El Deafo by Cece Bell

I'll admit it, I deliberately started off the year with two graphic novels in order to get a quick jump on my reading list. In my defense, I don't read that many graphic novels in proportion to my general reading, and both books had been languishing in my stack since early December. They would soon need to be returned to the library.

El Deafo was discovered as part of the glut of titles I researched for my fiction involving disability reading ladder. When I originally grabbed it, I had no idea it was a graphic novel. It came as a little bit of a shock actually to open it up and be confronted with page after page of long eared bunnies.

In any case, this is the story of Cece who lost her hearing as a result of an illness while she was very young. Mostly, it's about adjusting to the disability and finding her place in a hearing community. It was surprising how much the book focused on how other people interacted with her. Specifically, how much well meaning people either did things that made it harder for her or even made her feel more isolated.

I have to admit, I didn't really connect to this one. It's nothing against the writing, but I just am not the intended audience and didn't get drawn in. However, it's a good book for young people, it conveys the feeling of isolation and frustration well, and does a lot to explain what it's like coping with a world filtered through a hearing aide.

The Five Flavors of Dumb by Anthony John

Yet another discovery in my quest to fill in the gaps on my LD Reading Ladder. And an another great book that doesn't quite fit. Maybe I need to rethink my theme.

The premise of The Five Flavors of Dumb is that Piper, who happens to be deaf, somehow ends up managing a rock band her High School. This is challenging for a number of reasons that have nothing to do with her deafness. I have to admit, I thought this was a ridiculous premise and, as a consequence, didn't expect much.  I was pleasantly surprised.

Of all the disabilities I work with in my job, deafness confounds me the most. It affects a surprising number of people. There is a strong genetic component and as a result there are whole multi-generational deaf families. Many of these people don't view it as a disability and a whole "deaf culture" has sprung up. I have to admit that I have a hard time viewing the lack of an ability that most other people possess as anything but a disability. It's hard to wrap my head about. On the other hand, I don't necessarily view dwarves as disabled just because they "lack height." Disability is a mind-set after-all and who am I to judge?

The reason for this reflection, however, is that functioning in society and the nature of deaf culture is one of the underpinning themes of the novel. On the surface it's about these five musicians, one of which is a complete rancid jerk, being dysfunctional while a deaf girl tries to hold them together. And that's a good story, but the more subtle lines about disability and family are way more compelling.

This book features a strong female protagonist struggling less with her disability, and more with getting to know her own feelings about how she fits into her family and the rest of the world. The plot line is strictly linear and chapters are relatively short. The author is british, which means much of the humor tends towards the dry and subtle. All and all a solid read.