The Grand Odalisque

Carole and Alex are childhood friends who become partners in crime.  They specialize in art thefts and have been working as a team for nine years.  The story begins with them successfully pulling off the theft of a painting at the Musee D'orsay in Paris. After a deserved vacation, they receive a request to steal a painting from the highly secured Louvre Museum. The Grand Odalisque is a painting done by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. Odalisque means concubine and that is the subject matter of this artwork and, hence, the title of the comic.  The mission is quite daring because it must be done during daytime. Knowing that they will need a third assistant to pull off this assignment, they hire a third person for their team as well as a diplomat's son who also happens to be an arms dealer.  

The relationship between Carole and Alex is just as prominent as the heist itself.  The two women have different personalities and strengths but also recognize this difference.  They are able to rely on each other's strengths in order to get the job done. Some times it becomes problematic. For instance, when the heist at the Musee D'orsay is occurring, Alex is not able to help Carole because her boyfriend is dumping her via a text message.  The two authors of this comic are men. Would a female writer allow this to happen?  

This is a fun, short book of 125 pages and brightly colored illustrations. Bastien Veves illustrated the comic. 5 out of 5 stars.

This Was Our Pact

This Was Our Pact is a children's graphic novel completely illustrated in shades of blue.  Five friends decide that they will meet on their bikes and follow lanterns that have been placed in a river as they float downstream. They have many adventures along the way, with friendships being cemented throughout the journey.

The publisher's summary:

"It's the night of the Autumn Equinox Festival, when the town gathers to float paper lanterns down the river.  Legend has it that after drifting out of sight, they'll soar off to the Milky Way and turn into brilliant stars, but could this be true?  This year, Ben and his classmates are determined to find out where those lanterns really go, and to ensure success in their mission, they've made a pact with two simple rules:  No one turns for home.  No one looks back.

The plan is to follow the river on their bikes for as long as it takes to learn the truth, but it isn't long before the pact is broken by all except for Ben, and (much to Ben's disappointment) Nathaniel, the one kid who just doesn't seem to fit in.  Together, Nathaniel and Ben will travel farther than anyone has ever gone, down a winding road full of magic, wonder, and unexpected friendship."

This Was Our Pact is a great fantasy quest for kids. Kids will love the adventures that the boys come across on their journey. Every now and then science facts are thrown in but the quest to follow the lanterns is the main story. The adventure itself is mesmerizing but the artwork with all its blue hues accentuates their escapades. The storyline also includes the quest of a bear that the boys meet so this book is definitely all about the exhilaration of following a quest.  

5 out of 5 stars.

Notes on a Thesis

French cartoonist Tiphaine Riviere's graphic novel covers the life of Jeanne Dargan during her 6 years as a PhD student.  While the book is satire, her story is sad and discouraging as well. Jeanne's life during those years was so disjointed that I would not choose to work one a PhD myself.

The publisher's summary:

"When Jeanne is accepted on to a PhD course, she is over the moon, brimming with excitement and grand plans - but is the world ready for her masterful analysis of labyrinth motifs in Kafka's The Trial?  At first Jeanne throws herself into research with great enthusiasm, but as time goes by, it becomes clear that things aren't quite going according to plan.  Notes on a Thesis is a reminder of the strangeness of academia, of every awful essay, every disastrous exam, and every insanity-inducing dissertation."

The artwork in Notes is interesting.  As Jeanne becomes more and more discouraged by her lack of progress, she is drawn with an increasingly wilted body.  Some of the other characters are drawn the same way, especially the lazy administrator Brigitte who I think resembles a government employee more than an administrator. I think I know her! She looks like my department's secretary.

The story was funny but also discouraging. I have thought about getting an advanced degree but Jeanne's experience makes me think twice about it. Jeanne got bogged down in teaching grad students and spent years just working on her thesis idea and creating the writing plan. This is not something that I want to do. 

Riviere is known for writing satire. She certainly excelled with Notes. She has Jeanne reading 3,200 books during the research phase of her degree and Jeanne wrote a 69 page outline of her thesis. Unbelievable!

