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A review by creolelitbelle
Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
3.25
I admire Kate Beaton for taking jobs in tough working environments to pay off her student loans quickly. Personally, I could not see moving away from my immediate life to do that, but I see the allure in it. Student loan debt is no laughing matter, and it's not something only Americans deal with.
At the back of the book, Beaton explains that the memoir details HER experience, and, of course, not everyone's experience working in the oil sands of Alberta are the same. Even different women may have different experiences. The events recounted in this graphic novel must be read in the mind-frame of the time period 2005-2008, because the treatment she dealt with from men would likely not be looked over so quickly today. My heart went out to her at the way she took the blame, excused behavior, or just beared with it to pass the time and earn the money. She saw no truly conceivable outcome that wouldn't make the environment worse for herself, which has been a real predicament for women in many uncomfortable work situations throughout history. While Ducks is marketed to adults, I feel like the themes could be great for older teens to learn from such as: how to crawl from under student debt; what student debt feels like mentally; what workplace harassment can look like; how to deal with workplace harassment; having allies in the workplace; and the dilemma of choosing the job you want over the job that will support your life. The art is done very well with great depictions of characters and setting. I could easily differentiate everyone. Illustrating the Northern Lights with multiple colors would have been wonderful, but most of the book is fairly monochromatic, perfect for the isolation of the oil sands job sites.
At the back of the book, Beaton explains that the memoir details HER experience, and, of course, not everyone's experience working in the oil sands of Alberta are the same. Even different women may have different experiences. The events recounted in this graphic novel must be read in the mind-frame of the time period 2005-2008, because the treatment she dealt with from men would likely not be looked over so quickly today. My heart went out to her at the way she took the blame, excused behavior, or just beared with it to pass the time and earn the money. She saw no truly conceivable outcome that wouldn't make the environment worse for herself, which has been a real predicament for women in many uncomfortable work situations throughout history. While Ducks is marketed to adults, I feel like the themes could be great for older teens to learn from such as: how to crawl from under student debt; what student debt feels like mentally; what workplace harassment can look like; how to deal with workplace harassment; having allies in the workplace; and the dilemma of choosing the job you want over the job that will support your life. The art is done very well with great depictions of characters and setting. I could easily differentiate everyone. Illustrating the Northern Lights with multiple colors would have been wonderful, but most of the book is fairly monochromatic, perfect for the isolation of the oil sands job sites.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism
Moderate: Infidelity and Rape
Minor: Drug use