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seanathanb's Reviews (27)
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
The translation job can feel a little iffy at times. Nonetheless, very beautiful book, with some really nice art. I had no idea this was based on the authors experiences until the end, though. Maybe that’s my bad, but I feel like knowing that would’ve added some weight to what I was reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Child death, Miscarriage
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Chast’s silly cartoony style shockingly propels the themes of this book into something far greater than the sum of its parts. This book is certainly very funny, but it’s also extremely raw in how it delivers its beats. It’s a long book, which ties into the theming of it — the EXHAUSTION of it just going on and on. This was a very solid read. I’m happy I picked this up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Nate Powell explains complex things with such grace through his in-depth explanations and his very satisfying art style. I’ve not read March all the way through, but this may be my call to action in that regard, because this book is kind of a triumph. Though it tackles the act of protesting through the eyes of his children quite often, its messaging is most-deeply rooted in “the urgency to protest” in general. How to do it, why we should — the ins and outs of protesting as a whole for the uninitiated. Big recommendation for anyone trying to make the world a better place.
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This little book has really bubbled into one of my favorite ones to revisit. Every time I open it, it's brimming with personality, really fresh humor, and some really fun characters. Is it revolutionary? No. Is it jaw-dropping? Also no. However, it is a remarkably comfortable experience that I enjoy reading time and time again. I could not have been more thrilled when I heard that JG Quintel was adapting this as a series for Adult Swim. I will be sat for its first airing. What are you waiting for!! Read this book!!
Content Warnings
Minor: Body horror
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
I self-identified as a hypochondriac for years, and this book was my nightmare scenario. John's multi-year journey of medical mysteries feels all too familiar to extensive periods where I didn't know what was going on with my own body, and though he suffers numerous pitfalls along his journey that make you ache along with him, it's nonetheless engaging, despite the crude art style. This book will have you wrapped up in some very scary experiences, but it wasn't a particularly stressful read. Especially as he dips into his battle with the resulting mental illness later on in the book, I always felt that what I was reading was important to some extent -- that there was some value to be derived from these scary experiences. Perhaps if I'm to endure a similar situation in the future, then I won't be quite as scared.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
It's kind of startling to know how much social pressure there still exists when it comes to having kids, as Irene Olmo touches on in this book. I didn't expect her to go to so many thought-provoking places when I saw her cutesy art style on the first couple of pages, but you really get the impression that this is something that's weighed tremendously on her for a long time (I mean, she wrote a whole book about it). That said, I am a young male reader of this book, so I'm not accustomed to these kinds of conversations at all. Olmo dissects how she started having familial discussions about pregnancy and children as a young adult, but I wouldn't be surprised if some ended up having these talks at a much younger age.
All in all, it's a fascinating and intricate exploration of a pretty nuanced feminist topic. Speedy read, and it helped me affirm that I also have no intention of being a mom.
All in all, it's a fascinating and intricate exploration of a pretty nuanced feminist topic. Speedy read, and it helped me affirm that I also have no intention of being a mom.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Abortion
This book was showing me mixed tones throughout the whole story. The tone fluctuated between middle-school-level mystery adventure and more adult themes. I can't decide if the authors were trying to find a healthy balance of both worlds or they just really wanted to write a dark story but were constrained by who they wanted their audience to be. There is fairly disturbing imagery, and I think I read a grand total of two "damns" in the whole book. If they wanted it to be darker, I think they should have just made it darker.
Besides the tone, I got a little confused about the motivations of the antagonists, as well as how the chemistry between the two main characters was actually working. The only thing that I can say I truly enjoyed about it was the art direction, which kind of reminded me of the first few Scott Pilgrim books. I'd say that middle-schoolers and high-schoolers might find some enjoyment in this book, but I wouldn't go back for seconds.
Besides the tone, I got a little confused about the motivations of the antagonists, as well as how the chemistry between the two main characters was actually working. The only thing that I can say I truly enjoyed about it was the art direction, which kind of reminded me of the first few Scott Pilgrim books. I'd say that middle-schoolers and high-schoolers might find some enjoyment in this book, but I wouldn't go back for seconds.
I wanted to check this out almost purely because of its standing as the most banned book of the last couple of years. Now that I’ve read it, I can say that it definitely doesn’t deserve such a response, but I also understand why it’s gotten it. ‘Gender Queer’ is somewhat against the grain from other queer memoirs like it (that I’ve read, at least), in that it’s quite explicit in its handling of sexual identity specifically.
It’s odd, because I recall reading some assigned novels in high school that were far more explicit than this (‘Salvage the Bones’ specifically comes to mind), and this is the book that gets highly banned? I have to wonder, is it because it’s about personal experiences? Is it because sex is visually represented?
This book isn’t perfectly-written by any means, but it’s a coming-of-age story that should have its place in libraries everywhere. The very existence of the book should be a testament to that, seeing as how the a sense of a book similar to it is what made Maia Kobabe want to write it in the first place. E’s said in interviews that e wishes e had a resource like this growing up, and thankfully, it’s helped console a lot of confusion in the youth that have read it.
With that in mind, I didn’t love the book entirely. I mainly wasn’t a fan of the nonlinearity of it, and some of the pages felt rather same-y. Still, I would hope that disgruntled bigots could take an afternoon to actually read through this book they want to ban so much. They may actually learn something from it.
It’s odd, because I recall reading some assigned novels in high school that were far more explicit than this (‘Salvage the Bones’ specifically comes to mind), and this is the book that gets highly banned? I have to wonder, is it because it’s about personal experiences? Is it because sex is visually represented?
This book isn’t perfectly-written by any means, but it’s a coming-of-age story that should have its place in libraries everywhere. The very existence of the book should be a testament to that, seeing as how the a sense of a book similar to it is what made Maia Kobabe want to write it in the first place. E’s said in interviews that e wishes e had a resource like this growing up, and thankfully, it’s helped console a lot of confusion in the youth that have read it.
With that in mind, I didn’t love the book entirely. I mainly wasn’t a fan of the nonlinearity of it, and some of the pages felt rather same-y. Still, I would hope that disgruntled bigots could take an afternoon to actually read through this book they want to ban so much. They may actually learn something from it.