5 out of 5 stars.

Shanghai Dream

Shanghai Dream is a sad book.  It is well written and illustrated but because the story concerns Jews running away from Nazis, and then the Japanese, in order to save their lives.  It ends abrultly without a denouement and I feel the rest of the story should be told in a subsequent novel. Luckily, Shanghai Dream is Book One.

The publisher's summary:  

"A young German Jewish filmmaker escapes the Nazi threat in Shanghai, where he is forced to adapt to a new land and cope with familial loss through the magic of filmmaking.  In 1938 Berlin, aspiring filmmaker Bernard Hersch works at the UFA studios and dreams of one day directing the screenplay he and his wife Illo are writing. But as a Jew in Hitler's Germany, Bernard faces increasing danger and discrimination, and is soon forced to accept deportation to Japan as his only hope.  However, Illo, disconcerted at having to abandon her elderly father, leaves Bernard behind at the last minute and returns to Berlin, where she and her father are shot by Nazis.  Rerouted to China, a heartbroken Bernard struggles through grief and vows to bring his and Illo's screenplay to life as a tribute to her legacy. Along the way, he finds love in a city under siege."

I was spellbound by the storyline. It was an emotional roller-coaster to read how the family made one choice after another, all of them lose-lose choices. I fell in love with the Bernard and Illo characters and felt like I knew them, perhaps because I have friends who lived this reality. The writing was suspenseful. A fast pace increased the suspense but it was also written with a sense of dread as the family had to make decisions quickly if they were going to survive the antisemitism directed at them. 

The artwork was drawn in comic strip panels. Some pages were colored by Delf in sepia tones and others were in black and white. All of the pages that referenced the writing of Illo's screenplay were drawn in black and white. 

Shanghai Dream is an accurate retelling of a part of WWII history. I highly recommend it, especially for young people.  5 out of 5 stars!

Filmish

Filmish:  A Graphic Journey Through Film offers the reader a history of the film industry.  Drawn in black and white comic panels, author Edward Ross teaches readers about the biases that are built in to the movies that we watch.  He focuses on seven aspects of filmmaking. They are the eye, the body, sets and architecture, voice and language, time, ideology, and technology and a separate chapter addresses each of these topics. The information he gives is beefy enough to be a textbook on films. The words and writing style that he used are also typical of a textbook. I certainly see it this way. Knowing nothing about movies before reading Filmish, I have come away with a long list of movies that I need to watch in order to see more clearly what Ross is talking about in each chapter. 

The first films were only a few seconds long and were created by putting several photographs together. The human eye will see movement where there is none and a new type of entertainment was born. Subsequent filmmakers improved upon this technique with new technologies. One aspect of filmmaking that has never changed is "male gaze." In the early days of the movies, producers purposely used storylines that could be enhanced with female subjects in situations that men like to watch. While several films have been made recently showing male muscle and nudity so that women could have "women gaze," the author states that men primarily watch these films to determine what women want from them. Nothing has changed here in a hundred years of making movies. One interesting fact about the use of sets is that heroes are shown in natural environments and villains are shown in stark, monochromatic environments. I never noticed this before and can't wait to watch a movie to see this for myself. Censorship is an issue covered at length in Filmish. The author writes that filmmakers will sign a contract with the Pentagon agreeing to only show the military in a positive light in exchange for the use of their machinery in a film. Producers see this as a way to save money as they can be assured of making an "approved" movie that will not be banned by theaters. 

I have learned so much about films from reading this book. I can't recommend it more highly. Anyone who loves movies as well as students who concentrate on studying filmmaking should read this book. 5 out of 5 stars.

Drawing the Vote

Tommy Jenkins has written an informative graphic novel with the history of voting and voting rights in the United States.  Voting rights issues have been debated by Congress since the Continental Congress era, even before the passage of our Constitution. Originally, only white male land owners were allowed to vote.  Now we are fighting to keep the rights that were previously granted by earlier generations.  Much of the book is about the Trump era, the suffragette era and the civil rights era in the 1960s.  It shows that not much has changed in the politics over voting through the years from the 1780s to the present. This is a sad judgment on my country. 

