Going to school and making new friends can be tough. But going to school and making new friends while wearing a bulky hearing aid strapped to your chest? That requires superpowers! In this funny, poignant graphic novel memoir, author/illustrator Cece Bell chronicles her hearing loss at a young age and her subsequent experiences with the Phonic Ear, a very powerful—and very awkward—hearing aid. The Phonic Ear gives Cece the ability to hear—sometimes things she shouldn’t—but also isolates her from her classmates. She really just wants to fit in and find a true friend, someone who appreciates her as she is. After some trouble, she is finally able to harness the power of the Phonic Ear and become “El Deafo, Listener for All.” And more importantly, declare a place for herself in the world and find the friend she’s longed for.
Book Review:
I have been really into memoirs lately and I have also been trying to expand my horizons a little bit. Therefore, when I happened across this graphic memoir, a memoir in the style of a graphic novel, I was very intrigued, but when I learned that it was the life of a deaf girl, I was definitely going to read it. I have been trying to teach myself ASL (American Sign Language) for years now and from that I have grown an immense connection to the Deaf Culture.
Cece's character is trying to deal with growing up with a hearing aid since she lost the majority of her hearing due to illness as a small child. For her, this hearing aid is huge, bulky, and extremely conspicuous. She is trying to deal with making friends and feeling so different from everyone else at the same time. Now, I think that every kid goes through that, I know that I did, but due to Cece's deafness, she feels even more introverted than many other kids who experience that feeling.
I also really loved how adorable the graphics were.
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