Graphic Novels
Amazona by Canizales
Canizales. (2022). Amazona. Graphic Universe.
Plot Summary
Amazona is the story of Colombian families of the Amazonia region displaced by greed, violence, and illegal mining. Andrea’s family of thirty-eight people are forced to live in squalor and poverty, in quarters meant for a single person. They have been stripped of all belongings and dignity, until a more tragic event propels Andrea to seek her homeland once again. Her infant daughter has died due to the bleak living conditions, and Andrea is determined to bury her in the indigenous region of her ancestry. Carrying her deceased baby nestled in a box, she travels far and risks death simply by trespassing on the land to which she used to belong. Here, she convinces the guards to allow her on the desecrated land to lay her baby to rest. But unbeknownst to the guards, Andrea has smuggled a camera onto the land, and plans to reveal what has happened to this indigenous area in hopes of reclaiming the home she and her family have always known. Her efforts are guided by faith, but not without the terror the guards inflict. Will it all be for nothing?
Critical Evaluation
Canizales writes a story that represents threats to indigenous lives in our modern world. As land is becoming scarce, resources are dwindling, which is encouraging the greed that leads to invasion, violence, and pillaging. The people of the Amazonia region know the ways of the jungle, the gifts from the Earth. They exist as their ancestors intended, with gratitude for the land that provides for them. In this story, they have everything stolen by threat of death by an illegal mining operation and must flee to a city and its living conditions that are not much better than death. In fact, Andrea, a young mother, loses her infant to lack of oxygen in the overcrowded apartment shared with thirty-eight other people. This grief motivates Andrea to travel the far distance to the now occupied Amazonia region to bury her daughter in the soil of her ancestors. And Andrea has a plan beyond this already harrowing excursion. She has a hidden camera that she intends to use in order to expose the desecration of her homeland. With this evidence, there is hope of her family reclaiming the land. Her challenge is to outwit the guards and survive the mounting dangers of the mining operation’s greed. Andrea must rely on an animal guide, a childhood favor, and her own wits to escape a fate that is almost certain death.
The story is set in Colombia, both in the Cali and in the Amazonia region. The characters each represent the forces that exist in a violent land takeover. The family members forced into destitution, the guards protecting undeserved property by any means necessary, a childhood acquaintance who bears some understanding based on a past favor, and Andrea, the proposed heroine who has set out to avenge the theft of her homeland. The story is told both from Andrea’s informative point of view for the reader, and an omniscient voice that can be heard in the suspenseful, dramatic events of the illustrations. The theme of the book is loss, social awareness and the global effects of corporate greed. It is a story that is so forcefully illustrated with shock, fear, and an unending desperation. The reader can almost hear the heartbeat of Andrea as she maneuvers her way into the armed camp as well as suspense music of her memory flashbacks and escape efforts.
I highly recommend this book for any graphic novel collection as it serves several purposes for a YA reader. The quality of storytelling and the message set forth inspires empathy, inquisitiveness, and awareness.
About the Author
According to the book jacket, Canizales is a Colombian-born author-illustrator living in Majorca, Spain. His books have been published in twelve different languages and he donates portions of his royalties for this book to Resguardo Indigena Nasa de Cerro Tijeras on behalf of indigenous women of Colombia.
Canizales is the recipient of several awards in illustration such as the 2018 Cuatrogatos prize and the 2017 Social Graphic Novel Divina Pastora Award. Goodreads boasts that he is the author/illustrator of sixty books, with Amazona being the most popular.
Graphic Novel, Suspense, YA Historical Fiction, Thriller
Booktalking Ideas
How does capitalism drive the competition for land rights? In the aftermath of displacement for those who have lost their homes and native land, what social services need to be implemented to secure health and safety of indigenous people?
Reading Level: Grades 9-12
Interest age: 14-18 years
Challenge Issues: Violence, morbidity.
Why I Chose This Book:
I included this book in my mini-collection because I believe it is important to honor indigenous people and reflect on the hardships inflicted on tribes that are purely existing. Readers will be touched by the indescribable loss that so many displaced people experience due to unregulated capitalistic ventures, which is why telling stories like this can create a shift in the world order.
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Squire by Sara Alfageeh and Nadia Shammas
Alfageeh, S. & Shammas, N. (2022). Squire. Quill Tree Books.