The artwork was done by Kati Lacker. She primarily used blue tones in her drawings but there are also red drawings. Is there a red, white and blue theme here? Drawing the Vote is her first graphic novel. 

The book is well suited for younger readers. It gives the history of a topic that is current in our politics in a way that is easy to understand.  Adults would likewise benefit. It offers a reminder of what has gone past and why we are still stuck in very muddy ground. 5 out of 5 stars.

I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf

New York Times writer Grant Snyder  has given us a humorous glimpse at those of us who are addicted to books. The bright colors used in his illustrations further enhance the light feel of the book. I could not stop laughing throughout this graphic novel and had to read it twice consecutively because I didn't want to forget any of his comedic jabs at readaholics. On my third time reading, I took notes to assist me in writing this review. 

Poetry and the writing experience are prominent themes. At times I felt that I was reading a Dr. Seus book as his rhyming words sounded silly.

May your future be dystopian

May your myths be true

May your fairy tales be grisly

May your poems be haiku

May your self-help be helpful

May your heroes be tragic

May your quests be epic

May your realism be magic.

Comic strips on books taking over your home, what to do with  unfinished books, organization of your books, and issues about writing are all included along with information on several genres.  This is a silly book that will make you smile.  I have now read the book 4 times since I purchased it one week ago and highly recommend it.  5 out of 5 stars.

Paying the Land

Paying the Land is a phrase that means to offer something to the land. It is also the title of Joe Sacco's newest reportage comic about the history of the indigenous tribes of Canada's Northwest Territories during the twentieth-century.  The Canadian government pursued a policy of taking the Indian out of the child by sending young children to residential schools far from their homes for 10 months of every year. This is also a story concerning extracting oil from native lands at their expense. By getting the tribes to accept money or modern conveniences they became less dependent on their natural environment and more dependent on the government for survival.

Sacco traveled to northern Canada to interview members of the Deni tribe, a First Nations tribe who primarily live in the Northwest Territories. He wanted to find out why they were disengaged from their culture. Fracking is the main issue addressed in the book. It has divided the tribe. While it brings in jobs and money, fracking destroys the environment. Another issue is alcoholism and drug addiction. Those who attended the residential schools no longer fit in with their families or the tribe anymore. The result is excessive drinking and an increased death rate from it.

Paying the Land is another great graphic novel from Joe Sacco. 5 out of 5 stars.

Catherine's War

Catherine's War is a survival story told in graphic novel format.  Taking place at the Sevres Children's Home outside of Paris, the main character, Rachel Cohen, discovers a passion for photography. She has not heard from her parents in months and does not worry about Hitler's war. With her camera she captures in image everything she loves. When the German Army closes in on Paris, Rachel has to change her name and go into hiding. As Catherine Colin, Rachel has to say goodbye to all of her friends and leave Sevres for safety elsewhere. With her camera, though, she bears witness to her own journey, including the countless people who helped her and other hidden children during WWII. The story is based upon the author's mother who was a hidden child during the war.

I loved this book. While the subject matter is sobering, it is light reading because the story is told through the eyes of a child. Children have a way of just being children during tough times. The seriousness of the times, though, is reflected in dialogue among the adult characters. I enjoyed reading about Catherine's self education on how to take a great photograph. The reader learns about photographic methods in the fun, easy style of a graphic novel. Having read a few photography books in my day, I can honestly say that Catherine's War would have been a better introduction to the craft than the some of the beginner books that I read.

The history of the hidden children during WWII is not well known. This book is my first introduction to their story and I am glad that I read the book. This is an important part of history that every person should know about but when read in a graphic novel format it is easy to understand.

5 out of 5 stars.

Cub

Cub is a humorous graphic memoir about growing up in the 1970s.  One of the reasons that I loved this book is that I too came of age in the 1970s and had the same experiences that our heroine Cindy had.  It was a walk down memory lane.

