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El Deafo | August 12, 2015

by Cece Bell (Amulet Books/Abrams Books for Young Readers, September 2014)

El Deafo is a graphic memoir by Cece Bell, in which she shares her experience of growing up with hearing loss. Cece is only four years old when she loses her hearing after a case of meningitis. When she starts school, Cece wears a hearing aid that helps her understand her teachers, but she still feels different from her classmates. She endures many of the common trials of elementary school, but these issues are further complicated by her hearing loss. Cece often feels alone, like no one can really understand her. One day, Cece discovers that her hearing aid gives her the power of being able to hear others even when they’re not in the room. With her new superpower, Cece imagines herself as El Deafo, her super alter-ego that always says what’s on her mind, and has the courage Cece has a hard time summoning in real life. Eventually, Cece’s secret confidence crosses over into her real life, as she shares her superpower with her classmates. Bell’s story is heartfelt and honest, and a great reminder that, as she puts it in her author’s note, “Our differences are our superpowers.”

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