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A review by seawarrior
Frizzy by Claribel A. Ortega
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This was a wonderful and rewarding graphic novel to read. The book was created with the intention of empowering Black girls with curly heads of hair, but will be enlightening to every young person who reads it.
Ortega skillfully writes Marlene with a voice that notices and resists the inconsistencies and unfairness that adults perpetuate around her. She feels confused, angry and unhappy each time she's made to feel ugly because of her curls, and eventually learns that these emotions should matter to herself and her loved ones, and that she has the right to present herself how she wishes. Marlene's confusion as to why her hair matters so deeply to her family is demystified away with a fuller understanding of her mother's past experiences with Anti-Blackness and her attempts to find respect in the midst of it. It's important for young people to understand how racism is held up by seemingly small ideas that multiply into larger hurts. This book provides a guide for young readers to not only understand that idea, but to realize that coming to terms with discomfort, and asserting your emotions surrounding it, is transformative.
The illustrations for the book complement the writing perfectly. Each page contains detailed, expressive, and dynamic artwork that draws readers into Marlene's world. Marlene's hair is highlighted as a source of power and beauty in both her imaginative scenarios and her actual life. I highly recommend this book to readers of any age or race. It is written for its message to be accessible for children to absorb, yet adults have an equal need to understand how children think and why making them feel ashamed of their natural self "for their own good" creates a system of confusion and lost self-esteem. Hopefully in the years ahead of us more Black girls will grow up believing that their hair is beautiful, instead of a burden.
Ortega skillfully writes Marlene with a voice that notices and resists the inconsistencies and unfairness that adults perpetuate around her. She feels confused, angry and unhappy each time she's made to feel ugly because of her curls, and eventually learns that these emotions should matter to herself and her loved ones, and that she has the right to present herself how she wishes. Marlene's confusion as to why her hair matters so deeply to her family is demystified away with a fuller understanding of her mother's past experiences with Anti-Blackness and her attempts to find respect in the midst of it. It's important for young people to understand how racism is held up by seemingly small ideas that multiply into larger hurts. This book provides a guide for young readers to not only understand that idea, but to realize that coming to terms with discomfort, and asserting your emotions surrounding it, is transformative.
The illustrations for the book complement the writing perfectly. Each page contains detailed, expressive, and dynamic artwork that draws readers into Marlene's world. Marlene's hair is highlighted as a source of power and beauty in both her imaginative scenarios and her actual life. I highly recommend this book to readers of any age or race. It is written for its message to be accessible for children to absorb, yet adults have an equal need to understand how children think and why making them feel ashamed of their natural self "for their own good" creates a system of confusion and lost self-esteem. Hopefully in the years ahead of us more Black girls will grow up believing that their hair is beautiful, instead of a burden.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Bullying