by Corey Egbert ; illustrated by Corey Egbert ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 19, 2024
Nuanced and real; impressive and valuable.
Illustrator Egbert has drawn on tumultuous childhood memories to craft his first solo graphic novel.
Looking back, Corey wonders how much of his childhood was real. His family, who present white, lived in a remote, rural part of California, so his mom was his “teacher…entertainer…and partner in crime.” His dad, though loving, was more distant. Shortly after Corey’s younger sister, Sarah, was born, his maternal grandfather was arrested for child sexual abuse. A couple of years later, Corey’s parents divorced, and his mom, convinced his dad was also a predator, enlisted Corey to be his sister’s protector during court-ordered visitations. Clinging to the family’s shared faith in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, his mom became increasingly paranoid, eventually loading both kids into the car and taking off. Hungry, filthy, and afraid, the teenage Corey received a nighttime visitation from an ethereal girl who helped repair his fractured heart. The author’s note (which includes family photos) fills in background details, including more about his mother’s paranoid schizophrenia diagnosis. The emotional truth of this narrative rings out on every page. The artwork enhances readers’ understanding of Corey’s confusion about religion, sexuality, family dynamics, and his own memories, drawing the audience toward sympathy and understanding. Egbert’s softly illustrated panels are primarily executed in muted tones of peach, gray, and brown with clean, uncluttered backgrounds; this soothing palette subtly and skillfully supports the depth of emotion in the story.
Nuanced and real; impressive and valuable. (Graphic memoir. 12-18)Pub Date: Nov. 19, 2024
ISBN: 9780374308421
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
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by Carol Lynn Pearson ; illustrated by Corey Egbert
by George Takei & Justin Eisinger & Steven Scott ; illustrated by Harmony Becker ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 16, 2019
A powerful reminder of a history that is all too timely today.
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A beautifully heart-wrenching graphic-novel adaptation of actor and activist Takei’s (Lions and Tigers and Bears, 2013, etc.) childhood experience of incarceration in a World War II camp for Japanese Americans.
Takei had not yet started school when he, his parents, and his younger siblings were forced to leave their home and report to the Santa Anita Racetrack for “processing and removal” due to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066. The creators smoothly and cleverly embed the historical context within which Takei’s family’s story takes place, allowing readers to simultaneously experience the daily humiliations that they suffered in the camps while providing readers with a broader understanding of the federal legislation, lawsuits, and actions which led to and maintained this injustice. The heroes who fought against this and provided support to and within the Japanese American community, such as Fred Korematsu, the 442nd Regiment, Herbert Nicholson, and the ACLU’s Wayne Collins, are also highlighted, but the focus always remains on the many sacrifices that Takei’s parents made to ensure the safety and survival of their family while shielding their children from knowing the depths of the hatred they faced and danger they were in. The creators also highlight the dangerous parallels between the hate speech, stereotyping, and legislation used against Japanese Americans and the trajectory of current events. Delicate grayscale illustrations effectively convey the intense emotions and the stark living conditions.
A powerful reminder of a history that is all too timely today. (Graphic memoir. 14-adult)Pub Date: July 16, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-60309-450-4
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Top Shelf Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 4, 2019
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by George Takei ; illustrated by Michelle Lee
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by Hyun Sook Kim & Ryan Estrada ; illustrated by Hyung-Ju Ko ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 19, 2020
A tribute to young people’s resistance in the face of oppression.
In 1983 South Korea, Kim was learning to navigate university and student political activism.
The daughter of modest restaurant owners, Kim was apolitical—she just wanted to make her parents proud and be worthy of her tuition expenses. Following an administrator’s advice to avoid trouble and pursue extracurriculars, she joined a folk dance team where she met a fellow student who invited her into a banned book club. Kim was fearful at first, but her thirst for knowledge soon won out. As she learned the truth of her country’s oppressive fascist political environment, Kim became closer to the other book club members while the authorities grew increasingly desperate to identify and punish student dissidents. The kinetic manhwa drawing style skillfully captures the personal and political history of this eye-opening memoir. The disturbing elements of political corruption and loss of human rights are lightened by moving depictions of sweet, funny moments between friends as well as deft political maneuvering by Kim herself when she was eventually questioned by authorities. The art and dialogue complement each other as they express the tension that Kim and her friends felt as they tried to balance school, family, and romance with surviving in a dangerous political environment. References to fake news and a divisive government make this particularly timely; the only thing missing is a list for further reading.
A tribute to young people’s resistance in the face of oppression. (Graphic memoir. 14-adult)Pub Date: May 19, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-945820-42-7
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Iron Circus Comics
Review Posted Online: Nov. 18, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
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