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abriggs07's review
funny
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Cute graphic memoir! I know it’s middle grade, but it felt like it went a little too fast. I wanted more! Will be recommending to my middle school students.
loloreid's review
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.5
A lovely book reflecting on finding one's voice and identity in the midst of pressures and expectations, both explicit and assumed. The path to accepting herself as having artistic talent and a resonant perspective is paved with feeling othered and not necessarily seeing herself, a black woman, reflected in the world of comics and/or illustration. Told in personal anecdotes, glimpses through her growing life, in an artistic style that welcomes the reader in with open colours.
mschlat's review
3.0
An autobiographical work (aimed for tweens and teens) focused on Montague's growing acceptance of herself as an artist as she goes through her schooling (from elementary up through and bit beyond college).
I really liked the focus on Montague's questions about an art career; she clearly shows all the angst she had about the value of an art education and whether or not the art she wanted to do fit the curriculums she was part of. I wish the novel was a bit slower and focused on specific incidents, as I wanted more detail about her decisions and reactions. And, being a memoir, it didn't have the narrative oomph I associate with fictional young adult graphic novels. But, in the end, I really liked seeing the art samples of what she does now.
I really liked the focus on Montague's questions about an art career; she clearly shows all the angst she had about the value of an art education and whether or not the art she wanted to do fit the curriculums she was part of. I wish the novel was a bit slower and focused on specific incidents, as I wanted more detail about her decisions and reactions. And, being a memoir, it didn't have the narrative oomph I associate with fictional young adult graphic novels. But, in the end, I really liked seeing the art samples of what she does now.