I see myself in these characters, both good and bad. There's a lot to unpack here.
(I'm kinda terrible at reading graphic novels because I focus on theI see myself in these characters, both good and bad. There's a lot to unpack here.
(I'm kinda terrible at reading graphic novels because I focus on the text and forget to read the illustrations. The cadence is hard for me to follow. But a second reading flowed much more smoothly, so maybe I'll get the hang of it eventually? PS Love all the subtle details in the illustrations that feel like inside jokes.)...more
The best description of gender confusion > discovery > still-figuring-it-all-out I've read. The writing is straightforward and emotionally exposed.
I The best description of gender confusion > discovery > still-figuring-it-all-out I've read. The writing is straightforward and emotionally exposed.
I really need to practice pronouns. Try try again.
(Unrelated, I read this in ebook format and it feels like it just...ends? Am I missing pages??? It ended on a panel about teaching a comics class at a local library and trying to figure out how to incorporate eir pronouns into eir introduction...)
Having never followed her Instagram account, this was a nice introduction to Mari Andrew's art and life musings. I appreciated the casual nature of thHaving never followed her Instagram account, this was a nice introduction to Mari Andrew's art and life musings. I appreciated the casual nature of the illustrations and the way that her thoughts were laid out into unexpected lists and categories.
Though there was a lot I could relate to here, I have heard this story/POV before. Young woman tries to make her way in the world, struggles with loss and heartbreak, and becomes more herself through travel, self-discovery and journaling with oh-look-at-me-I'm-adulting exposition. I'm less interested in the concept of how to be an "adult" than I once was. Because it really just means learning how to "be." And there is no prize of adulthood because there is not end to that process. Ah, well, I'm just being grumpy. It was good and held my attention and I liked hearing about her travels. So what am I complaining about? ...more
A collection of comics drawn on bar napkins by "Drunken Cat." I've never met a more pessimistic cat, but he's also spot on with his criticism of the wA collection of comics drawn on bar napkins by "Drunken Cat." I've never met a more pessimistic cat, but he's also spot on with his criticism of the world's tendency toward the mundane and the absurd.
Chock full of pop culture references ranging from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to Angry Birds to Teddy Ruxpin to Dora the Explorer. ...more
The author's style reminds me of Winnie the Pooh, in the best way possible. Except that she cusses. Which is cool.
(I would have rated this 5 stars, eThe author's style reminds me of Winnie the Pooh, in the best way possible. Except that she cusses. Which is cool.
(I would have rated this 5 stars, except that I really miss the scrolling-format of the blog. It just seems excessively cumbersome in book form.)
Favorite Quotes
[I] noticed myself wishing that nothing loved me so that I wouldn't feel obligated to keep existing.
I had so very few feelings, and everyone else had so many, and it felt like they were having all of them in front of me at once. I didn't really know what to do, so I agreed to see a doctor so that everyone would stop having all of their feelings at me.
*sees trash on ground, three feet from convenient trash can. *expends slight amount of effort to bend at waist to pick it up. GOOD JOB, CAPTAIN PLANET, YOU SAVED THE ENTIRE ENVIRONMENT. --- [Note: This doesn't really translate well without the illustrated frames to go with it, but it's on p.334, if you every decide to look it up.]
Full disclosure: I'm not a huge comic book fan, nor am I a huge fairy tale fan. I get the appeal of both, and I applaud the idea of merging the Well.
Full disclosure: I'm not a huge comic book fan, nor am I a huge fairy tale fan. I get the appeal of both, and I applaud the idea of merging the two. And I appreciate the retelling of an old story in a new way. But this one just seemed too contrived and fluffy for me.
I didn't love Pinocchio complaining about his inability to get laid or Snow White using the f-word. And I hated the excessive using of bolding every other word to make the characters seem obscenely emphatic for no apparent reason.
But also, I get the feeling that the author enjoys, more than anything else, "the sense of having been clever". And somehow she shaDense. And clever.
But also, I get the feeling that the author enjoys, more than anything else, "the sense of having been clever". And somehow she shares this joy with me, the reader. Because really, I felt quite stupid while reading this book, until something would click, when she experienced an epiphany and then shared that experience with the me. Then I would feel like I was just as clever as she was for "getting it"
Themes are propelled by a psychoanalyst named Winnicott, Virginia Woolf, Sylvia Plath, Adrienne Rich. If this doesn't become assigned reading for every woman's studies class ever, I will be shocked.
