It’s September, which means most people are probably back at school, which also means most students are already swamped with work. Feel like you have no time to read? Or that you want a different type of book? Well, graphic novels are here for you!
A common myth about graphic novels is that they’re fun, lighthearted stories that don’t hold any intellectual merit because they’re comprised of comics and images. This concept stems from the idea that cartoons are a medium that can be understood by even those who are fairly uneducated. Despite this fear, comics have persevered and continue to tell deeper stories via the graphic novel. The beauty of graphic novels is that, yes, they are fairly easy to read and understand, all while telling deep and interesting stories. I could go on for pages about how great graphic novels are, but instead I’ll shut up so you can find out for yourself! Here are my 5 picks of graphic novels you need to read ASAP:
March by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell
This graphic novel actually comes in three installations, written by Congressman John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, and illustrated by Nate Powell. March follows the Civil Rights Movement from the perspective of Congressman Lewis. We see the rise of peaceful protests, the Freedom Riders, and the tensions that came along with it. The series has been the recipient of many awards including the National Book Award and the Michael L. Printz Award for Book Three. This trilogy is a must read not only because of the material covered, but also because Congressman Lewis, Aydin, and Powell will all be coming to speak at Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor on November 27. There is plenty of time to read the books so you’ll be ready for the talk!
This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki
It may officially be fall, but it’s not too late to read This One Summer. Awarded the Printz Honor and Caldecott Honor, This One Summer tells the story of Rose as she and her family go up to their cottage at Awago Beach. As Rose spends her time with her friend Windy, the young girls begin to notice things – Rose’s parents won’t stop fighting, and drama seems to be heating up between the teen who works at the corner store and his girlfriend. Things seem to be changing, even the way the girls are acting. It becomes clear that this summer won’t be quite like the others. This novel is a new coming-of-age story in a way that is subtle and quiet. Paired with serene illustrations in blues and purples, you can’t go wrong with This One Summer.
Maus by Art Spiegelman
Maus is easily identifiable in the art world, as it was extremely influential in the movement for graphic novels to be regarded as meaningful literature. Maus, which was the first graphic novel to win a Pulitzer Prize, details Spiegelman and his interviews with his father, Vladek, about being a Holocaust survivor. In the novel, those who are Jewish are represented as mice while the Nazis are represented as cats – in a way emphasizing the way Nazi propoganda viewed Jews as “vermin”. The novel jumps between the grim past and what Hitler’s rise to power meant for Polish Jews like Vladek, as well as the present, where the reader gets a sense of Spiegelman’s strained relationship with his father. Maus is a must-read – if you choose to, try to do it before November 9, because, like March, Art Spiegelman will be coming Michigan to give a lecture at the Michigan Theater. If you’re in the area, take the time to hear this talk – it won’t disappoint.
Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
The name Bechdel may sound familiar via the Bechdel test – a test that shows gender inequality in films by examining whether a movie has two women who talk to each other about something other than a man – a low bar that many movies can’t rise above. Well, that test was created by graphic novelist Alison Bechdel. The test originated in her comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For in 1985. Her revolutionary work didn’t stop there though, with Bechdel continuing to produce exemplary work like Fun Home, in 2006. Fun Home focuses on Bechdel and her relationship with her father. Bechdel comes out as a lesbian at the age of 19 – shortly after she learns that her father had sexual relationships with other men while married to his wife. Alison never truly is able to discuss this with her father as he passes two weeks later, a suicide as suspected by Bechdel. If the plot isn’t enough to get you to read it, know that the musical adaptation won the Tony for Best Musical in 2015. In other words – read this story.
French Milk by Lucy Knisley
One of my favorite novels, French Milk, is a personal narrative featuring 22 year-old Lucy Knisley and her mother as they travel and stay in Paris, France for the month of January in 2007. While the novel shows Knisley’s depiction of France and the delicious Parisian food she encounters, it also shows Knisley’s own personal feelings about her life and future. As she so eloquently writes in her foreword, “This also deals with the valuable and significant influence that we take in from out mothers, as well as my own struggle toward adulthood at an age when we so desperately cling to our adolescence.” For the college student this novel is not only interesting, it’s relevant, and I’d highly recommend it.
Images courtesy of Amazon, BBC, and StockSnap