A review by ashlylynne
Dragon's Breath: and Other True Stories by MariNaomi
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.