A review by popthebutterfly
Mis(h)adra by Iasmin Omar Ata

5.0

 

Disclaimer: I borrowed this book from my local library. Support your libraries! All opinions are my own. 

 

Book: Mis(H)adra 

 

Author:Iasmin Omar Ata 

 

Book Series: Standalone 

 

Rating: 5/5 

 

Diversity: Epileptic Palestinian American MC, character with Steven-Johnson Syndrome and PTSD 

 

Recommended For...: Graphic Novel readers, disability, epilepsy, mental health, contemporary 

 

Publication Date: October 13, 2017 

 

Genre: Graphic Novel 

 

Age Relevance: 15+ (language, medical harassment, body gore, drugs, alcohol, depression) 

 

Explanation of Above: There is some cussing in this book. There are scenes of medical harassment and body gore, like blood and scenes of violence against one’s own body. Drugs are mentioned and alcohol consumption is shown. There are discussions of depression. 

 

Publisher: Gallery 13 

 

Pages: 288 

 

Synopsis: Isaac wants nothing more than to be a functional college student—but managing his epilepsy is an exhausting battle to survive. He attempts to maintain a balancing act between his seizure triggers and his day-to-day schedule, but he finds that nothing—not even his medication—seems to work. The doctors won’t listen, the schoolwork keeps piling up, his family is in denial about his condition, and his social life falls apart as he feels more and more isolated by his illness. Even with an unexpected new friend by his side, so much is up against him that Isaac is starting to think his epilepsy might be unbeatable. Based on the author’s own experiences as an epileptic, Mis(h)adra is a boldly visual depiction of the daily struggles of living with a misunderstood condition in today’s hectic and uninformed world. 

 

Review: I thought this was such a WELL DONE graphic novel. The illustrations in this thing are absolutely amazing and so impactful to the story. This is textbook to what a graphic novel can do for a book. The book did well to go into what a seizure for epilepsy is and what causes it. The book had amazing visual descriptions of the seizures and it really did wonders for my own personal understanding of epilepsy. The book also did well to briefly touch on issues disabled persons encounter when services do not fully cover all disabilities, like what the author of this story might have also encountered or others in our families. The book is an amazing own voice story and I highly recommend it for everyone. 

 

My only little issue with the book is that it felt like it just kinda ended and I’d love to see more about this story and character. 

 

Verdict: I highly recommend this one!