caedocyon's review
4.0
I meant to read half of this before leaving for work, and then that didn't happen.
emeraldreverie's review
4.0
Capturing pointed vignettes of life that depict true ironic introspection. Really enjoyed it. Art is spare but extraordinarily expressive. Stories are bare and raw and sobbingly hilarious.
zoes_human's review against another edition
5.0
I was blown away by the rawness and honesty of this. The medium of the graphic novel provides a perfect canvas for a memoir in vignettes. This was powerful. I felt connected to it.
crispymerola's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
3.0
Some super affecting vignettes in here. The story that explored a friends with benefits relationship alongside a bed bugs infestation was fantastic.
Some of the vignettes are pretty half baked, though.
MariNaomi's minimalistic style is breezy and unpredictable. It leaves me wanting more.
Some of the vignettes are pretty half baked, though.
MariNaomi's minimalistic style is breezy and unpredictable. It leaves me wanting more.
ashlylynne's review
5.0
5/5 Stars
This is a nonfiction graphic novel memoir that focusses on MariNaomi’s life: where she came from, where she’s been, and where she’s going. She illustrated and wrote this memoir to explain what it’s like to have grown up mixed race and how that affected her throughout life. Not only does she talk solely about herself, she also touches on subjects like hope, loss, mortality, new beginnings, and endings with all kinds of humorous and love-filled moments in between. This is one wild ride that sums up what it means to be human and MariNaomi’s personal experience with the concept.
OMFG ASHLDKJ AHHH
I absolutely loved this book.
I loved every single thing about it.
I’m not even sure where to start with my review. I was not familiar with MariNaomi’s work before coming across this book at the Library. It took me quite a few visits before checking it out because I had no idea what to expect. But, I’m so glad I finally decided to read it, because it touched me in so many ways.
The thing I think I liked most about this book was the simplicity of the art. The smallness and lack of detail seems to make the artwork more hard hitting and beautiful. For some reason it tended to hit me right in the feels. I found myself thoroughly examining each panel to find meaning and detail. This is something I only do when I’m fully invested in a graphic novel: otherwise, I tend to simply breeze through these types of books and not give the art extra much thought.
The writing was also simplistic. It’s short and to the point, making this a quick, easy read. However, the stories are not to be taken lightly. Even though it’s easy to breeze through each story, they will leave you feeling much heavier than you can imagine such a seemingly unembellished story to be.
I love this book so much that I honestly can’t even organize my thoughts to think of what else to say or how to organize it. I read this a few months ago already, and MariNaomi’s stories are still weighing on me. I honestly think about this book so frequently, and it makes me sad that I don’t own my own copy so that I can revisit it as much as I want. It’s on my list to get my own copy of it as soon as I can justify the purchase.
This is a book I will be revisiting many times in the future, and I recommend it to readers: one and all. But, I especially recommend it to graphic novel lovers as well as nonfiction/memoir lovers. This book will leave you with plenty to think about long after you close the book after finishing.
Seriously, get a copy of this book right this instant. It deserves to be widely circulated.
Review originally published on my Wordpress blog Dreaming Through Literature.
This is a nonfiction graphic novel memoir that focusses on MariNaomi’s life: where she came from, where she’s been, and where she’s going. She illustrated and wrote this memoir to explain what it’s like to have grown up mixed race and how that affected her throughout life. Not only does she talk solely about herself, she also touches on subjects like hope, loss, mortality, new beginnings, and endings with all kinds of humorous and love-filled moments in between. This is one wild ride that sums up what it means to be human and MariNaomi’s personal experience with the concept.
OMFG ASHLDKJ AHHH
I absolutely loved this book.
I loved every single thing about it.
I’m not even sure where to start with my review. I was not familiar with MariNaomi’s work before coming across this book at the Library. It took me quite a few visits before checking it out because I had no idea what to expect. But, I’m so glad I finally decided to read it, because it touched me in so many ways.
The thing I think I liked most about this book was the simplicity of the art. The smallness and lack of detail seems to make the artwork more hard hitting and beautiful. For some reason it tended to hit me right in the feels. I found myself thoroughly examining each panel to find meaning and detail. This is something I only do when I’m fully invested in a graphic novel: otherwise, I tend to simply breeze through these types of books and not give the art extra much thought.
The writing was also simplistic. It’s short and to the point, making this a quick, easy read. However, the stories are not to be taken lightly. Even though it’s easy to breeze through each story, they will leave you feeling much heavier than you can imagine such a seemingly unembellished story to be.
I love this book so much that I honestly can’t even organize my thoughts to think of what else to say or how to organize it. I read this a few months ago already, and MariNaomi’s stories are still weighing on me. I honestly think about this book so frequently, and it makes me sad that I don’t own my own copy so that I can revisit it as much as I want. It’s on my list to get my own copy of it as soon as I can justify the purchase.
This is a book I will be revisiting many times in the future, and I recommend it to readers: one and all. But, I especially recommend it to graphic novel lovers as well as nonfiction/memoir lovers. This book will leave you with plenty to think about long after you close the book after finishing.
Seriously, get a copy of this book right this instant. It deserves to be widely circulated.
Review originally published on my Wordpress blog Dreaming Through Literature.
mrsthrift's review
5.0
memoir-ish, short vignettes. This hit a sweet spot for me. I laughed, I cried, etc. I can't remember the last time I loved a graphic novel like this. When I finished it, I gave it a hug.
mhall's review
4.0
Short true stories, most of which were originally published online at The Rumpus. They are ordered chronologically, which gives it the feeling of a rough outline of a memoir. Many of them are recounting more mundane moments, yet still manage to be emotionally affecting.
skulldugged's review
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Lots of soft, tender moments in this. I think MariNaomi has a really good sense of timing and uses quiet beats in these autobiographical comics to full effectiveness. My only real complaint about this collection is that I find the art is too straight-forward. I like the more minimal style - that's not really my hang-up - but I prefer graphic novels or comic collections where a close examination of the panels can sometimes reveal extra context or depth and MariNoami lays it all out pretty plainly.