El Deafo

Use these links to supplement and complement students’ reading of the work and to increase their overall enjoyment of literature. Challenge them to discern parallel themes, engage through visual and aural stimuli, and delve deeper into the thematic possibilities presented by the title.

Recommended Texts for Pairing

They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, and Harmony Becker

• This graphic memoir tackles a different kind of difference as Takei relates his experiences as a young boy in a Japanese internment camp.
• Like El Deafo, it grapples with feelings of Alienation and Acceptance by the broader community.
• They Called Us Enemy on SuperSummary

Wonder by R. J. Palacio

• This novel traces the journey of a boy with a severe facial difference as he challenges his community to find acceptance.
• Wonder on SuperSummary

Other Student Resources

Deaf Awareness

• This tip sheet from the National Deaf Center will help students understand some of the more complex issues about deafness as a cultural identity.

Author Cece Bell Talks About Her New Book El Deafo

• In this video, Bell gives some background on her experiences that led to the creation of the graphic memoir.

Cece Bell: How I Made El Deafo – in Pictures

• This Guardian visual essay provides a thorough look into the artist’s process, featuring original documents and pictures from Bell’s childhood.