Rosalie Lightning: A Graphic Memoir by Tom Hart... A Review

I can only imagine what it must be like losing a child. Tom Hart and his wife had to live through that nightmare. Their daughter Rosalie died unexpectedly before her second birthday and this graphic memoir is about how Tom and his wife lived through it.

Raw, touching, sad, Rosalie Lightning will have you hugging your child a little harder next time they wrap their arms around you. It's hard to put into words about this memoir except that it may serve as solace to other parents going through the same horrible experience, to know that all the questioning, the anger, the despair is part of the grieving process. This memoir also may help anyone who has lost a loved one, because in reality no one is immune from the grief, no matter what the relationship, and the feeling of not being alone in the despair can be comforting.

Visually, Rosalie Lightning is loose and flowing, as Tom Hart navigates putting on paper those raw moments. The lettering is in his own handwriting, and I like that far better than a computer generated font. Although, he created a font based on his own handwriting to be more consistent and this is what is used in the final book.

Have some tissues ready for reading Rosalie Lightning, but read it because it's thought-provoking and pure.

American Widow by Alissa Torres... A Review

"American Widow is my graphic novel memoir about life after my husband died at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001."... Alissa Torres

I can't imagine what it felt like to lose someone on 9/11. Listening to the radio... watching the videos play out on television... waiting for someone to come home... searching hospitals... waiting for the phone to ring... 9 years ago Alissa Torres was 7 1/2 months pregnant living in NYC. Her husband, Eddie Torres, started his new job at Cantor Fitzgerald on Sept. 10th, 2001. The Cantor Fitzgerald offices were located in the North Tower of the World Trade Center... American Widow is her story. It is the terror, the frustration, the utter chaos Alissa had to live through. If mere words can make you come to realize what it was like to lose someone on 9/11, then the words (and images) in American Widow accomplish that.

9/11 still echoes the horrors of the terrorism that took the lives of the men and women that day. Alissa Torres is one of those victims of the aftermath. On that day, Sept. 11th, 2001, her life changed forever. American Widow tells the story of Alissa Torres & Eddie Torres in the form of a graphic novel. And it is a wonderful example of the power of a graphic novel. American Widow is drawn in black & white with aqua tinting by artist Sungyoon Choi, whose expressive images drive home the powerful story. Alissa doesn't pull any punches either, as she navigates the bureaucracy, people and the media to try and get through her grief and be able to support her family.

The book opens with the events of 9/11, but in flashbacks that flow seamlessly throughout the book, we get to know Alissa & Eddie... how they met & fell in love, the life they started together and even the life before they met. We learn about Eddie's immigrant status, how he worked multiple jobs to support himself and send money back to his family. And how he worked hard enough to climb the corporate ladder to become a currency broker. It really makes the loss of Eddie in Alissa's life all the more poignant, because you've virtually experienced their life together. It also makes you think, the same way Alissa did, "What if?" What if Eddie didn't go to work that morning... What if he never got fired from his other job... What if, what if, what if?

When American Widow was published, people wanted to know, "Why a graphic novel?!" Her inspiration for turning her story into a graphic novel came from a statement she made one day...

"My life is like a comic book!"

Alissa then read Art Spiegelman's Maus, David Chelsea in Love by David Chelsea, who she met through a friend and who recommended Scott McCloud’s book, Understanding Comics. In an interview with GraphicNovelReporter, Alissa Torres says...

"McCloud’s work gave me greater understanding and sensitivity of the genre as I went on to read more first-person works: Lynda Barry’s 100 Demons, Joe Sacco’s Palestine, and Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis. These graphic novels gave an immediacy and intimacy to the stories they told. These books, along with Maus, were proof to me of the beautiful, accessible, and moving outcomes that were possible from the genre."

American Widow is a moving story, one that was important for Alissa Torres to write, but also an important story for other people to read. Even if you've never picked up a graphic novel before, now is the time...

