Scan barcode
trevoryan's review against another edition
4.0
I LOVE autobio graphic novels. And I've loved everything I've read by Noah Van Sciver so far (the other book being The Hyp, which I recommend). This short account of growing up in a Mormon family with 9 kids is fascinating. I'm looking forward to reading more of his books.
rachelhelps's review against another edition
4.0
I read this back when I worked on Noah's Wikipedia page for work, but I forgot to review it! It is very short--you can read it in about an hour. It represents an important part of the Mormon experience: what it's like to be in a big family, poor, Mormon, and living outside of Utah. All of the art is in COLOR!! and Van Sciver uses that color to really convey the emotions of being a neglected child. He alternates scenes from his childhood with scenes from his life as cartoonist around the time he turned 30. The way he turned himself into a little monster when he talked about becoming a professional cartoonist was kind of funny and relatable. He doesn't take a "side" with church issues, but he does mention how his family ate from the bishop's storehouse and everyone saw his family as a bit weird.
andrewhall's review against another edition
4.0
An understated, very personal, color, short graphic memoir, about Noah's childhood in a poor Mormon family in New Jersey in the 90s, interspersed with himself in 2014 as a struggling comic artist in a troubled relationship. I really enjoyed it, and wished that the story would keep going.
jekutree's review against another edition
3.0
My first Noah Van Sciver work. I really dig his art style and I found the story to be interesting enough to read. I really enjoy graphic novel memoirs. I wish he delved a bit deeper into his family life and living situation in 2014, the book seemed to only skim the surface.
7/10
7/10
tomhill's review against another edition
3.0
I'm a fan of Van Sciver, and I really enjoyed this memoir but wanted even more recollections and insight.
sizrobe's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic memoir split back and forth between the author at two ages. One half as an 8 year old in a poor Mormon family, and the other half as a struggling artist around his 30th birthday. Okay, but the two parts didn't really seem to add to one another in any identifiable way and maybe would have been better more elaborated into their own stories. I did learn some interesting tidbits about the Mormon church, though.
stilldirty's review against another edition
5.0
Personally, surprisingly, relatable. I saw some of that coming, but some aspects really spoke universally of what it was like in the 80s and 90s as a Mormon kid. Felt like I knew some of his family, or versions of them, and understood some of the panels between panels of these vignettes. Quick-enough read to maybe read it again soon.
lizbusby's review against another edition
4.0
A heartbreaking autobiographical graphic novel about growing up in extreme poverty and LDS, and how that then affects the artist's self and relationships in the present. Although the Mormonism is mostly incidental and the ending cannot be said to be faith promoting in a way that would appeal to the Deseret Book crowd, this is still a substantial piece of Mormon literature. I really appreciated Noah Van Sciver's vulnerability in sharing this story with the world.
libraryrobin's review against another edition
2.0
Autobiographical graphic novel. Skips around quite a bit while giving off a melancholic vibe.