The publisher's summary:

"Twelve-year-old Cindy has just dipped a toe into seventh grade drama - with its complicated friendships, bullies and cute boys - when she earns an internship as a cub reporter at a local newspaper in the early 1970s. A rare, young female reporter takes Cindy under her wing, and Cindy soon learns not only how to write a lede, but also how to respectfully question authority, how to assert herself in a world run by men, and - as the Watergate scandal unfolds, how brave reporting and writing can topple a corrupt world leader. Searching for her own scoops, Cindy doesn't always get it right, on paper or in real life. Whether she's writing features about ghost hunter's, falling off her bike and into her first crush, or navigating shifting friendships, Cindy grows wiser and more confident through every awkward and hilarious mistake."

I also was a cub reporter in the early 1970s. I wrote a weekly column for 3 years on high school activities for the Hammond Times newspaper. Reading about Cindy's joy over getting the job and her pursuit of stories to tell was enjoyable. She had a reporter for a mentor while I did not. Her journalism class experiences mirrored my own and I began to miss my former classmates. We had a good time together. Watergate was the big news story of the day. Cindy was lucky to get involved in reporting that story.

Cindy was not popular in school and when her best friend left her for the clique of desirables she was devastated. I also had the same experience and the remembrance was sobering. My life story is so similar to Cindy's that it felt like I was reading my own biography. Similarities aside, this was a fun, quick read.

5 out of 5 stars.

Windows on the World

Windows on the World is a graphic novel that chronicles a son's search for his undocumented father who was working in the Twin Towers on 9/11. His father had a job as a dishwasher at the Windows on the World restaurant to support his family in Mexico. When his family does not hear from him within two weeks after the catastrophe, his son Fernando travels from Mazatlan, Mexico to New York City to look for him and bring him home. Fernando searches New York from the downtown area to Spanish Harlem neighborhood. Along the way, Fernando experiences a warm embrace from fellow immigrants and a cold shoulder from American citizens.

This book was based on the 2019 movie of the same title.  The plot moves fast as it shifts from Fernando's family life in Mexico to his illegal entry into the U. S. to begin his search for his father Balthazar. While this is a story that Americans should be used to hearing, it continues to grip our hearts 19 years later. I was unable to stop reading Fernando's story and wished that it continued on after the ending. It pulls at the heart strings when you read that he is told at a 9/11 rescue center that "if your father didn't officially work in the Towers, he can't officially be missing."  The reader can feel Fernando's disappointment and desperation. However, he knows what his mission is and does not let anything or anyone keep him from his search.

Windows on the World is a story that never get old. 5 out of 5 stars.

The Phantom Twin

The Phantom Twin is a young adult graphic novel concerning siamese twins during the 1920s. Isabel and Jane Peabody are conjoined twins working in a traveling carnival show until an ambitious surgeon tries to separate them.  Jane dies during the surgery and Isabel loses an arm and a leg that they both shared. Her dead sister now haunts her as her phantom limb.  The traveling freak shows were a big attraction in the 1920s. Anything or anyone who was considered to be different drew unwanted attention and that is why these "freak" shows became popular. The two sisters were called by their co-carnies "Jan-iss" because they were two people within one body. The book was published last month on March 3, 2020.

The book is a fast read that shows the reader how cruel a world can be for those who are different. It is a sad story although the sisters and workers at the carnival are portrayed with humor.  They are shown as being normal people with normal personalities who have fun together. Their reaction to being physically different is heartwarming as life just goes on despite being cast aside by society. The reader can feel Isabel's emotions as she transitions her life from being two to being alone. The artwork is plain and simple with bright colors that always appeal to me.

I loved The Phantom Twin.  I highly recommend it for young readers. 5 out of 5 stars.

Preacher - Book One

Everyone told me not to read this graphic novel because it would offend me as a Christian. Not so. While foul language runs supreme and there is blasphemy here and there, the book has an amazing plot that I couldn't help but love.  Book One contains issues 1 through 12 of this 75 issue serialized comic. The issues were published between 1995 and 2000.  It was written by Garth Ennis and illustrated by Steve Dillon.

