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nathansnook's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
3.0
Major thanks to NetGalley and Ted Speed Graphic for offering me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts:
A perfect example that an interesting life does not lead to an interesting book, though it left me inspired when it came to social justice work within the Bay Area. Though the art is strong in its layout and fluidity, there are moments where there is much more telling than showing. Where emotions should ring a lot more truer and stronger, it ends up feeling like a Ted Talk intro that goes on for too long and lacks grounding for readers as most panels feel like background fluff. I wish there were more scenes between Eddie and his mother and the emotions there with his grandfather’ letters. But Eddie merely scrapes the surface, his focus stuck on telling than collaging it all in a way that feels like a story than basic personal background.
I’m excited to see more of Eddie’s art as I think there’s a lot to share. So much good to share. A lot of promise only the future knows.
*Eddie, if you’re reading this, I recommend you read How to Write an Autobiographical Novel by Alexander Chee and an Andrea Long Chu piece, as well as this podcast in how to construct convincing voice that holds.
🥮🥮🥮
If you enjoyed this write-up, please consider purchasing my novella here.
Or find other thoughts on books and films here.
A perfect example that an interesting life does not lead to an interesting book, though it left me inspired when it came to social justice work within the Bay Area. Though the art is strong in its layout and fluidity, there are moments where there is much more telling than showing. Where emotions should ring a lot more truer and stronger, it ends up feeling like a Ted Talk intro that goes on for too long and lacks grounding for readers as most panels feel like background fluff. I wish there were more scenes between Eddie and his mother and the emotions there with his grandfather’ letters. But Eddie merely scrapes the surface, his focus stuck on telling than collaging it all in a way that feels like a story than basic personal background.
I’m excited to see more of Eddie’s art as I think there’s a lot to share. So much good to share. A lot of promise only the future knows.
*Eddie, if you’re reading this, I recommend you read How to Write an Autobiographical Novel by Alexander Chee and an Andrea Long Chu piece, as well as this podcast in how to construct convincing voice that holds.
🥮🥮🥮
If you enjoyed this write-up, please consider purchasing my novella here.
Or find other thoughts on books and films here.
servemethesky's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
2.5
I have a theory: Eddie Ahn is running for office and this graphic memoir is meant to make him look good as he launches his campaign.
I was excited to dive into this graphic memoir with a unique focus: growing up Asian American, getting into the law field, and pursuing nonprofit work. It's an interesting blend of things, but this memoir sadly didn't work all that well for me for a few reasons.
As I reflected more on what I love most about graphic memoirs, a few things came to mind: 1) a unique visual style that captivates me; 2) a fascinating or funny story; 3) lots of vulnerability and depth. Unfortunately, ADVOCATE didn't quite hit the mark in those areas.
The different areas of focus don't cohere well into a narrative. Eddie seems like a good, hardworking dude... but the book almost reads like "look at me, I'm so great, I'm so humble, I drive an old Toyota Corolla, can you believe how humble I am?" It's odd. His work was very dry and this was a text-heavy graphic memoir, with straightforward illustrations that didn't hook me or add a ton more to the text. His work is important and I'm so glad he's doing it! I'm just not sure it lent itself well to this format.
A few other strange moments:
-He goes on at length about an eye surgery he got and jumps forward in time like a decade to his mom getting surgery, but doesn't make much of a connection between them or anything else in the narrative.
-He complains for several pages about getting parking tickets at work because his office is on a street with 1 hour street parking and he forgets to go move his car. Perhaps... park somewhere else?
-The most bizarre by far: he includes a story about getting into a friendly stranger's car and nearly being scammed into buying 6 leather coats because he wants it to illustrate *checks notes* that he's an optimist and likes to think the best of people? I simply would've excluded that anecdote lol.
His treatment of his parents in the book struck me funny, too. I'm all for grappling with your childhood trauma and how your upbringing impacted your mental health and who you are today... but he only shows the smallest snippets of his parents and comes down on them pretty harshly. He harps on how his mom is super resentful of his grandpa as if she shouldn't be and then doesn't explore it further. Later, he describes his dad's health declining and leaves a scene where his dad is passed out in a bush and implies that they'd just eaten their final meal together... did he die?! We just move right on like it's nothing! I was a bit perplexed by that--I'm sure there's more to the story, but I guess it didn't really fit here? So strange. Also unclear if he married that girl he briefly talked about? It feels like he's both trying to explore and obscure the personal... and this is a memoir! Deeply personal and vulnerable is what I'm here for!
Also, I think the guy could benefit from some therapy to work on his relationship with money. I was baffled that the final scene is one person telling him he feels bad for him doing nonprofit work, because it's so little pay for so much work... and then one employee tells Eddie "we appreciate you" and he's like "that's all that matters! I'm here to serve!" It almost seems like he's punishing himself and thinks he doesn't deserve to have nice things. It's a weird vibe to praise your own martyrdom so much (especially one scene where he talks about pushing past burnout and being proud of it).
