Monday, April 12, 2010

graphic novels

i stayed up late last night reading this book.  it was a really powerful story of one family’s experience of the dust bowl.  mostly, it was about an eleven-year-old boy dealing with fear, rejection and purposelessness.  it’s a little bit scary (though i did let noah flip through it) but the resolution is really wonderful.
i love graphic novels.  particularly at this stage in my life, where i don’t get a lot of time to read and don’t have a ton of focus when i do, graphic novels are a perfect middle ground.  often they are a way to learn a lot about something, quite vividly, in a short time.  here are some of my other favorites.
aaron and i both love this one by craig thompson.  it’s sort of a coming of age story of a boy growing up in a conservative christian home.  it’s really honest and beautiful.
i also love this one by raymond briggs about his parents.  it’s a fairly straightforward story about their lives together, and how much the world changes as they age.
i suppose this is a children’s book more than a graphic novel, but it’s also a really great story of friendship.  the author also has a longer graphic novel that is about loss--very sad!  but also really lovely.
this guy has written a few graphic novels about his international travel experiences, but this is the most interesting.  i learned a lot about burma, but i also really enjoyed this guy’s daily struggles being the caretaker for his little son while his wife works for doctors without borders.
does anyone out there have recommendations of other great graphic novels?

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