Graphic Novels

If you know me, you know I love graphic novels. I like the literary graphic novels more than the Superhero or the anime. I've probably read dozens of them by now. That is one of my purposes in writing this blog - to keep track of all the books I read! I read a lot of books, and unfortunately, my memory doesn't always keep them. I generally finish graphic novels very quickly and they disappear just as quickly from my mind.

Bayou by Jeremy Love is probably one of the most original stories I've read in a while. It takes place in the Bayou during the 1930s when racism and lynchings were rampant. Lee lives with her father on the Westmoreland's land and when the daughter, Lily Westmoreland goes missing, guess who gets blamed? Lee witnessed Lily get eaten by a giant who then disappeared into the Bayou. To save her father, Lee dives in and follows the light under the roots of a tree deep in the Bayou to a strange land of giants and gods. This was just volume one, and I can't wait to read the rest of this strange story.

Think you have a crazy family? Maybe you have issue that you blame on your poor upbringing? Maybe you just have Daddy issues? Let me tell you, most people have nothing on Laurie Sandell! The Imposter's Daughter: A True Memoir tells her story from being a young girl and wondering why her father stops the mail when he goes out of town; to a college kid who gets rejected by credit card companies because her father took out credit cards in her name and charged them up and never paid them off; to a young woman who with attachment issues and addictions to alcohol and ambien. This was a great way to tell a very unique story! I am not usually very big on true stories, but I flew through this book and enjoyed every minute of it!

The last graphic novel I'm going to talk about in this post is a lot different than the other two. Trickster: Native American Tales is a wonderful collection of Native American Legends and Folktales told by a number of different authors and artists. Matt Dembicki did a great job putting this book together! The stories all have a different feel to them. Some of humorous, some are dark, some are serious. Most of them explain why certain things are the way they are today. My favorite story was "Puapualenalena: Wizard Dog of Waipi'o Valley" about a dog who has to go steal a sacred trumpet back from trouble-making spirits in order to save his master. My favorite artwork was the first story, "Coyote and the Pebbles" which tells the story of how the stars got in the sky. I also read this with my daughter Zoe. She enjoyed the more "cartoon-y" looking stories like "Rabbit's Choctaw Tail Tale" and "Mai and the Cliff-Dwelling Birds". This was a great book for adults and very appropriate for kids!

More graphic novels to come!