BookOwl Picks: Nonfiction Graphic Novels

-
GIF of a guy making fun of his friend for reading a graphic novel

Graphic novels are a great way to get into reading, and contrary to popular belief, explore complex themes through both the written word and visual arts. Here are my picks of nonfiction graphic novels, both stand-alones and series alike.

The March series (3 volumes) by John Lewis

Primarily geared to a young adult (YA) audience, this graphic novel series explores the life of the late Congressman John Lewis. In particular, his struggle for civil and human rights as a young man. A good example of educational graphic novels that explore both biographical and historical themes.

Cover of "March: Book One" by John Lewis

Cover of "March: Book Two" by John Lewis

Cover of "March: Book Three" by John Lewis

The Persepolis series (2 volumes) by Marjane Satrapi

I read these as an undergraduate and found them to be incredibly helpful to explore cultures different from my own as well as history I don't know much about. In the case of Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi remembers her childhood in the tumultuous times of the Islamic Revolution. It's a coming-of-age story as well as full of Iranian history. 

Cover of "Persepolis" volume one by Marjane Satrapi

Cover of "Persepolis" volume two by Marjane Satrapi

Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh

Allie Brosh is my one of my go-to humorists. Hyperbole and a Half is my favorite graphic novel of her's, where she explores her life with impeccable comedic and dramatic timing and a hilarious art style all her own. An important exploration of what life is like for those who experience mental illnesses, as Brosh herself grapples with depression, it's the graphic novel that helped me to understand my own struggle with depression better and made me feel a little bit less alone.

Cover of "Hyperbole and a Half" by Allie Brosh

Are You My Mother? by Alison Bechdel

Alison Bechdel, of Fun Home fame, explores the incredibly complicated relationship she has with her mother, an incredibly intelligent woman who yearned all throughout Bechdel's childhood for an artistic career of her own. The career that Bechdel has achieved herself in her adult years. Full of wit and heart, Are You My Mother? is one of those graphic novels that stay with you long after you finish reading it.

Cover of "Are You My Mother?" by Alison Bechdel

Quiet Girl in a Noisy World by Debbie Tung

An introvert myself, I found myself relating very strongly to fellow introvert Tung's hilarious and poignant tale of self-acceptance as she comes of age in a very extroverted world. So, I'm a bit biased, but oh well! This is the graphic novel I wish I had when I was younger, to hand to people when I was tired of trying to articulate (and justify) my need for quiet places and solitude to recharge. 

Cover of "Quiet Girl in a Noisy World" by Debbie Tung

Happy reading!

--BookOwl

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Book Review: "Lore Olympus, Volume Five" by Rachel Smythe

-
Image
  4/5 stars *Spoiler alert!* Volume five of the “ Lore Olympus” graphic novel series continues the modern, soap-opera take on the tale of Persephone and Hades. I think this one ups the ante on the story a bit, because the volume reveals some deep trauma on the part of Persephone that is threatening to split the Greek pantheon itself. “How does a goddess go from being called ‘Maiden’ to ‘Bringer of Death’!?”   This series has truly tackled a bunch of series topics from mental health to sexual assault and abusive relationships even as it is balanced with the comedic side. There is quite a bit of humorous moments, such as this gem from Hera, when talking about her husband, Zeus: “He’s an arrogant buffoon who overreacts at the drop of a hat.” Of course, Zeus proves her right—shocker—when finding out about an incident in Persephone’s past in which a whole village was destroyed by immediately issuing an arrest warrant for Persephone and her mother, Demeter. This throws Olympus into
Read more

Book Review: "The Poppy War" by R.F. Kuang

-
Image
  4.5/5 stars   *Spoiler alert!* I am not sure how The Poppy War didn’t win the Goodreads Choice Awards in 2018 in the category of fantasy or debut author. The first entry in the Sino-Japanese War inspired fantasy blew me away.   “Well, fuck the heavenly order of things. If getting married to a gross old man was her preordained role on this earth, then Rin was determined to rewrite it.”   Our protagonist, Rin, won me over quickly with her determination and persistence. (Notice how I say protagonist and not hero .) A dark-skinned peasant girl from the southern provinces of Nikan is slated to be married off by her criminal adopted parents and will do anything to change her fate. Her only hope of getting out of her home village is taking the prestigious national exam and testing into the tuition-free military academy of Sinegard .   Rin studies to the point of self-harm. But she passes the exam and tests into Sinegard , where she is thrown into a brutal academy to learn how to become the
Read more

Book Review: "Children of Dune" by Frank Herbert

-
Image
  3/5 stars *Spoiler alert!* Children of Dune , the third entry in the “Dune” series, gets three out of five conflicted stars from me.  “Governments, if they endure, always tend increasingly toward aristocratic forms. No government in history has been known to evade this pattern. And as the aristocracy develops, government tends more and more to act exclusively in the interests of the ruling class—whether that class be hereditary royalty, oligarchs of financial empires, or entrenched bureaucracy.” Never let it be said by me that this science fiction epic does not explore lofty ideas about human civilization, governance, and political and religious philosophy. That is not where my quibbles with Children of Dune lie. The worldbuilding is extensive and lovingly cultivated by the author. Another point in the series’ favor. No, my quibbles are mostly characterization-based.   “They who learn the lesson of self-deception too well shall perish by that deception.”   First, Alia got done di
Read more