Happy belated February!
This was not my strongest reading month... only two books. I'll talk about both because they were both lovely reads! What's even cooler is that both of these are graphic novels.
The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang
A student of mine read this and immediately passed it on to me. This is a gorgeous book. I like it so much I'm trying to teach it next year during my spring elective class.
Where to start? Perhaps with the story itself. I've been interested in reading more about gender, how people discover their own gender, and figure out how to express themselves. I thought hearing about the Prince's experience was really eye-opening. I think when people think of gender, they tend to think about it too simply... for example, "I don't want to be a boy, so I will be a girl." But there's more to it than that. And honestly, one doesn't even need to determine if their gender is male or female because they could be both or neither. The Prince never comes out and gives themself a label, just states that being Lady Crystallia is comfortable and it feels fitting for them. And sometimes that's enough.
The art... oh my god. I tend to be drawn towards extravagant costume designs anyway, so this was right up my alley. Frances is one talented designer and I was so glad that she got to fulfill her dream too. I encourage you to get this book as soon as possible and check it out for yourself! I think it would have taken me a bit longer to find this if it hadn't been on display as a new book in the high school library of my school. I'm so happy it found me!
El Deafo by Cece Bell
I think I'm like a lot of people... when I'm at events, I tend to watch the ASL interpreter instead of the person who is the subject of the event. I wish that I could sign even a little bit. But while I haven't learned to sign very much (I can ask for postage stamps at the post office!), I have taken an interest in deaf culture and how people see themselves as they come to terms with their deafness. So reading this was amazing, especially because it centered on the experience of a young person who loses her hearing at a very young age.
The parts about the equipment that she uses to get along in her day to day life are interesting (especially when she uses them for mischief!), but I was more focused on how she handles others perception of her hearing loss. I was angry and frustrated with Cece as she described a friend who just didn't get it and continually yelled to communicate even when Cece herself told her not to do that because it was hard to understand her (she was reading lips). I thought it was interesting also to know that the technology that she used wasn't the be-all-end-all. Even with hearing aids or a personal hearing system, there were still a number of gaps that she had to work to fill in. She would still have to read lips and she always needs to read body language in order to get a full picture of what exactly is going on. I always thought that hearing aids, in the case of those with profound hearing loss, would restore someone's full hearing so they could hear as well or better than the average Joe. But they just help to amplify sound so they're easier to interpret. That really shifted my perspective. I loved this read. It's a fairly easy read too, so I hope that you have a chance to try it out too!
Thanks for reading!
--Jude
This was not my strongest reading month... only two books. I'll talk about both because they were both lovely reads! What's even cooler is that both of these are graphic novels.
The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen WangA student of mine read this and immediately passed it on to me. This is a gorgeous book. I like it so much I'm trying to teach it next year during my spring elective class.
Where to start? Perhaps with the story itself. I've been interested in reading more about gender, how people discover their own gender, and figure out how to express themselves. I thought hearing about the Prince's experience was really eye-opening. I think when people think of gender, they tend to think about it too simply... for example, "I don't want to be a boy, so I will be a girl." But there's more to it than that. And honestly, one doesn't even need to determine if their gender is male or female because they could be both or neither. The Prince never comes out and gives themself a label, just states that being Lady Crystallia is comfortable and it feels fitting for them. And sometimes that's enough.
The art... oh my god. I tend to be drawn towards extravagant costume designs anyway, so this was right up my alley. Frances is one talented designer and I was so glad that she got to fulfill her dream too. I encourage you to get this book as soon as possible and check it out for yourself! I think it would have taken me a bit longer to find this if it hadn't been on display as a new book in the high school library of my school. I'm so happy it found me!
El Deafo by Cece BellI think I'm like a lot of people... when I'm at events, I tend to watch the ASL interpreter instead of the person who is the subject of the event. I wish that I could sign even a little bit. But while I haven't learned to sign very much (I can ask for postage stamps at the post office!), I have taken an interest in deaf culture and how people see themselves as they come to terms with their deafness. So reading this was amazing, especially because it centered on the experience of a young person who loses her hearing at a very young age.
The parts about the equipment that she uses to get along in her day to day life are interesting (especially when she uses them for mischief!), but I was more focused on how she handles others perception of her hearing loss. I was angry and frustrated with Cece as she described a friend who just didn't get it and continually yelled to communicate even when Cece herself told her not to do that because it was hard to understand her (she was reading lips). I thought it was interesting also to know that the technology that she used wasn't the be-all-end-all. Even with hearing aids or a personal hearing system, there were still a number of gaps that she had to work to fill in. She would still have to read lips and she always needs to read body language in order to get a full picture of what exactly is going on. I always thought that hearing aids, in the case of those with profound hearing loss, would restore someone's full hearing so they could hear as well or better than the average Joe. But they just help to amplify sound so they're easier to interpret. That really shifted my perspective. I loved this read. It's a fairly easy read too, so I hope that you have a chance to try it out too!
Thanks for reading!
--Jude
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