*P.S. I read American Widow as part of The Graphic Novels Challenge 2010! Click on The Graphic Novels Challenge link to see what other graphic novels I read this year!

The Impostor's Daugher by Laurie Sandell... A Graphic Memoir AND a Giveaway!

The Impostor's Daughter by Laurie Sandell...

A Coming of Age Story and A Graphic Memoir!

Giveaway Has Ended!

Congrats to Norma, Page and Carla! Thanks to EVERYONE who joined in on the fun by entering, blogging and tweeting about the giveaway!

I read The Impostor's Daughter by Laurie Sandell last year when it was first published and loved it! It was funny, honest and a feast for the eyes! I love memoirs and was intrigued by Laurie's story of growing up with a father shrouded in mystery and secrets, who told fantastic tales of adventure, and who turned out to be far from the man Laurie thought he was, and how Laurie's relationship with her father influenced her growing up and having her own "adventures". When I first opened the pages of Laurie's book I wasn't expecting it to be illustrated! What a treat! A graphic novel ... and perfect for us girls! This is not your typical graphic novel. Laurie's drawings are wonderful and have a playful quality, with bright fun colors. If you've never read a graphic novel, but you love "chic" lit, don't hesitate to pick this up! It's kind of Bridgett Jones meets the 21st century with sex, drugs and Glamour magazine. Here's what it's all about...

Laurie Sandell grew up in awe (and sometimes in terror) of her larger-than-life father, who told jaw-dropping tales of a privileged childhood in Buenos Aires, academic triumphs, heroism during Vietnam, friendships with Kissinger and the Pope. As a young woman, Laurie unconsciously mirrors her dad, trying on several outsized personalities (Tokyo stripper, lesbian seductress, Ambien addict). Later, she lucks into the perfect job--interviewing celebrities for a top women's magazine. Growing up with her extraordinary father has given Laurie a knack for relating to the stars. But while researching an article on her dad's life, she makes an astonishing discovery: he's not the man he says he is--not even close. Now, Laurie begins to puzzle together three decades of lies and the splintered person that resulted from them--herself.

Read my review of The Impostor's Daughter! Check out Laurie Sandell's Website and take a look at her drawings! And Enter the Giveaway! Laurie's book The Impostor's Daughter is being released today, July 12th, in paperback! AND, courtesy of Anna of Hachette Book Group I have 3 paperback copies of The Impostor's Daughter to give away! Here's how to Enter...

To Enter this Giveaway...

*For one entry leave me a comment with your email address!

*Get an extra entry for following my blog! Just leave a comment letting me know you're a follower! ( Not a follower yet? No problem, sign up by clicking on the 'followers" button on the sidebar to the left! Just let me know you became a new follower!)

*Blog or tweet about this giveaway and leave me the link for another entry!

This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents only (No PO boxes). The books will be shipped to the winners directly from the publisher. Contest ends 11:59pm EST on July 25th. I will randomly pick the winners the next day and email them! (please check your email.. winner must reply to me within 3 days! Thanks!) Good Luck!

*Just a note here that Laurie does write about (and illustrate) some "intimate" scenes in her memoir, and it really is geared towards us adult girls! (You will laugh out loud too!)

Memoir Mondays with Stitches by David Small... A Graphic Novel, A Memoir and A Review

A Memoir in Black & White...

Stitches, written and illustrated by David Small, is his coming-of-age story told in graphic novel form. It's David Small's memoir of growing up in a family where his mother "had her little cough", sobbed quietly "out of sight", and slammed the kitchen cabinets to communicate. His father took his frustrations out on a punching bag, and his brother on the drums... and it's the story of the operation that would remove a vocal cord and leave David practically a mute...