All that being said: this graphic memoir was likely just not been for me. If you're down for a lot of history on the environmental justice movement in the Bay Area and meandering reflections on identity, nonprofits, and community organizing, then it may be up your alley!
Grateful to have received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
I was excited to dive into this graphic memoir with a unique focus: growing up Asian American, getting into the law field, and pursuing nonprofit work. It's an interesting blend of things, but this memoir sadly didn't work all that well for me for a few reasons.
As I reflected more on what I love most about graphic memoirs, a few things came to mind: 1) a unique visual style that captivates me; 2) a fascinating or funny story; 3) lots of vulnerability and depth. Unfortunately, ADVOCATE didn't quite hit the mark in those areas.
The different areas of focus don't cohere well into a narrative. Eddie seems like a good, hardworking dude... but the book almost reads like "look at me, I'm so great, I'm so humble, I drive an old Toyota Corolla, can you believe how humble I am?" It's odd. His work was very dry and this was a text-heavy graphic memoir, with straightforward illustrations that didn't hook me or add a ton more to the text. His work is important and I'm so glad he's doing it! I'm just not sure it lent itself well to this format.
A few other strange moments:
-He goes on at length about an eye surgery he got and jumps forward in time like a decade to his mom getting surgery, but doesn't make much of a connection between them or anything else in the narrative.
-He complains for several pages about getting parking tickets at work because his office is on a street with 1 hour street parking and he forgets to go move his car. Perhaps... park somewhere else?
-The most bizarre by far: he includes a story about getting into a friendly stranger's car and nearly being scammed into buying 6 leather coats because he wants it to illustrate *checks notes* that he's an optimist and likes to think the best of people? I simply would've excluded that anecdote lol.
His treatment of his parents in the book struck me funny, too. I'm all for grappling with your childhood trauma and how your upbringing impacted your mental health and who you are today... but he only shows the smallest snippets of his parents and comes down on them pretty harshly. He harps on how his mom is super resentful of his grandpa as if she shouldn't be and then doesn't explore it further. Later, he describes his dad's health declining and leaves a scene where his dad is passed out in a bush and implies that they'd just eaten their final meal together... did he die?! We just move right on like it's nothing! I was a bit perplexed by that--I'm sure there's more to the story, but I guess it didn't really fit here? So strange. Also unclear if he married that girl he briefly talked about? It feels like he's both trying to explore and obscure the personal... and this is a memoir! Deeply personal and vulnerable is what I'm here for!
Also, I think the guy could benefit from some therapy to work on his relationship with money. I was baffled that the final scene is one person telling him he feels bad for him doing nonprofit work, because it's so little pay for so much work... and then one employee tells Eddie "we appreciate you" and he's like "that's all that matters! I'm here to serve!" It almost seems like he's punishing himself and thinks he doesn't deserve to have nice things. It's a weird vibe to praise your own martyrdom so much (especially one scene where he talks about pushing past burnout and being proud of it).
All that being said: this graphic memoir was likely just not been for me. If you're down for a lot of history on the environmental justice movement in the Bay Area and meandering reflections on identity, nonprofits, and community organizing, then it may be up your alley!
Grateful to have received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
clhorstmann's review against another edition
challenging
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
I didn’t know much about Eddie Ahn before reading this graphic novel, but I learned that he is quite an impressive person. He has really been an advocate for environmental justice, and is someone we should we talking about.
The way Eddie used art to tell his story was really interesting. I especially appreciated the way he used color to indicate different periods in his life, as well as to show when his story was switching between eras. This story also felt more real than those I’ve read about other advocates; often we only see the positive impacts of the hard work people put in to the causes they care about. However, the story Ahn tells truly shines light on the difficult aspects of working as an advocate. He shows that the environmental work he did was no easy feat, leaving him tired and broke. Eddie leaves us with the question of how to balance work and time with family, as he wonders whether he should have been more available for the people in his life. This was a poignant way to end his memoir and left me reflecting on my own time spent working.
The way Eddie used art to tell his story was really interesting. I especially appreciated the way he used color to indicate different periods in his life, as well as to show when his story was switching between eras. This story also felt more real than those I’ve read about other advocates; often we only see the positive impacts of the hard work people put in to the causes they care about. However, the story Ahn tells truly shines light on the difficult aspects of working as an advocate. He shows that the environmental work he did was no easy feat, leaving him tired and broke. Eddie leaves us with the question of how to balance work and time with family, as he wonders whether he should have been more available for the people in his life. This was a poignant way to end his memoir and left me reflecting on my own time spent working.