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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
I may have read this simply because I want to up my number of "books read" for the year, and it's a graphic novel and therefore easy to get through in an evening. But I will admit that understanding more clearly the lives and experiences of people who differ from me in significant ways is part of why I think reading is valuable. One of these graphic essays would have been beautifully at home in my favorite book about hair: [b:Me, My Hair, and I: Twenty-seven Women Untangle an Obsession|24001099|Me, My Hair, and I Twenty-seven Women Untangle an Obsession|Elizabeth Benedict|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1438522766l/24001099._SX50_.jpg|43601153]. Others were interesting for other reasons.
Lovely, smoothly readable, personal comics in the tradition of Lynda Barry, clashing a child’s perspective with the troubles of the real/adult world that crushes them. If this sounds like a downer, it’s not; the book is joyful even when it’s heartbreaking.
The pictures and handwritten font made it difficult for me to finish. Will try again later when better able to focus.
adventurous
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse
Moderate: Bullying, Racism
Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse
A really tight, insightful collection. Obsessed with the art style.
This was good but not great. Some my favorite stories were too short and my least favorites too long and some stories didn't make any sense at all to me.
When I went to the Brooklyn Book Festival in September and decided to go to the panel called "We Need to Talk," about the art of conversation in graphic memoirs, I originally only knew one of the authors, Mira Jacob. However, after the panel I scooped up Erin Williams' COMMUTE and this, Ebony Flowers' HOT COMB. I was not disappointed in any of these stellar works of memoir—and Flowers insightful collection of autobiographical short stories centered on Black women's hair is a particularly arresting perspective. In contrast to Jacob discussing the reasons why she always made the characters in GOOD TALK have the same face (to let the readers explore the emotions via the writing, not told to by the drawings), Flowers focused on the facial features to show emotion, to convey her characters' feelings. The drawings themselves come across as effusive and like they are moving; I learned a lot and laughed, too. I especially loved the last story, 'Last Angolan Saturday,' centered on three friends driving to the beach. At times heavy, at times light, these stories are always discerning of the many layers of processing identity. I highly recommend the collection, and look forward to more of Flowers' work.
I don't want to give this one any stars because I need time to think on it. The stories didn't capture me and ended abruptly in ways that didn't really make sense. I feel like there was something missing from the stories. Sorry to say that this was just an okay read for me.
Interesting collection of short stories that took different views of how hair affect women’s lives and relationships. However I didn’t like the illustration styles of the graphic novel and found the text difficult to read
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced