REVIEW: French Milk by Lucy Knisley

French Milk

by Lucy Knisley

Lucy Knisley (author of Relish) takes a trip with her mother to Paris as a present for her 22nd birthday. Knisley keeps a graphic journal of their days there, filled with museums, food and shopping.

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. I thought that since it was a single story, rather than Relish which was a reflection on her entire childhood, that it would have more of an arc. However, as it reflected real life, it was simply a record of days. The trip was enviable (and seemingly well-funded), and as a result, I wanted to go back to Paris and visit some of the places she went, but I didn't really enjoy her listing the places she went and the things she ate and the items she bought. She did occasionally have depressive episodes, but they were merely commented on and not explored. Knisley wrote just enough about them to make me start to worry existentially about my own future, as she was doing.

It really made me want to go and have those experiences in Paris for myself, but I didn't really care about reading that she had them. I did enjoy her drawings, however, as they expanded upon the action of the text beautifully. Its just sad that I am not interested in her stories. Perhaps soon she will delve into the realm of fiction and her stories and excellent illustrations will be enhanced with character arcs and conflict.

If you are looking for a fast, light, tour of places to go and things to do in Paris, this is a good book for you.

REVIEW: Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant by Tony Cliff

Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant

by Tony Cliff

Erdemoglu Selim is resigned to his lot as a low level officer in the Turkish Jannisary corps. Delilah Dirk is a globetrotting troublemaker, adventurer, and treasure seeker who ends up in the Turkish prison. Selim is in charge of interrogating her, and when she escapes, he is accused of being complicit, so he reluctantly accompanies her on her swashbuckling adventures. When he is given the chance, will he embrace the wonderous life she has shown him, or settle down and finally drink that perfect cup of tea.

Holy swashbuckling adventure, Batman! This book was just as rollicking as it promised on the cover. A daring, sassy female fighter with her steady companion face challenge after challenge, from burning airship to angry mob. Their banter and the deepening of their relationship are what cemented my love of this graphic novel.

It was a fast read too! I got it got to read on the metro to and from an event, and I finished it before I even got there. Fast fun kickass heroine adventure candy.

REVIEW: Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures

Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures

by Kate DiCamillo

“Pascal," said Dr. Meescham, "had it that since it could not be proven whether God existed, one might as well believe that he did, because there was everything to gain by believing and nothing to lose. This is how it is for me. What do I lose if I choose to believe? Nothing!"

"Take this squirrel, for instance. Ulysses. Do I believe he can type poetry? Sure, I do believe it. There is much more beauty in the world if I believe such a thing is possible.” 

Flora is a cynic. She spends her days up in her room reading comics like The Amazing Incandesto, The Criminal Element, and Terrible Things Can Happen To You! just to make sure she is prepared for the worst. Her motto is "Do not hope. Observe." This way, she can protect herself. Her mother spends her time writing romance novels on their typewriter and she seems to love the shepherdess lamp in the hall more than Flora. Her parents separated, and her quiet father lives in an apartment complex near by. Flora has learned that life is full of disappointments. That is, until one day, when a squirrel gets sucked up in her neighbors vacuum. The incident gives the squirrel amazing powers of strength, comprehension, and the ability to fly and write poetry. As their friendship blooms, Flora begins to think with her heart, rather than her head, but will it just give her more pain in the long run?

This is a delightfully silly and odd book with a true heart. Flora's transformation from cynic to believer is a joy to watch. Ulysses' (the squirrel's) inner monologue made me smile each time we entered his head. He was so full of wonder at the world as he was now comprehending it that it moved him to write poetry and express his love for Flora. Her father's reawakening to wonder and self-expression due to Flora and the squirrel was probably my favorite part. There is an incredible cast of characters, from Tootie the poetry loving next door neighbor, to her nephew William Spiver who believes he is temporarily blind due to recent trauma, to Dr. Meescham, a doctor of philosophy who teachers Flora about lonesomeness and being open to possibilities.

The word play and repetition is delicious. The father always introduces himself, no matter what the situation. Flora pulls words from her books, like "Holy Bagumba" and "This malfeasance must be stopped," elevating Ulysses to the role of superhero. I think my favorite might be the recurring reference to a painting in Dr. Meescham's office of a squid with its tentacles around a small boat in a dark sea. Flora sees the squid as a villain, but Dr. Meescham explains that the squid is lonely because it might not see another of its kind for its lifetime. The image of the squid recurs in reference to Flora's lonely heart throughout the book: “Flora’s heart, the lonely, many-armed squid of it, flipped and flailed inside her.”

It is a joyful book with a great heart. I highly recommend it for those who feel they have lost their ability to believe.

REVIEW: Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy

Relish: My Life in the Kitchen

by Lucy Knisley

“I love the treat and pleasure of eating when it becomes an act of focused giving and sharing...Wasting money and appetite on bad food is disappointing, but it doesn't matter when the company is good...[T]here's a lot to be said for eating as a social act. It's a treat, even when the food is bad.” 

Lucy has grown up in kitchens her whole life. Her mother was a fantastic cook, caterer, and farmer, and from her Lucy was introduced to the best foods available. This graphic novel memoir explores her journey from childhood to adulthood through food and several important recipes.

This graphic novel was ok. I loved the recipes! I want all of my cookbooks to have illustrations like this to accompany them:

However, the story itself was a bit lacking. It was nice to see how she grew up, and there were several funny stories, but there was no conflict. Everything was beautiful and tasty and idyllic and even when she grew surly in her teenage years, you knew she would come to see how amazing everything was. It did make me want to appreciate the preparation and consumption of my food, however.

I would definitely buy this book for the recipes. They are simple and clear and funny, with useful tips and illustrations.

REVIEW: Boxers and Saints

Boxers and Saints

by Gene Luen Yang

“What is China but a people and their stories?” 

Boxers and Saints are two companion graphic novels that tell the two sides of the Boxer Rebellion in China in 1898. Boxers follows Little Bao, a boy whose village is bullied and oppressed by Christian foreigners. Vowing to put a stop to it, he and his followers become imbued with the power of the ancient gods and fight the "foreign devils" and "secondary devils" -- the Chinese who converted to Christianity. Spurred on by the spirit of the Emperor who united China, his actions become more and more ruthless until he can no longer tell if his crusade is just. Saints tells the story of Four-Girl who is neglected and abused by her family and finds a home in the local Catholic Church. Baptized as Vibiana, she struggles with her purpose in life. Seeing visions of Joan of Arc, she wants to be a female warrior and lead her people to freedom, but the Boxer Rebellion is coming nearer and nearer, bringing death and destruction in its wake. When the time comes, what will her role be?

It has been a few months since I read these books, so please bear with me. These stories are beautifully told, but brutal and dark. Yang pulls no punches here. He does not flinch from letting his protagonists make very wrong choices. The images are beautiful and striking as each character is lead by visions of their own spiritual guide. I love watching how their two stories intersect and impact each other through life, both at odds, both with good intentions. 

The ending to Boxers leaves you with a kick to the stomach, as does Saints, but there is a kernel of hope at the very very end that makes you feel that people are not entirely terrible. 

REVIEW: American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

American Born Chinese

by Gene Luen Yang

“It's easy to become anything you wish . . . so long as you're willing to forfeit your soul.” 

I decided that I needed a break from the heavy emotional lifting of the last few books, so I chose to read American Born Chinese before Never Fall Down. Now that I am reading Never Fall Down, I know that it was a wise decision.

I loved American Born Chinese. It is the first of the books in this class that changes format, not only by being a graphic novel, but by telling three stories that inform each other, and in the end mix together. It also uses mythology to comment on modern situations, which, if you will pardon the expression, is my jam.

The first story, the story of the Monkey King, echoes back to the Hate List. The Monkey King wishes to join the god's party in heaven. He is capable and qualified to enter, but he is laughed at and denied entrence because he is a monkey. He trains and trains to become the most baddass monkey ever and then takes his revenge with violence. He tries to change himself to be more like his oppressors (much like Never Fall Down), and turns into a monster himself. He is unkind, unmerciful, and stubborn to the point of inertia. Even when God himself comes and speaks to him with kindness and understanding, he tries to prove he is better than God. He clings white-knuckled to his new human-like persona that he refuses let the charade slip even to save himself. What he doesn’t realize is that being a monkey is his strongest asset.

The second story is of Jin Wang and his struggle to fit in to American High School. Even though he has grown up in the United States, he is treated as an alien, even by the teachers. They hope for his presence to be a learning experience for the class, but they only intensify their xenophobia by their own ignorance of Jin Wang’s life and his culture. He ruins the one friendship he has because he is so concerned with how he is perceived. Like the Monkey King, he denies who he is to fit in.

Which leads to the third story: Danny, a white American boy, is visited by his hooooorribly racist stereotype Chinese cousin, Chin-kee. Chin-kee consistently embarrasses him and ruins his reputation wherever he goes. The story is told with a laugh track, like a sitcom, but in the end, there is a twist that brings all three tales together to a surprising and satisfying conclusion. 

This was an incredible story, very simple and very clear. The illustrations are beautiful and streamlined. It moved along at a nice clip, and it went by so fast I devoured it on one metro ride. The message is never told to you flat out as a moral, but it fairly shouts to you from the rooftops through the intertwining tales: Do not deny who you are. It is your strength.

ARCHIVED REVIEW: Persepolis and Persepolis 2 (8/7/11)

Persepolis and Persepolis 2

by Marjane Satrapi

"In life you'll meet a lot of jerks. If they hurt you, tell yourself that it's because they're stupid. That will help keep you from reacting to their cruelty. Because there is nothing worse than bitterness and vengeance... Always keep your dignity and be true to yourself."

Persepolis is a simply, but elegantly illustrated biographical graphic novel of a young girl growing up in Iran during the revolution, the Iraq war, and the extremist regimes that controlled the country. Marjane Satrapi tells her story with humor and honesty, often in the face of terrible circumstances. She describes a beautiful personal journey to find her identity, a difficult task when at home her government oppresses her individuality, and abroad she struggles to remember her roots where she is seen as the "other." In the end, she is still seeking answers, but her trials and the love of her family have given her strength.

I hate to begin a review like this, but I liked it better than the movie. The movie tried to smush two journeys into one and left out a lot of the more interesting anecdotes and history. It seemed disjointed and unrealistic. However, the books tell the complete story at their own leisurely pace.

I find it difficult to describe her story. I was left with a strong impression of how Persia/ Iran, was once great, rich, and cultured, and due to greed and conflicting ideals, it had fallen to a 3rd world state. I was surprised that only recently the extremist regimes had enforced veils, closed universities, and tightened their grip on civil liberties. I am still rather afraid to show my ignorance on the subject.

What Marjane gives us, though, is a heroine going through the usual pains of growing up, albeit in extreme circumstances. Though many of her readers have not experienced what she has, everyone can relate to the struggles of childhood and adolescence. This way, Marjane can deliver her message to the world. While we all laugh and cry about childhood dreams and first love, we can follow her into and out of Iran to develop a greater understanding of the country and it's people and learn how to stand up to oppression and face our fears.

ARCHIVED REVIEW: The Unwritten #1 (Tommy Taylor and the Bogus Identity) (5/9/10)

The Unwritten #1: Tommy Taylor and the Bogus Identity
By Mike Carey and Peter Gross

I actually read this in one sitting, so that is why it had no "currently reading" status.

It is a fascinating premise: Tommy Taylor is a fictional boy wizard with two friends (Sue and Peter) and a flying cat, and he must fight the evil Count Ambrosio throughout many books of his series. (Sound familiar?)

These books were written by Wilson Taylor, who mysteriously dissapeared. His son Tom Taylor, reluctantly shackled with his fictional counterpart, carries on his father's legacy at conventions.

Suddenly, events in his life start to resemble events in the book and he is catapulted into a quest to search for his missing father and understand what the hell is going on.

I have a hard time judging comic books and especially the first volume of a series. But I really want to keep reading! And the message of the story seems to be something that is only written in the cover art:

Stories are the only thing worth dying for.


If you like this, you may also like:
Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
The Magicians by Lev Grossman