The illustrations are mandatory. They help to ground the reader, providing a map and context for the giant shifts between literary references, memories, present-day events and dreams.
Side note: All of her therapists & girlfriends look alike to me. Not sure why that is.
Favorite Quotes
I must confess that I have taken to transcribing what [my mother] says. I don't think she knows I'm doing it, which makes it a bit unethical...I would have more scruples about this, I like to think, if I didn't suspect that she was not so much talking to me as drafting her own daily journal entry out loud.
I was suffering at this time from nearly unbearable spasms of professional envy.
People who come from turbulent families often see the universe or God as dangerous.
[About Mr. Beezum, the stuffed bear] His finely crafted gaze expresses a sublime and infinite compassion. It always calms me to look at him. He's not me, but he's not not-me, either.
All the infant wants -- indeed, all anyone wants -- is to go-on-being, without disruption.
...someone at their disposal who can be used as an echo
So the man who falls in love with beauty is quite different from the man who loves a girl and feels she is beautiful and can see what is beautiful about her.
Crazy or genius? Crazy genius? Most of us fear we are crazy and wish we were geniuses. Chopsticks plays with the dichotomy well.
I knew this was a stoCrazy or genius? Crazy genius? Most of us fear we are crazy and wish we were geniuses. Chopsticks plays with the dichotomy well.
I knew this was a story told in ephemera, but I was surprised by how well the narrative flowed. Unlike the traditional graphic novel, I wasn't constantly having to jump between reading the pictures and reading the text. (Brian Selznick's format fixes this for me, too.)
As for solving the mystery, I see that there are clues, but I don't think I'm expected to be able to put them together. I think it's meant to be ambiguous. Sometimes I appreciate that so that I can opt to hope for the happy ending without feeling like it was sugar-coated and handed to me on a silver platter.
P.S. Does anyone else think that Glory looks like ?
Favorite Quote
La risa es el idioma del alma - Pablo Neruda (Translation: Laughter is the language of the soul.)
Favorite Pages Dueling musical goblets Coney Island Piensa En Mi ...more
The similarities to this and Stitches were striking to me. I seemed to be swimming in a lot of the same thick emotional waters, although the two situaThe similarities to this and Stitches were striking to me. I seemed to be swimming in a lot of the same thick emotional waters, although the two situations are quite disparate.
The illustrations were integral, setting the tone for a sad and powerful story that knocks the wind out of you.
And props goes to one of the best first lines, IMHO: The monster showed up just after midnight. As they do.
Favorite Quotes
Stories are wild creatures, the monster said. When you let them loose, who knows what havoc they might wreak?
She turned, gave him a flash of starfish hand as a wave, and said, "Be good."
You do not write your life with words, the monster said. You write it with actions. What you think is not important. It is only important what you do.
(view spoiler)[You were merely wishing for the end of pain...Your own pain. An end to how it isolated you. It is the most human wish of all. (hide spoiler)]...more
A tourist's view of the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
The illustrations help provide a sense of place and are extremely easy to relate to. The artist wA tourist's view of the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
The illustrations help provide a sense of place and are extremely easy to relate to. The artist was able to incorporate familiar objects like plastic lawn chairs and coffee mugs and sweatshirts with unfamiliar landscapes and concepts to make the story easier to digest. She also did something that I've often found lacking in graphic novels, in that she was able to use visual clues to describe the progression between frames so that I wasn't left wondering how we got there. Simple things like showing the characters rounding a corner before joining a new conversation. Much appreciated.
In the end, I don't think I'll ever fully be able to wrap my brain around the Israel-Palestinian issue. It's hard to know what I would forfeit my life to defend. I can see parallels between this and most other wars. They all seem to be about a group of people who feel entitled to something and they must take it away from others to get it. No one wins. In the end, people lose and they move on.
Favorite Quotes:
Before I came here, I read as many firsthand accounts of the birthright experience as I could online. Many of the alumni wrote that from the moment they set foot in the land of Israel, they felt a real connection. A few even said that they felt like they were "finally home." To me, it's more like spotting a celebrity on a crowded street. Someone whose crazy life has been splashed all over the tabloid pages for years. And there they are...right in front of you.
But I just wonder if it's really right for Israel to be a Jewish state. Why can't it just be a state?
The [Jewish] law is a compromise for those who cannot hear the universal language [of humanity].
Thank you, Becky! Perfectly describes what it's like to live with a cat, the good, the bad and the adorable. Thank you, Becky! Perfectly describes what it's like to live with a cat, the good, the bad and the adorable. ...more
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