Plot Summary
Becoming a squire is not just a form of knighthood, it is a way of life, a belief system, a pledge to the Bayt-Sajji Empire. Aiza is a teen girl of the Ornu people and is suffering the effects of the Empire’s colonization of the Ornu province. Famine, theft, and political strife are sweeping the lands, and war is imminent. Aiza knows she possesses a talent meant for knighthood, and if she can make squire status, she can regain citizenship and obtain a better life for herself. With the blessing of her parents, Aiza joins the recruitment for the Bayt-Sajji military to train to be a squire. But as she makes her way through this training, she encounters violent recruits while also making new friends who inadvertently help her uncover the ill-will of the military’s General. The ideology of the squire leadership is faulty, and the military shows itself to be unsustainable under the General’s line of command. Will Aiza conform to the cycle of violence, or will she identify ways of peace that she previously never considered?
Critical Evaluation
The story of Squire, while seeming to take place in an ancient, faraway land, is a story that is relevant to any militaristic culture. Aiza, a teen girl living in a colonized territory of the land’s Empire, has decided that she will train to be a squire, and while her ethnicity bars her from being accepted in the recruitment, she takes measures to hide any telling signs of who she is and where she comes from. She is impassioned and steadfast in her motivation to be knighted, to escape an impoverished existence, and to defend the Empire. The friends she makes during her training are equally devoted to the cause, and she draws upon their skill levels to improve her chances of achieving squire status. But Aiza is precocious, and her antics have disciplinary consequences when General Hende takes notice of her. However, her punishment is not a loss for her. She is trained by an unassuming expert whom she meets during her graveyard shifts as a guard. Her newly honed skills would come in handy for a battle, but when these skills are tested, Aiza draws upon a much deeper lesson. Her choices launch a movement that divides her new friendships but could ultimately alter the course of the war.
The story is told from Aiza’s point of view and is set in the ancient land of the Bayt-Sajji Empire. The characters each seem to represent a part of ourselves as we learn honor, integrity, and the many aspects of a battle within. Whether from Aiza’s perspective as an ego-driven but distractable warrior hiding her true origins, the collective thinking of the recruits, or even the wisdom of the janitor offering his training, there seems to be a piece of ourselves in each. The story is also a commentary on war, and the notion that the cycle of violence continues until a mutual decision is reached to co-exist. As the story is set in a historical time, the point is driven further as we experience war to this day. The theme, it appears, is loyalty to what matters intrinsically, and not necessarily to a group or a regime. This graphic novel’s illustrations show the energy present among the recruits and the ominous intentions of General Hende. The authors’ message is clear for readers. Another important note is that Aiza is instantly likeable as a main character and the storyline is gripping and fast-paced.
Reader's Annotation
Squire is the story of duty, friendship, and honor for a teen girl who once believed she knew where her loyalties lay. But when she encounters those who have more insight to the military regime, she teeters on a decision that may change the course of the future she dreamed of.
About the Authors
According to her Amazon bio, Sara Alfageeh (Illustrator) is a Jordanian American illustrator and creative director from Boston. She's passionate about history, nuances in visual storytelling, and the spaces where art and identity intersect. She’s known for her work for Marvel, Star Wars, and in children’s publishing and while that’s cool and all-- she really just wants to draw girls with swords. Sara is currently co-founder of One More Multiverse.
Nadia Shammas is a Palestinian-American comics and games writer from Brooklyn, NY now living in Toronto, Canada.
She is best known for being the writer and co-creator of SQUIRE (HarperCollins), a Harvey Award winning YA Middle Eastern fantasy graphic novel co-created with Sara Alfageeh. Her other original work includes WHERE BLACK STARS RISE (Tor Nightfire), an adult eldritch horror graphic novella co-created with Marie Enger.
She is also known for her work on MS. MARVEL: STRETCHED THIN (Scholastic). Her clients include Marvel, DC Comics, IDW Publishing, First Second, Tor Nightfire, Penguin Random House, and HarperCollins.
Genre
Graphic Novel, YA Fiction, Fantasy, Folklore.
Booktalking Ideas
How does a person claim loyalty to a group? What are some ways that loyalty is often tested amongst members of a group?
Reading Level: Grades 9-12
Interest Age: 14-17 years
Challenge Issues: Anti-war/anti-military sentiment.
Why I Chose this Book:
I included this book in my mini-collection because it is an entertaining but worthwhile read for those who like to see action-based illustrations in a graphic novel. There is also a strong message of the importance of integrity and of honoring loyalty to connections that make us who we are. This would be a good choice for readers who find it hard to focus when reading because this book is fast-paced and expresses an array of emotions in its illustrations.
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Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe
Kobabe, M. (2020). Gender queer: A memoir. Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group, LLC.