There aren't a lot of words in Stitches. There really isn't a lot of need for lengthy prose- David Small's black & white ink drawings tell his story perfectly... I could almost feel his grandmother dragging me up the stairs to bed without supper.. I could feel the terror as he is put through shots, enema's and radiation to cure his boyhood illnesses. His drawings are so expressive and the bird's eye views he chooses to show certain scenes in, make the story a visually treat. They are not pretty pictures, but they are meaningful.

From "sock-skating" on a freshly waxed floor in the hospital his father "the radiologist" worked to finally having the operation to remove that cyst on his neck (which he'd find out later was really cancer caused by all the radiation his father gave him), Stitches takes you on a visual adventure of emotions. You'll get to know his often times cruel & dysfunctional family and feel the pains of growing up. I was surprised how haunted I was after I finished reading Stitches. I felt such pain for David growing up virtually unloved and isolated. A sensitive child trying to find his place in the world, trying desperately to have a relationship with his mother, but being let down each time the door to that relationship cracks open a bit, except for one final moment . This was definitely not my usual read, but part of my "reading outside the box" with The Graphic Novel Reading Challenge 2010. I chose this because it had gotten so much buzz and was nominated for The National Book Award in 2009 under the young peoples literature category . Only one other graphic novel has been nominated for the The National Book Award, and that was American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang in 2006. Stitches was a moving read, and one I am glad I stepped outside of my box to read! I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to step into a graphic novel for the first time. And as far as the seasoned graphic novel readers are concerned... I bet you all read this already!

*P.S. This Book is Kindle Ready!

Memoir Mondays... The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

A Young Woman's Coming of Age Story...

During the Turbulent Political Backdrop of the Islamic Revolution in Tehran

Young Marjane Satrapi came from a well off, loving, modern family. She went to a non-religious french school. Her father drove a cadillac and her family had a maid. All that changed in 1980, when Marjane turned 10 years old... because Marjane lived in Tehran... During the cultural revolution... and 'the veil'.

The book opens with Marjane showing us how a 10 year old perceives the sudden requirement to wear the veil... The little girls didn't understand the need to wear one. One day you don't have to, and the next day you do? Her bilingual school was closed down because it was a symbol of capitalism and decadence... And soon Marjane was being indoctrinated into the political fray. First she is taught that the Shah was chosen by God, then when he is overthrown she is taught to tear his pictures out of all the school books. People were being persecuted, executed, tortured. And Marjane's parents did not protect her from the truth because it seemed the only way to save her from becoming one of the persecutors...

Her parents protested, there were raids & bombs, and patrols... Relatives are murdered, friends of the family disappear, a friend dies is a bombing. How is a 1o year old suppose to deal with all this? Honestly... Unfortunately her honesty was perceived as blasphemy... Marjane called her teacher a liar when she taught that there were no more political prisoners and recited the facts, she wore a simple bracelet under her garment and was expelled... It was then decided that a little girl with a penchant for rebellion and a sharp tongue would be safer growing up away from Iran... So, Marjane next goes to Austria to live with a friend of her mother's... and as if things couldn't get worse, they do.

What is so interesting and compelling in this story is that Marjane is the same as all young girls- she likes music, and posters, jewelry and wearing jeans. But because of where she is born she is forced to grow up faster and learn to survive. Her "slips" are mostly from her acting like a 10 year old. How she deals with all this conflict, even the conflict within herself as she grapples with what is going on around her and what is in her heart, is written and drawn wonderfully.

This coming of age story, The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, is a tender, heartfelt story of a girl growing up in a world of conflict. The relationship she has with her mother and grandmother are loving and volatile. But what she takes from each of them and tucks away into her soul shows us glimpses of a girl growing up. How she deals with the war & revolution are important, but how she deals with the injustices imposed on her just because she is a female is even more important. The wearing of the veil, the cut of her clothes, the wearing of make-up, a strand of hair out of place, moral etiquette, dating, divorce... these are all things we learn how a young Iranian girl deals with. All of this is why I thought this book would easily fit into the Women Unbound Reading Challenge... This book shows how this young woman deals with the social and political issues present as she grows up in Iran. Marjane is candid, honest, funny and angry. The book will tug at your heart at moments and infuriate you other times. The book spans 14 years, and it is well worth your time cracking the spin!