Preacher opens with our former preacher Jesse Custer eating out with two friends Tulip O'Hare and Cassidy. He is asked why he gave up preaching at his Annville, Texas church. Jesse then begins his life story. The rest of the book is an autobiography that explains how Jesse's possession by a supernatural force called Genesis caused his church to be flattened, killing his entire congregation. Genesis was formed by an unholy coupling between an angel and a demon. This coupling caused Jesse's church to be destroyed. With a strong sense of right and wrong, Jesse travels the U S. while trying to find God. His friends Tulip and Cassidy travel with him.

The artwork kept me reading this novel. The crisp line drawings and vibrant colors were
attractive and the supernatural creatures that Steve Dillon created were cool.  Even the facial expressions supported the story, something that I didn't expect in a fantastical story like Preacher. Above all, it was the coloring that attracted me to the story. I don't normally read fantasy fiction but this graphic novel had enough questions about how people find God and lose God over circumstances in their lives that made me want to keep reading.  There are 6 more books giving the Preacher story.  I will be buying them but will not be reviewing them.  The artwork is the same and Jesse's life story continues so there will not be much to add in a review.

4 out of 5 stars.

The Oracle Code

Marieke Nijkamp's newest graphic novel addresses the physical and psychological issues of newly disabled individuals. The Oracle Code is a fictionalized account of a young girl, Barbara Gordon, who becomes a paraplegic after a shooting accident. Her father places her in a rehab facility in order to learn how to live with a disability. Manuel Prietano drew the illustrations.

The publisher's summary:

"After a gunshot leaves her paralyzed below the waist, Barbara Gordon must undergo physical and mental rehabilitation at Arkham Center for Independence.  She must adapt to a new normal, but she cannot shake the feeling that something is dangerously amiss. Strange sounds escape at night while patients start to go missing. Is the suspicion simply a result of her trauma? Or does Barbara actually hear voices coming from the center's labyrinthine hallways? It's up to Barbara to put the pieces together to solve the mysteries behind the walls.  In The Oracle Code, universal truths cannot be escaped, and Barbara Gordon must battle the phantoms of her past before they consume her future."

The plot of this book is not only informative regarding the problems of the disabled but it is also a mystery novel as our protagonist, teenager Barbara Gordon, has to solve a mystery in the center for independent living (CIL) where she resides. Using the mystery format makes it easier, and more fun, for non-disabled persons to learn about disability. The author chose her plot well.  The progression of Barbara Gordon's character is a highlight of the book. She solves crimes from her wheelchair using her computer hacking skills and it is through these skills that she sees that she never really changed after her accident. The secondary characters are not as strong and they do not progress as individuals.  This is Barbara's story.

The artwork enhances the story.  The colors focus on certain characters in each panel. Only the characters of interest are in full color while the other characters fade into the background by coloring them all in the same color.  Manuel Prietano did the drawings. The coloring was done by Jordie Bellaire and the lettering was done by Clayton Cowles.  Their joint effort was successful in telling this story. In a Q&A with the Disability Visibility Project the author stated that she sent Prietano photos and videos of wheelchairs and other mobility aids so that he could draw them accurately.

Barbara Gordon, a/k/a Oracle, is an iconic disabled character in the DC Comics world. The Oracle Code is her origin story. Her transition from Barbara to Oracle happens here.

I think that The Oracle Code is the best book that I have read thus far in 2020. I am rating it 5 out of 5 stars.

Fever Year

Fever Year is a history of the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic told in a graphic novel format.  Don Brown published this book in 2019, the newest addition to his disaster novels. Brown has previously written about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the Great American Dust Bowl, and about Syrian refugees.

