As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I am on a reading-spree right now. I find myself in a place where I have an interest in reading things outside off my normal well-worn territory. However, my first selection is not too far outside of my normal territory because it is a graphic novel memoir and I have read a lot of graphic novel memoirs.
You might be asking yourself, what is a graphic novel memoir?
A graphic novel is a fancy word for comic book. Graphic novels are books told in comic form, but while comic book are usually serialized, graphic novels are usually a stand-alone story. Also the quality of paper is better and the story is usually more carefully considered.
A memoir is a book that is biography and is told from a first-person point of view. I guess memoirs are usually autobiographies but they are almost always told in the form of a story. In my opinion, memoirs have more in common with fictional stories than factual biographies that a student might use to write a report.
Title of Book: Gender Queer
Author: Maia Kobabe
Date of Publication: May 2019
Book Gene: Graphic Novel Memoir
Synopsis of the book: Maia Kobabe, born 1991, identifies as a non-binary person. This is Maia’s story from childhood to adulthood. Maia uses Spivak pronouns which are e/em/eir. It particularly concerns how Maia’s family and friend relationships and journey of self discovery shaped eir life. Maia also identifies as asexual and the book also touches on that as well. Gender Queer was listed as a Stonewall Honor Book for 2020 and won an Alex Award in 2020 from the American Library Association.
Why I Chose this book: I chose this book from the new book display at my library because while I have people in my life who identify as gay, I do not know anyone personally who identifies as non-binary.
My Thoughts: This book has a relatively upbeat tone. It is clearly articulated and the illustrations are artistically rendered and easy on the eyes. At 240 pages, it was a pretty quick read. One quote from a review in School Library Journal commented that “It’s also a great resource for those who identify as nonbinary or asexual as well as for those who know someone who identifies that way and wish to better understand.” I think this is true. I do feel like I understand more about non-binary identifying people after reading this book.
Other Graphic Novel Recommendations About Gender Nonconformity: I realized this morning that this book reminded me a little of another graphic novel that I read last year. I very much enjoyed Alison Bechdel’s The Secret to Superhuman Strength, published in 2021. While Bechdel does identify as female, her book The Secret to Superhuman Strength deals with themes of gender nonconformity , body image, and gender among other things. Bechdel wrote this graphic novel with the proceeds from winning MacArthur Genius Grant. It is an excellent book.
Book Lists for People Interested in Reading More About LGBTQ+ Issues, Stories, Characters:
As a librarian, I often use booklists compiled by American Library Association (ALA) Committees.
- Since 1971, the Stonewall Book Award has been awarded yearly by the Stonewall ALA committee for the both fiction and non-fiction books of “exceptional merit relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender experience.” These books might be a great place to get started if you are looking for some book suggestions.
I would also suggest visiting your local library or book store during the month of June. I found this display at the library where I work. There are also numerous books lists about LBGTQ+ themes available online.
You can also try searching Bookfinity, Amazon, Google or Apps like: Goodreads or Tertulia for books relating to this category.
What book do you recommend that I review next month?
Sounds interesting, Katie! I will check it out.