Graphic Memoirs about America

Welcome to the second week of July! Hopefully, you're doing your best to stay cool as the heatwave continues. For this week's list, I wanted to continue the conversation about graphic novels and draw some attention to one of my personal favorite subgenres, the graphic memoir. For me, they are the perfect blend of art and history (serious Hamilton vibes?) and are always fascinating to read. I wanted to narrow my focus a little bit and look at a few memoirs that explore what it means to be an American. These stories, each told from different perspectives, help us grapple with the complexity of the American experience. Let's get started!

First up is the brilliant They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, a powerful personal story penned by one of the most compelling speakers of our times. While Mr. Takei is best known for his hot takes on social media (or his groundbreaking role in Star Trek if you're a science fiction nerd like me!), this story speaks of the reflections of his time spent in the Japanese internment camps during World War II. Unquestionably one of the great shames of our nation in the 1900s, this story tells a deeply personal account of courage and loyalty expressed by these Americans (and, as the story goes, by some of the people manning the camps.) The line illustrations of Justin Eisinger capture the facial expressions and tone of the story in well-crafted and intelligent ink, adding depth and detail to an already moving account of an American's journey. A powerful piece.

Next on this week's list is I Was Their American Dream, by Malaka Gharib. It is a shorter and more whimsical memoir that covers some familiar ground - an immigrant family learning to adapt to their new life as Americans. However, this story has a few components that make it really stand out to me. The first is that the family is not mono-cultural. Malaka's father is Egyptian and Muslim, while her mother is Filipino and Catholic, and much of the story revolves around the difficulties of trying to fit in three different cultures and ideals into one family. As Malaka grows and comes into her own, she also has to grapple, a little, with the reality that America is more than what it appears. Add on the expectations of her parents, who see her as a vessel to live out the American experience, and there's no shortage of complications! Another component that I enjoy is the art style. Intentionally whimsical, the book even invites the reader to cut out pages or dress characters with paper dolls (please don't do this if you have a library copy!). The light and fun art provide a compelling contrast to the relative severity of the story and does some pretty amazing things (it only uses three colors - can you guess which ones?). I highly recommend it if you're a fan of stories that balance well!

The next book on this week's list is less of a coming of age story, and more of a travel montage, and is one of the longer titles I've ever seen! It's The American Dream? A Journey on Route 66 Discovering Dinosaur Statues, Muffler Man, and the Perfect Breakfast Burrito by Shing Yin Khor. In it, Shing, a Malaysian-American who has lived on the West Coast the whole of her life decides that she needs to see more of America than just the coast and big city life she's known. In a reversal of a usual trope, she decides to see the middle of America for herself, traveling along the famous Route 66. Along the way, she interacts with a great deal of Americana, from the clutter of tourist traps to the ghost towns that dot America's oldest highway. The author slowly reconciles her image of the two Americas, rural and urban, and makes some powerful insights into the heart of America. As a resident of a so-called fly-over state, I really loved this book's willingness to break the mold of the big city as being the final destination for any 'real American' and explore the quiet, kind center through an intelligent and observant lens. The watercolor art makes the dream-like qualities of the book stand out even more, and flow so well with the words and ideas on the page. While travelogues aren't for everybody, this one really grabbed my attention!

Lastly this week comes No Ivy League, a different sort of memoir by Hazel Newlevant. It tells the story of privileged, affluent, home-schooled Hazel stepping outside her comfort zone and coming face-to-face with her assumptions and beliefs as she takes on a summer job pulling ivy (an invasive plant) out of a forest near her home of Portland. Richly illustrated and compelling, this book really pushes readers outside their comfort zones through an active examination of privilege and the role it plays in shaping who we are and what we believe. Tack on some hidden history of the racist origins of the city of Portland and a fuller picture is revealed of the depth of Hazel's ignorance. It also manages to avoid lingering too long on guilt and doesn't feel overly burdensome to read.  I enjoyed watching Hazel slowly become more self-aware, and the story is just light enough to keep pages turning. Highly recommended!

 

Alright, that's all for this week's list! I hope you continue to spend these hot summer days cool and comfortable, with a book in hand! Next week, I'll be back with another set of recommendations, so I hope you'll stop by! Remember that even though the NFPL is closed for renovations, these books can be checked out electronically through Libby and enjoyed on any e-reader or phone. Graphic novels look great on screens, too! I hope to see you again next week!