“What I'm learning is that a book challenge is like a community attacking itself.” – Maia Kobabe
Plot Summary
Maia is born a girl. Her early upbringing in unconventional but supportive, and life with her siblings is equal and fair. But with a move to a more populated area comes the exposure to a more conservative community, and suddenly Maia has trouble understanding unwritten rules that govern boys versus girls. Gender Queer is Maia’s story of growing up and realizing who she really is and how she is meant to live. It is a graphic novel of pain, embarrassment, and confusion of adolescence, and what Maia is ready to reveal. She does not identify as a girl. This realization comes as she experiences the changes her body is going through as a teen, the pain she experiences with her reproductive system, and the awareness of what is missing. It is something she has known long before she could put words to the issue, but Maia eventually becomes ready to make small physical transitions out of womanhood and into a body she can accept for herself. She uses the pronouns e, em, eir and shares eir struggles with er family. The memoir is a moving, vulnerable piece that shares insights, fears, and hopes for those who need to feel seen.
Critical Evaluation
Maia Kobabe authors the graphic novel Gender Queer: A Memoir with brutal honesty and startling emotion. To read this novel is to feel as vulnerable and exposed as Maia, because her story is surprisingly relatable. Maia was not born into the body with which she identifies, and this is the story of that discovery. Her childhood was wholesome and loving, but she struggled with the nuances of gender identity even before she understood the issues surrounding her predicament. The pronouns Maia now uses are e, em, and eir. Eir memoir shares and illustrates the pain of growing up, a changing body, discomfort with an assigned gender role, and the stages of awkward socializing. This is the story of eir journey to uncovering eir needs, revealing eir true self, sharing eir publication and the notoriety that followed, and eir position working with kids and the perception held by parents.
This memoir spans Maia’s life from early childhood to the publication’s present day, and eir family remains the strongest influence in eir life as each member walked the journey along with Maia. While the struggle was largely eir own, eir fundamental loneliness stemmed from eir rejection of eir assigned gender, not from the family e was born into. Maia explains that the “clearest metaphor I had for my own gender identity in college was the image of a scale. A huge weight had been placed on one side, without my permission. I was constantly trying to weigh down the other side. But the end goal wasn’t masculinity – the goal was balance” (p. 120). Maia tells the story in first person narrative and the emotions and physical sensations leap off the page. Because of eir vulnerability, one can’t help but truly care for Maia. The theme of this story is gender identity, non-binary inclusion and self-reflection, which all seem to dominate Maia’s adolescent experience and extend well into adulthood. This is exhibited in the tone of the memoir as Maia often trips and tumbles through the typical American teen years while also harboring thoughts e finds the courage to express. This is arguably a necessary read for non-binary or non-gender-conforming individuals in the older teen to adult age group. The illustrations are considered sexually explicit by some, but, by contrast, are not considered gratuitous by others. As one of the most challenged books in school and public libraries, its invitation to explore the issue of gender identity is both candid and powerful.
Reader’s Annotation
Maia believes e was born into a body that will not suit eir identity and has known this from an early age. Eir memoir is a timeline of events that led to this discovery, and serves as a map for understanding gender identity.
About the Author
Maia Kobabe is the author and cartoonist of several graphic works that center on the queer community and show support for those struggling with gender identity issues. Kobabe is aware of the challenges currently placed on Gender Queer and stands eir ground in support of books being made available to teens in the LGBTQ+ community, whether they have decided to come out or not. Kobabe is the recipient of several awards for eir publications, including the ALA Alex Award and the Stonewall Book Award.
Kobabe discusses eir banned novel openly and with vigor as e wants all readers to feel embraced for who they are. As e shares in the memoir, e is dyslexic and learned to read at the age of 11, so books are cherished items. The memoir was meant to be a visual for eir own family as a way to express this discovery about emselves but has quickly become a public resource for better understanding of the non-binary gender identification.
Genre
Memoir, Coming of Age, LGBTQ+
Booktalking Ideas
What would this story have looked like if Maia didn’t have support from family?
With so much backlash that is happening for this book, are others feeling discouraged from telling their own stories? How can these individuals be given a voice?
Reading Level: Grade 11+
Interest Age: age 16+
Challenge Issues: LGBTQ+, transgender issues in schools, sex acts and nudity.
Why I Chose This Book:
I chose this book for my mini-collection because I do believe this book gives a voice to people who are ostracized, alienated, and abused for being who they are. A story such as this is a guide, so to speak, for people who are confused or feel alone about how they are feeling. I think this book, while infuriating to a lot of parents, can actually save lives. Most in a similar situation have little to no support from those close to them, and having someone to relate to can alleviate loneliness in some very dark times.
