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A review by jugglingpup
Comics for Choice: Illustrated Abortion Stories, History, and Politics by Ally Shwed, Sarah Crowe, Steph Kraft Sheley, Leah Hayes, Bree Jordan, Kris Louis, Hallie Jay Pope, Lindsay Rodriguez, Julia Krase, Mallory McMaster, Sharon Rimann, Laura Martin, M.J. Flores, Laura Lannes, Mick Moran, Kennedy Tarrell, Kriota Willberg, Andrew Carl, Claudia E. Berger, Lilly Taing, O.K. Fox, Yamani Hernandez, Rachel Hays, Samantha Romero, C.B. Hart, Vreni, Jennifer Camper, Michelle Kinsey Bruns, Hazel Newlevant, Cynthia Greenlee, Kendra Josie Kirkpatrick, Benita Ulisano, Anna Sellheim, Wren Chavers, Sarah Mirk, Whit Taylor, Heidi Williamson, Erin Lux, Stephanie Rodriguez, Jaz Malone, Emily Lady, Katie Brown, Kat Fajardo, Tatiana Gill, Brittany Mostiller, Lucy Haslam, Katie Fricas, Sophia Foster-Dimino, Rickie Solinger, Tanya DePass, Ahmara Smith, Anise Simon, Cathy Camper, Anna Bongiovanni, Sage Coffey, Rachel Wilson, Nomi Kane, Gianna Meola, Renee Bracey, Rachel Merrill, Daniela Diaz
5.0
To see more reviews check out MI Book Reviews.
I grabbed this book because I saw it in the new book section of my library. I have always avidly said I was a feminist and that I was pro-choice (well I said I was “pro-life by being pro-choice”, which I thought was just so brilliant when I was just coming to terms with my feminism). This book is my first real look at abortion outside of some history around the practice and a French film.
I learned so much from reading this. I am so thankful these wonderful people have shared their stories. They have taught me some practical things like pricing and some emotional things like feeling alienated after an abortion because of the social stigma of having an abortion. Things I understood, but didn’t know.
There were pieces that were solely about the history of abortion clinic protests (read attacks on clinics and killing of people by extremists), the history of abortion laws, birth control options, planned parenthood stats, and a few that were stories from people that work in clinics that actually provide helpful services to people seeking abortions. I am beyond impressed by the work that these people do. They face violence, they face stigma, and they do it to help others on a daily basis. They are true heroes.
Most of the pieces were easy to read, easy to follow, and had art that was fitting for the topic. There was one piece that I almost skipped because it was difficult to figure out the flow of the text and the art blurred into the words making the difficult to even see. The rest of the pieces were very well done. That is a much higher rate of liked pieces and legible pieces than I am used to seeing in an anthology.
The piece that really got to me was one by Kris Louis called “October”. It is about their own experience getting an abortion as a budding trans person. It hit so close to home. I may not have gotten an abortion, but it was my only option if I had gotten pregnant as a teenager. I came out early as a FTM, which is different than the author, but the feelings were the same. I was raped and did not have a choice in condom usage. My life spun, I didn’t know what to do. I was too afraid to even get a pregnancy test, I had been told they wouldn’t be effective because I was on hormones. So I went months without knowing. My period had stopped, I was gaining weight, I was moody. I had no support system, that I knew of, because the few people I had gone to had laughed and said it couldn’t have been raped or that it was my fault for being trans. So I just suffered alone, though I know now that I had friends that would have supported me if I went to them. I only found out for sure I wasn’t pregnant when I went to get my top surgery and the hospital wouldn’t operate on me without one. I was terrified I would find out I was pregnant in front of my family (my mother being one of the people that denied it was rape) and having my transition completely cancelled. Louis thankfully had a better support network and continues to have a support network. Louis’s story might not hit everyone as close to home as it did me, but the fact that the editors allowed and encouraged non-binary and trans people to submit their stories says a great deal about the editors and the organizations that they support.
Now that was a bit TMI, but it is hard to not share information. It is hard to not feel like you have been let into these people’s lives and now you know something that some of them were deeply ashamed of for years. Just know that even if you don’t read this book, that this book will change lives. This is a necessary book and should be supported.
I grabbed this book because I saw it in the new book section of my library. I have always avidly said I was a feminist and that I was pro-choice (well I said I was “pro-life by being pro-choice”, which I thought was just so brilliant when I was just coming to terms with my feminism). This book is my first real look at abortion outside of some history around the practice and a French film.
I learned so much from reading this. I am so thankful these wonderful people have shared their stories. They have taught me some practical things like pricing and some emotional things like feeling alienated after an abortion because of the social stigma of having an abortion. Things I understood, but didn’t know.
There were pieces that were solely about the history of abortion clinic protests (read attacks on clinics and killing of people by extremists), the history of abortion laws, birth control options, planned parenthood stats, and a few that were stories from people that work in clinics that actually provide helpful services to people seeking abortions. I am beyond impressed by the work that these people do. They face violence, they face stigma, and they do it to help others on a daily basis. They are true heroes.
Most of the pieces were easy to read, easy to follow, and had art that was fitting for the topic. There was one piece that I almost skipped because it was difficult to figure out the flow of the text and the art blurred into the words making the difficult to even see. The rest of the pieces were very well done. That is a much higher rate of liked pieces and legible pieces than I am used to seeing in an anthology.
The piece that really got to me was one by Kris Louis called “October”. It is about their own experience getting an abortion as a budding trans person. It hit so close to home. I may not have gotten an abortion, but it was my only option if I had gotten pregnant as a teenager. I came out early as a FTM, which is different than the author, but the feelings were the same. I was raped and did not have a choice in condom usage. My life spun, I didn’t know what to do. I was too afraid to even get a pregnancy test, I had been told they wouldn’t be effective because I was on hormones. So I went months without knowing. My period had stopped, I was gaining weight, I was moody. I had no support system, that I knew of, because the few people I had gone to had laughed and said it couldn’t have been raped or that it was my fault for being trans. So I just suffered alone, though I know now that I had friends that would have supported me if I went to them. I only found out for sure I wasn’t pregnant when I went to get my top surgery and the hospital wouldn’t operate on me without one. I was terrified I would find out I was pregnant in front of my family (my mother being one of the people that denied it was rape) and having my transition completely cancelled. Louis thankfully had a better support network and continues to have a support network. Louis’s story might not hit everyone as close to home as it did me, but the fact that the editors allowed and encouraged non-binary and trans people to submit their stories says a great deal about the editors and the organizations that they support.
Now that was a bit TMI, but it is hard to not share information. It is hard to not feel like you have been let into these people’s lives and now you know something that some of them were deeply ashamed of for years. Just know that even if you don’t read this book, that this book will change lives. This is a necessary book and should be supported.