Fever Year is a short, 51 page, book on the 1918 flu pandemic.  It is written as a straight history book.  There are no characters or plot.  The author tells the reader how the pandemic began,  how it worked its way around the globe and how people reacted to it.  It is eerily similar to our current COVID-19 pandemic. With governments arresting those who violated the quarantine it provides some details concerning what may be next for us today.  This quarantine was a real quarantine.  It was not a stay-at-home order where you could leave your home to buy food and prescriptions. People had to do without. Those who needed medication for pre-existing illnesses died. Masks were required to be worn and there were several health care hucksters pedaling drugs that did not ease the symptoms of the flu.  Sound familiar?

I liked this book.  It gives us a history of an event that we should know about and inside are clues to what can happen again.  Humans being humans, it does not matter how technologically advanced society is. We will act in desperate ways.  5 out of 5 stars.

Creation

Sylvia Nickerson's graphic novel Creation was a big disconnect for me. Creation is the story of the gentrification of her neighborhood in Toronto.  While the plot is good, the story suffered at the midway point as the author alternated between giving her own story of self-discovery as a mother and telling the story about the changes in her neighborhood. I did not see the connection between the two.

The artwork did not help this story in any way. She used graphite pencils throughout the book. I could not understand why she drew people with blob figures and shaded her drawings in deep gray. The book cover is quite colorful and gives a happy feeling but this feeling is not carried out through the book.  It's rather depressing. When I bought this book I had not seen the inside so when it arrived in the mail I was surprised.

It is almost impossible for me not to like a graphic novel but this book was a big disappointment. Skip it. 

Saga: Compendium One

Saga is a science fiction and fantasy comic book that is based on Star Wars. Compendium One contains serialized comic strips 1 through 54 in a gigantic, 1,328 page, 5 pound book.  Saga was written by Brian K. Vaughn, with Fiona Davis creating the artwork. Vaughn stated in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that Issue 54 was the halfway point for the comic strip and that 108 total issues were planned for this story. It took him seven years to write these initial 54 issues.

This romance story opens with the birth of Hazel, who narrates the book as an adult character. Saga centers around her life. She is the child of Alana and Marko. Alana was born on the planet Landfall, has black skin and wings. Marko was born on Wreath, Landfall's moon, has white skin and horns. Wreath and Landfall have been at war for a long time as has the entire galaxy. Both Marko and Alana are considered AWOL from their military assignments and are being hunted by their respective militias not only because they are AWOL but because they breeded together. However, it is difficult to run with an infant and this new family runs across a few unusual characters while on the run to find a safe place to live.

Saga covers a few social issues such as interracial marriages, racism, gender identity, and violence. Marko and Alana are not the only soldiers to leave their military posts. The main reason they are being sought is because they broke society's rule against having sex with someone who is not like themselves and having the audacity to have a child together. If they are found, they will be killed but both sides want possession of Hazel. Several of the characters they come across while on the lam have gender identity issues. Some are gay. It seemed bizarre to be discussing this issue concerning nonhuman characters. Fiona Davis did a fabulous job drawing these creatures. They were entertaining to look at but to think of them as transgender, gay or something else was more humorous to me than being social commentary by the author.  There was alot of violence in the book but as far as the illustrations were concerned, this was science fiction violence. The social commentary on violence comes into the plot with Marko grappling with his military past. He hates that he has been violent and wants to promote peace. His problem is that to protect his family he may have to be violent.

I LOVED Saga. I am not a science fiction or fantasy fan but this story gripped me from the beginning and I binge read it this weekend. Unfortunately, Issue 55 is not out yet. The author and illustrator took a year sabbatical on writing this comic and nothing new has been published yet. It's killing me because Issue 54 ended with a cliffhanger. 

Definitely 5 out of 5 stars!

British Ice

British Ice is a fictionalized account of a commissioner's year on Reliance Island off the northern coast of Canada. At the time of Commissioner Harrison Fleet's visit, the island was part of the British Arctic Territory. British Ice is a graphic novel. It was published two weeks ago by Top Shelf Productions.

