Photographic: The Life of Graciela Iturbide by Isabel Quintero and Zeke Peña

Originally published in: 2018

What’s it about: A biography telling the story of Mexican photographer Graciela Iturbide’s life and work in the format of a graphic novel.

What made me pick it up:  As always, I find it impossible to resist a graphic biography.

My favorite things: I love that the many illustrations mirror Iturbide’s original image-which are often included on the opposite page. I also found the first-person voice compelling.

Who it’s great for: Fans of Iturbide’s work. Readers interested in the stories and experiences behind the work of contemporary artists.

Abby’s rating: 

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Find this in your local library or on Amazon.

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How to Be a Good Creature: A Memoir is Thirteen Animals by Sy Montgomery

Originally published in: 2018

What’s it about: A memoir told through reflections on life-shaping relationships and interactions with animals.

What made me pick it up:  This book is SO CUTE!

My favorite things: I was pleasantly surprised by how effortlessly readable this was. Montgomery’s anecdotes vary between heartwarming and heartbreaking, but always highlight the importance of connection and family – even when your family doesn’t fit the traditional mold. I also found Rebecca Green’s illustrations to be absolutely charming.

Who it’s great for: Fan’s of Sy Montgomery’s other work. Readers interested in memoirs with unusual structures.

Abby’s rating: 

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Find this in your local library or on Amazon (affiliate link).

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There There by Tommy Orange

Originally published in: 2018

What’s it about:  An exploration of identity, community, and meaning-making in contemporary Native life. Told through multiple perspectives, there is a focus on what it means to be, as Orange describes, an Urban Indian when the rest of the world believes the American Indian story exists only on reservations and in history books.

What made me pick it up: I read a few promising blurbs. It also has a page count under 300 and my attention span is short right now.

My favorite things: I tend to love stories told from multiple perspectives, and Orange does an incredible job of tying all of his varied characters’ lives together. He also brings in his own identity as an enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma to inform his characters’ experiences.

Who it’s great for:  People interested in contemporary Native American voices and experiences and readers of stories that complicate our understanding of identity and the world.

Abby’s rating: 

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Find this in your local library or on Amazon (affiliate link).

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Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman

Originally published in: 2017

What’s it about:  17-year-old Kiko Himura spends her days struggling with her social anxiety and feeling like her half-Japanese identity means she’ll never fit in anywhere – especially not with her mother. She lives for the day she’ll escape to art school, but first, she has to get in.

What made me pick it up: It was a finalist for the Morris Award given to the best YA debut novel.

My favorite things: Bowman includes the most magical descriptions of Kiko’s art. They make her paintings and drawings come to life and reflect and inspire real emotion. There’s a strong romantic element to the story that is perfectly complicated.

Who it’s great for:  Teens interested in a complicated romance with lots of family drama.

Abby’s rating: 

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Find this in your local library or on Amazon (affiliate link).

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Brazen by Penelope Bagieu

Originally published in: 2017 (English translation in 2018)

What’s it about: A collection of brief biographies of a variety of extraordinary women whose lives have left lasting impact on history – all in graphic novel form.

What made me pick it up: I couldn’t not pick it up.

My favorite things: Bagieu profiles a wide variety of women from artists to activists, doctors to astronauts. Each woman gets several pages for her story to paint a more full picture of her life and impact

Who it’s great for:  For teens and adults who are fans of Vashti Harrison’s Little Leaders and Women in Science by Rachel Ignotofsky.

Abby’s rating: 

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Find this in your local library or on Amazon (affiliate link).

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Roughneck by Jeff Lemire

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Originally published in: 2017

What’s it about: A former hockey player struggling to keep it together find his life interrupted when his younger sister comes home years after disappearing. The siblings wrestle with violence and addiction, family and identity, and a constant sense of alienation.

What made me pick it up: I love Jeff Lemire.

My favorite things: I can’t remember where I read it, but someone described this as Fargo but in Canada and I can’t think of a better way to describe the cold, bleak tone. As always, Lemire’s art is stunning and perfectly fits the mood of the dark story and complex characters.

Who it’s great for:  Fans of Lemire’s other work, particularly Essex County. Graphic novel readers looking for a family drama.

Abby’s rating: 

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Find this in your local library or on Amazon.

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You Have the Right to Remain Innocent by James Duane

Originally published in: 2016

What’s it about: A quick guide to avoiding implicating yourself in criminal activity while talking to the police. Tl;dr don’t talk to the police. No really, don’t.

What made me pick it up: It is very short and the title intrigued me.

My favorite things: Duane tries to balance every critique of police interrogation techniques with positive words about their work. He doesn’t identify the police as a problem, but rather insists that they are very good at finding evidence – even when it implicates innocent people. Duane also offers very specific advice on what you do have to tell the police and when and how to effectively demand to speak with a lawyer.

Who it’s great for:  Anyone curious about what you actually have to tell the police. A good primer for anyone worried about dealing with the police

Abby’s rating: 

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Find this in your local library or on Amazon (affiliate link).

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When She Woke by Hillary Jordan

Originally published in: 2011

What’s it about: In a near-future dystopian United States, Hannah has been subjected to chroming – her skin genetically altered to bright red – to publicly indicate her guilt as a violent felon in a society that has moved quickly toward a theocracy.

What made me pick it up: I’d heard that this was a modern-day Scarlet Letter with a strong Handmaid’s Tale feel, which was impossible to resist.

My favorite things: While the latter part of the book didn’t wow me, the opening and the premise are nearly perfect. Jordan creates a complex main character who wrestles with her own values as she moves away from a total acceptance of the righteous and utterly restrictive laws that rule much of the country. Though she is in a world where religious moralism reigns supreme and bodily autonomy doesn’t exist, her struggle to find peace with herself and her actions gives hope in a time of what feels like insurmountable tension and divisiveness.

Who it’s great for:  Fans of The Handmaid’s Tale, Naomi Alderman’s The Power, and other dystopian stories with a strong feminist bent.

Abby’s rating: 

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Find this in your local library or on Amazon (affiliate link).

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All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens Through the Ages.

Originally published in: 2018

What’s it about: A collection of short stories featuring queer and trans teens by queer and trans writers. The stories span the gamut from fantasy to historical fiction, folklore to realistic stories.

What made me pick it up: I put this on hold as soon as I saw that Malinda Lo contributed a story to this collection.

My favorite things: I love that this collection celebrates a variety of LGBTQ experiences and that in these stories a queer identity doesn’t necessarily mean pain or struggle in the way that common in many books. The stories are short but the emotions are intense! There is enough wildly varying content that there is something for everyone in this collection.

Who it’s great for:  Teens and adults looking for engaging stories with well-developed characters.

Abby’s rating: 

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Find this in your local library or on Amazon (affiliate link).

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Dear World by Bana Alabad

Originally published in: 2017

What’s it about: A child’s account of surviving and escaping the ongoing war in Syria.

What made me pick it up: Bana Alabed’s pleas for peace and assistance reached the world through Twitter, but I knew her book would tell a more complete story.

My favorite things: Bana’s clear voice is heartwrenching, a reminder to care for refugees. Her mother, Fatemah, includes essays written for Bana, explaining her point of view and her experiences. Their words in concert with each other serve to humanize the numbers and news reports and give a personal story to the images of Syrian children that have circulated widely.

Who it’s great for:  Adults and teens trying to understand the war in Syria. Readers who to understand what the day to day struggle is like in the Syrian Civil War, and those wanting to build empathy for refugees.

Abby’s rating: 

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Find this in your local library or on Amazon (affiliate link).

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