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The Great Gatsby: A Graphic Novel Adaptation by K. Woodman-Maynard
Woodman-Maynard, K. (2021). The great Gatsby: A graphic novel adaptation. Candlewick Press.
Plot Summary
Set in 1920’s New York, The Great Gatsby: A Graphic Novel Adaptation, depicts the classic story of unrequited love, grand riches, skewed morals, and impending tragedy. Gatsby himself inhabits a mansion that serves as a social hub for the toney community of East and West Egg, Long Island. Nick Carraway is the working-class voice of reason, the man that acts as the go-between for Gatsby and his long-lost love, Daisy who lives just across the bay with her husband Tom. Tom is a philandering “old money” polo player that Daisy married when Gatsby was away at war. Daisy becomes Gatsby’s obsession, and he tries to entice her company by hosting wild, extravagant parties at his mansion. The dramatic events that transpire due to the love affair that begins once the two are reunited take the story in a direction of greater intrigue. Is the love between Gatsby and Daisy sustainable, or is their story on a path that has already been written to end in tragedy? F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel is retold with beautiful, adoring illustrations of New York’s backdrop and the various characters that represent a story of the mystery, money, and recklessness of society’s elite.
Critical Evaluation
New York City has always been a hotbed for socialite activity, and the suburbs of the 1920’s are no exception. Nick Carraway finds himself in the company of such socialites as his cousin, Daisy, and her husband, Tom Buchanan. But a mysterious mansion across the bay has caught their attention with its boisterous parties and influential guest list. The mansion belongs to Jay Gatsby, the mysterious new neighbor who happens to be a former lover of Daisy’s. Jay enlists the help of Nick to reintroduce him into Daisy’s life, and their connection, it seems, was never lost.
As their affair ensues, it becomes apparent to Tom that he is losing his wife to another man, and he is no longer mystified by Gatsby as he dredges up what he believes to be the real story behind the elusive man across the bay. While embarking on an evening in the city, Gatsby, Daisy, Tom, Nick and his lady friend, Jordan meet at the Plaza where an altercation between Gatsby and Tom ignites a night of tragedy. This results in the unveiling of who each character really is, and certain personas are not what they originally seemed. The Great Gatsby: A Graphic Novel Adaptation is the illustrated rendition of the classic from F. Scott Fitzgerald, and while the luxurious pastimes of the Roaring 20’s dominate the scene, what is left when the party ends is not all glitz and glam. This is not an exact replica of the classic novel, but rather a sweeping interpretation of the story’s mood.
Set in Long Island amongst the more affluent of New York’s elite, the story unfolds between a small group of acquaintances who become wrapped up in secrets, affairs and a carefree lifestyle. The graphic novel is told from Nick’s point of view, the one individual who consistently presents a rational, integrity-driven outlook. He is pushed to the point of despising the actions of his counterparts and refuses to become lost in the images they portray. The theme of the novel is tragedy in the wake of recklessness, and the lonesomeness of nostalgia. The watercolor illustrations explode on the page with vivid celebrations and captivate the reader with awe and wonder of a time that was so materialistic and grandiose. The tone quickly plummets with the recklessness of the characters, most of whom represent greed, corruption, and the inequality in a capitalistic society. The reader can’t help but feel a sense of loss, albeit with a lack of sympathy, for the remaining characters. There is a moral to this story, and the entitlement of the rich is a timeless issue.
Reader’s Annotation
A mansion on the water appears to be the hub of all things lavish and grand as the mysterious Mr. Jay Gatsby opens his home to parties for the rich in the New York suburbs. He soon reveals himself as a former lover still pining for his lost romance with a neighbor across the bay, and his antics call her back to him, but at what cost?
About the Author
Genre
YA fiction, YA classic literature
Booktalking Ideas
How can a rich and idle lifestyle make for a dismal existence?
Is Daisy the cause of the downfall of Jay Gatsby, or is his sense of nostalgia for her what led to tragedy in the end?
Reading Level: Grades 9-12
Interest Age: 14-17 years
Challenge Issues: None
Why I Chose this Book:
I chose this graphic novel because, while not copied verbatim to the classic novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, serves as another form of absorbing a classic story with the same messages. I think this is a stunning novel on its own, but also might act as a guide for assigned reading of The Great Gatsby and could lend imagery to the characters to help describe the story. It is also story of morals and integrity, and a depiction of advantages that are afforded to the rich in comparison to others of a different socio-economic class.