Since the plot revolves around the setting, it will need some explanation.  The British Arctic Territory is an imagined territory that consists of one main island, Reliance, and a few smaller ones including rocks and underwater formations. It was discovered in the early 1800s by Captain Netherton and the main island was named after his ship. It has remained British land since its discovery and has been constantly manned by a member of the British High Commission even though it is in remote, freezing location. The artwork contributes to the setting. It has been colored entirely in an icy blue tone to match the setting. Drawings in comic strip panels complete the look of this book.

Upon his arrival on Reliance Island, Fleet immediately realizes he cannot speak the native language. He soon meets Ana and Abel, the Community Engagement Officer, both whom treat him with plenty of distrust and sarcasm. After snowmobiling to Netherton's home, a townhome, Fleet settles in for what is supposed to be a four year post. Inside he finds a few items owned by the prior commissioner, who disappeared without a trace. The natives refuse to communicate with him so Fleet must rely upon his pilot, Ana and Abel to determine why the indigenous people have always mistrusted the British.

I did not expect this book to be a mystery but love that it is a historical mystery. Fleet did an investigation into the background of the natives anger toward British rule and was surprised at what he discovered. It wasn't just a reaction to colonial rule. I won't be a spoiler but the answer to that question connects to the first chapter. He also asked plenty of questions about his predecessor. Why did he disappear?  Fleet was able to figure this out after snowmobiling around the island looking for clues.

I was impressed with the author's creation of the setting. He went into great detail in the beginning of the book to tell the reader about the geography of the area, the person who discovered it and British colonialism. Then he began the story.  Incredible!

5 out of 5 stars.

Arab of the Future - 4

Riad Sattouf's autobiographies are one of my favorite graphic novel series. In this installment of the series, Riad is now a teenager and the tension between his Syrian father and his French mother reaches a boiling point. His father accepts a teaching job in Saudi Arabia but his mother refuses to follow him and keeps the kids with her in France.  They do have family time during the summer when they gather in Syria, Riad's father's native country. Riad gets hounded by his father about losing his Arabic language skills and his refusal to begin an Islamic prayer life. Riad is more French like his mother at this stage of his life. The book closes with a shocker as his father kidnaps the youngest child, empties all the bank accounts and returns to Saudi Arabia.

As with the earlier books in the series, the color scheme of the artwork changes depending on where the family is located. When they are in France, the drawings are done in blue. When they are in Syria, the drawings are done in pink.  This book includes for the first time some red colored scenes when there is trouble brewing for Riad. This could be either dealing with bullying at school or while playing.

This installment of the series was a lot longer than the earlier books. I was delighted to spend an entire evening engrossed in this fabulous story. The only sad part is that I now have to wait for the next installment of the series to be published.

Trauma is Really Strange

Steve Haines, whose official bio states that he has worked in the healthcare industry for over 25 years, has written several graphic novels on health topics. In addition to this book on trauma he has addressed other topics such as anxiety and pain. None of these books are regular length graphic novels but rather are 15 to 20 pages long.

The stated goal of the book is to be a non-scary introduction to trauma.  However, I found it either nutty or very scary. Trauma is defined as something that happens to every person. I disagree. The author states that how a person reacts to it depends on how they reacted to the stress of their birth. "It can be a struggle, imprints of fighting, being stuck, disappearing or not getting the right help..." Disassociation is the biggest problem from trauma but since the author provided many examples of trauma that would end up causing dissociation, it seemed like it was the most common problem from trauma.  Again, I disagreed with his assessment and later wondered whether I just was unqualified to have this opinion. Perhaps the book was written for his profession, not the general public.

I googled the author and discovered that he is a chiropractor in Britain. I was shocked. He makes statements in the book that should only be made by a psychiatrist or a psychologist. He is not qualified to write a book on the psychology of trauma.

Another problem that I had with the book had to do with the author's acceptance of evolution. He referred several times to the reptilian part of our brain which is the oldest part of the brain. The brain stem, which controls our instinct, is the reptilian brain. The human brain is the neocortex part of the brain. I completely reject this idea that humans do not have a totally human brain.

When I bought the book I was surprised that it was so short. I hoped that it would at least be informative.  It was anything but informative. I am disappointed with it and rate it -10.