they can relate to thinking and feeling the same way as Cece. Most readers with have experience with regards to crushes, friends, peer acceptance, and self-acceptance. The style of the book is written as a graphic novel. The dialogue is natural and logical. Because the story is written in the perspective of a deaf girl readers are able to follow and understand Cece and her deafness. The reader can empathize with Cece and those in the deaf community and know what to do so not to feel awkward or disrespectful.

Ultimately the story is about a real issue about a deaf girl that helps readers to better understand individuals from the deaf community and highlights a young girl’s journey toward self-acceptance and empowerment.


Awards & Review Excerpts

2015 Newbery Honor Book

Kirkus Reviews: “Worthy of a superhero.”

Booklist: “This empowering autobiographical story belongs right next to Raina Telgemeier’s Smile (2011) and Liz Prince’s Tomboy.


Connections
Students can discuss what it means to be a good friend and discuss how they can help others with disabilities fit in.

Older students can discuss the television show Switched At Birth and similarities in Cece's story and that of the characters on the show.