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Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds, art by Danica Novgorodoff
Will Holloman is a teen growing up in the projects, spending his time playing basketball and avoiding gang affiliation as best as he can. His brother Shawn falls victim to gun violence, and his death throws Will and his mother into unimaginable grief. Will believes he knows who the killer is, and because this young man is a known drug dealer and former friend to Shawn, Will vows to avenge his death. He’s lost so many to shooting deaths, and this time he wants the power in his hands. He decides the night has come to seek out his brother's killer and use the gun hidden in Shawn's dresser. But when taking the apartment elevator down to the street, Will encounters the ghosts of those in his past who lost their lives to gun violence, and a new perspective begins to take shape for Will's plan. Can he be convinced to choose another path, or will he become a part of the endless cycle?
Critical Evaluation
Long Way Down features Will Holloman, an inner-city teenage boy living amongst gang violence and the threat of shootings each day. He plays basketball and hangs with his friends, determined to live a normal teen life. Until the day his brother, Shawn, is shot in front of him, and his world is thrown into turmoil. Will has avoided guns his whole life, but because of the unspoken promise of the streets, he feels obligated to follow The Rules: No Crying…No Snitching…Revenge. Will takes the gun hidden in his brother’s room and sets out to find the young man he believes to be the killer. But on the elevator on the way down from his apartment, he is visited by the many ghosts of those close to him who share the wisdom of making a different choice. The pain of losing his brother is unmatched by any loss that has come before his death, but he must consider the ripple effect of a single shooting, and whether he wants to be someone who sets it into motion.
The story is set in the
projects and told from Will’s point of view, and the illustrations of the novel
depict the darkness and unrest that Will experiences in the aftermath of Shawn’s
murder. The theme of the novel is revenge and the practicalities
of having a conscience. Will must decide if his conscience can override his
passion to seek revenge. Reynolds uses a tone of chaotic thought that
reinforces the inner struggle of either wanting to conform and gain street cred by
following unwritten rules, or wanting to be the block to continued violence, as
the cycle is what killed Shawn. The illustrations will envelop the reader as the
struggle becomes palpable. Everything fades to black around Will’s anguish,
and the plot becomes increasingly emotional as he remembers the loss of each of
the elevator’s visitors. This is a poetic story that lets the reader decide what would be
the best course of action, but not without considering all of the moral consequences of violence. A favorite passage in this book: "I don't know you, don't know your last name...but if the blood inside you is on the inside of someone else, you never want to see it on the outside of them" (p.15-16).
Reader's Annotation
Long Way Down is an emotional tale of a teenage boy who feels compelled to avenge the shooting death of his brother. His conscience is visited by others he has lost to gun violence, and suddenly he finds himself at a crossroads.
About the Author
Reynolds found inspiration in rap to begin writing poetry at nine years old. He focused on poetry for approximately the next two decades, only reading a novel cover to cover for the first time at age 17 and publishing several poetry collections before he published his own first novel, When I Was The Greatest, in 2014. He won the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent for this first work of prose and seven more novels followed in the next four years, including Ghost (2016) and two more books in what became his New York Times best-selling Track series, Patina (2017) and Sunny (2018); As Brave As You (2016), winner of the 2016 Kirkus Prize, the 2017 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work for Youth/Teen, and the 2017 Schneider Family Book Award; and a Marvel Comics novel called Miles Morales: Spider-Man (2017). Reynolds returned to poetry with Long Way Down (2017), a novel in verse which was named a Newbery Honor book, a Printz Honor Book, and best young adult work by the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Awards.
She was awarded a 2015 New York Foundation for the Arts fellowship in Literature, was named Sarabande Books’ 2016 writer in residence, and received a 2020 Café Royal Cultural Foundation grant in literature. Her art and writing have been published in MoMA Magazine, Best American Comics, The Believer, Artforum, Esquire, VQR, Slate, Orion, Seneca Review, Ecotone Journal, The Arkansas International, and others.
Genre
YA fiction, poetry.
Booktalking Ideas
Had Will not had the previous experience with deaths related to shootings, do you think he would have had the same initial reaction? Would he have been able to focus on his grief rather than revenge had The Rules not existed in his world?
Reading Level: Grades 7-9
Interest Age: 12+
Challenge Issues: Violence, guns, drugs.
Why I Chose this Book:
This book is a powerful addition to this mini-collection, especially within these violent times we presently find ourselves. Long Way Down teaches the importance of presence of mind, consequences for violence, and the unavoidable guilt of causing grief for others. So much of what is taught to our youth is based on deterrents such as incarceration or police interaction. But this book reaches deeper into a person's soul and shows the damage one act can inflict on others.
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