Review: El Deafo

El Deafo by Cece Bell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



So at first I was skeptical because of the drawing style. I was worried that the story would be preachy, condescending, or smarmy. The tone of the stylized animal people reminded me of Marc Brown, and I didn't want to see a remix of Arthurian ;-) sermons. Bell unworried me quickly.

Her first-person narration was compelling from the very first pages, including her gradual realization as a preschooler that she was losing her hearing. I expect a lot of people will be writing about how the book handles a topic in diversity, but I didn't feel like this book was topical at all. It was enjoyable and engaging because of the clear human themes, it was so much more than a book about being deaf, and certainly did not devolve into any kind of pity story.

People, myself included, often feel paralyzed and unable to say what we really want to say. I think this is what Bell did with authority in this book. Any potentially risky situation can make loss of voice happen. Bell exaggerated this for me with anxiety about her hearing devices, but she also gave this theme plenty of air time in other dialog (not about hearing) between her and her friends and family. I felt like I got a very specific experience of inclusion and exclusion, the tension between wanting a strong identity yet feeling 'othered' by forces outside my control. It was a good experience! Because the power she eventually gained mostly just 'happened', it did not feel like she was working toward a big finale about the triumph of the human spirit as much as she was showing how she was able to transform herself around some small happy accidents of fate.

As such, I was a little disappointed when the afterword was dedicated solely to discussion about growing up deaf. Yes, I appreciated its overall value, but hoped for a little more than a topical discussion. I would have liked to read maybe even an invited preface by another author (like [a:R.J. Palacio|4859212|R.J. Palacio|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1351246501p2/4859212.jpg]on the cover) where some of the broader literary work might have been noticed in front or back matter for this edition! (Maybe when it goes to next edition, right?)



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