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jwinchell's review against another edition
4.0
I found my favorite Sylvia strip on a set of post-it notes many years ago: in Sylvia’s classic withering glare, she’s saying “ I can’t stand intolerant people.” Perfection.
It was so interesting to learn about Nicole Hollander’s childhood on the west side of Chicago. Anecdotes, character sketches, stories. Filled with quirky nuance, I learned a lot of what inspired her to create Sylvia and what nourished her through the years (wonder bread and Jewish chop suey). A solid read.
It was so interesting to learn about Nicole Hollander’s childhood on the west side of Chicago. Anecdotes, character sketches, stories. Filled with quirky nuance, I learned a lot of what inspired her to create Sylvia and what nourished her through the years (wonder bread and Jewish chop suey). A solid read.
yetilibrary's review against another edition
2.0
More like 2.5 stars. If you’re a fan of Nicole Hollander and her “Sylvia” comic strip, this is a must-read, both because you’ll love more Hollander and because you’ll see where Sylvia the character and so much else came from. My rating is only 2.5 stars not because the book is bad, but because it’s unsatisfying; later chapters feel cut short and the whole thing feels like pages must be missing. The first half (or so) feels more finished and the second half feels like incomplete bits were rushed together for printing, which is a shame: Hollander and her story deserve better. I want a second memoir.
Filed under “historical nonfiction” because part of what Hollander does here is underscore the ways growing up in Chicago in the 1940s was so different from today.
Tl;dr For fans of Hollander and the “Sylvia” comic, it’s a must read, if an unsatisfying one.
Filed under “historical nonfiction” because part of what Hollander does here is underscore the ways growing up in Chicago in the 1940s was so different from today.
Tl;dr For fans of Hollander and the “Sylvia” comic, it’s a must read, if an unsatisfying one.
stailysh1's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
2.0
The book is thin and patchy as far as I would expect from a memoir. The drawings were interesting and the store was fine, but there was not enough to support the story. This book feels unfinished. It's also hard to describe, but it feels like watching people tell an inside joke. I wanted to learn more about her life and how she grew up but the humor didn't hit and I think more context is needed for a general audience.
lucyblack's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting ramble. A woman recalls her unconventional childhood in an apartment with her working class Jewish family. Sort of Really Rosie and sort of bizarre. I haven’t read Nicole Hollander’s comic strip and I’d like to, I think I might like short sassy pieces rather than this patchy, incomplete autobiography.
The pictures are purposely amateur and I think I might have liked it more if it was all comic or all photos or all text. This mismatch just added to the already asked and repeated story.
I did enjoy it though. I love that the mum is such a character and not just a typical mum. I like the casual dangers and the disgusting ‘recipes’.
It reminds me of Lynda Barry and the Marlys stories but I must say I much prefer Marlys.
The pictures are purposely amateur and I think I might have liked it more if it was all comic or all photos or all text. This mismatch just added to the already asked and repeated story.
I did enjoy it though. I love that the mum is such a character and not just a typical mum. I like the casual dangers and the disgusting ‘recipes’.
It reminds me of Lynda Barry and the Marlys stories but I must say I much prefer Marlys.
gazeboreader's review against another edition
4.0
So many memories of childhood that were the same. So many differences between growing up in Chicago and eastern Mass. So funny, poignant and horrifying. Wonderful memories, great neighbors and that childhood distortion of how you remember something and how it really was.
missnicelady's review against another edition
2.0
Hollander has some great stories about growing up working class and Jewish on Chicago's West Side, but this book feels awfully thin, repetitive, and dashed off as if cashing in on a craze or something. I don't know if this is the first in a series about her life (the story jumps from high school to a one-page "and then I spent 30+ years as a syndicated cartoonist" summary), but I'd love to read a full-blown graphic memoir of this smart-mouthed badass that was put together with more care.
walzstjrnl's review against another edition
4.0
Oh, i enjoyed falling into this book! Felt stream of consciousness in its writing, supplemented by Nicole’s illustrations. It easily transplanted me into her childhood in a series of anecdotes
bluepigeon's review
3.0
Nicole Hollander's We Ate Wonder Bread is an interesting, yet very repetitive graphic memoir. The art is very expressive and chaotic, at times deranged and at times fascinating (and sometimes both). The humor takes getting used to if you're not familiar with Hollander's other work. Sometimes, when she says things like "all girls long to dress up," I wondered if I was missing some joke (she then explains that she joined the Girl Scouts because she wanted to dress up in a uniform.)
The sexual harassment Hollander describes (on busses, in movie theaters, directed at young girls and women, etc.) is still in full swing (ha!) in many countries (mine included). However, the situations in her book are strictly from a young girl's point of view, so there is very little in the way of understanding the reasons (it ends up reading like "just because they could, and my father didn't do anything about it.")
Recommended for those who like chocolate bananas, public transportation, swimsuits, and gardening.
The sexual harassment Hollander describes (on busses, in movie theaters, directed at young girls and women, etc.) is still in full swing (ha!) in many countries (mine included). However, the situations in her book are strictly from a young girl's point of view, so there is very little in the way of understanding the reasons (it ends up reading like "just because they could, and my father didn't do anything about it.")
Recommended for those who like chocolate bananas, public transportation, swimsuits, and gardening.