I really enjoyed reading this book. The Black & White drawings were so expressive and the story flowed easily from the page. I read it in one sitting because I became absorbed in the Marjane's story. If you're not exactly a graphic novel reader, I hope you'll open this book anyway, it is a wonderful read and would be a great start to reading graphic novels!

*I just wanted to welcome the SJVHS's World Literature class students who stopped by here and joined in on the discussion in the comments section about Persepolis! SJVHS stands for St John Vianney High School. They have a great website where they " share our writing, ideas, and multi-media projects." I think it's great that the class has a virtual place to discuss all things literary! Their site is called The Sea Inside Us, which refers to the Franz Kafka quote, “A BOOK MUST BE THE AXE FOR THE FROZEN SEA INSIDE US.” They left me the link to take a look... here it is if you'd like to see what they are discussing... http://theseainside.us/

*P.S. Philadelphia, PA. has chosen Persepolis as their One Book, One Philadelphia pick for 2010 with the distribution of 5000 copies city wide! Read more HERE.

The Impostor's Daughter by Laurie Sandell...A Review!

The Impostor's Daughter by Laurie Sandell
An illustrated Memoir & Coming of Age Story.....

Laurie Sandell grew up in awe (and sometimes in terror) of her larger-than-life father, who told jaw-dropping tales of a privileged childhood in Buenos Aires, academic triumphs, heroism during Vietnam, friendships with Kissinger and the Pope. As a young woman, Laurie unconsciously mirrors her dad, trying on several outsized personalities (Tokyo stripper, lesbian seductress, Ambien addict). Later, she lucks into the perfect job--interviewing celebrities for a top women's magazine. Growing up with her extraordinary father has given Laurie a knack for relating to the stars. But while researching an article on her dad's life, she makes an astonishing discovery: he's not the man he says he is--not even close. Now, Laurie begins to puzzle together three decades of lies and the splintered person that resulted from them--herself.

What Did I think? Even before I opened the book I thought the story was intriguing. What was the mystery behind this man that spun all these amazing believable tales? And what did Laurie eventually find out about her father and herself? Then I opened the book... It was not what I was expecting... it was illustrated... it was a graphic novel! (Laurie prefers graphic memoir)... I was intrigued even more!

One of the fun parts of this book is that it is a graphic novel! I had no idea when I received the review copy until I opened it up, but just glancing thru it turned into reading a few pages... then a few more... and I just kept reading! It hooked me! I could not put it down. Very colorful, funny, well written and a great read! For anyone not familiar with graphic novels a great starting point! And a very happy surprise for me!

We follow Laurie from a little girl growing up with her father's mysterious ways- stopping the mail anytime HE was going away, phone calls asking for her 'father' in many different aliases, his going away for months at a time with no notice and returning home just as mysteriously, and the stories!...CIA? Secret Service? Not by a mile... A fascinating story about Laurie's relationship with her father, but also a wonderful story about Laurie herself as she uncovers the layers of lies she's lived with all her life and how it changes her... A modern day detective story that shows us the honest quirky things that make up a family. We meet Laurie's sisters, mother, boyfriends plus as she searches out the truth. The drawings are great! We see Laurie's & her families expressions as we read the story. Never read a graphic novel before? Do Not let that stop you! This book is great! Want to see some of Laurie's art from the book? Learn a little more about Laurie? Here a link to Laurie's website. You can also find a link there to the original Esquire story Laurie wrote about her father that lead to this book!

Currently Laurie Sandell is a contributing editor at Glamour, where she writes cover stories, features, and personal essays. She has also written for Esquire, GQ, New York, and In Style, among other publications. In her twenties, she spent four years traveling around the world, having unsavory experiences she later justified as “material.”