Solid and visually appealing, although no match for the nuance of the original.
Sims presents a graphic adaptation of late children’s literature giant Myers’ 2001 autobiography, in which he describes his adventures growing up in New York City.
Illustrator Anyabwile effectively captures the 1940s and ’50s Harlem setting, using a bright, expressive color palette offset by sepia tones and background details to immerse readers in the life of a Black boy who wrestled with how to fit into his environment. Young Walter was influenced by boys whose mischievous energy took him down the wrong path and distracted him from school—too, his own quickness to anger often got him in trouble with teachers. A frequent visitor to the local library, Walter’s great love of books (he tells readers, “When I began to read, I began to exist”) became part of his internal and external battles. He often found solace in reading but still faced stressors at home and engaged in risky behaviors. Literary characters from classics by white authors filled his imagination—he notes that he was taught nothing of the Harlem Renaissance—and he began to find satisfaction in writing his own poems and short stories. Yet Walter kept getting pulled back into the bad boy life. Finally realizing that he needed a change, at 17 he enlisted in the army. This compact, accessible volume may entice readers to pick up the prose version, where they’ll find more insights into Myers’ struggles, feelings, and motivations.
Solid and visually appealing, although no match for the nuance of the original. (Graphic autobiography. 13-18)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025
ISBN: 9780063099920
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2025
Small but mighty necessary reading.
A miniature manifesto for radical queer acceptance that weaves together the personal and political.
Eli, a cis gay white Jewish man, uses his own identities and experiences to frame and acknowledge his perspective. In the prologue, Eli compares the global Jewish community to the global queer community, noting, “We don’t always get it right, but the importance of showing up for other Jews has been carved into the DNA of what it means to be Jewish. It is my dream that queer people develop the same ideology—what I like to call a Global Queer Conscience.” He details his own isolating experiences as a queer adolescent in an Orthodox Jewish community and reflects on how he and so many others would have benefitted from a robust and supportive queer community. The rest of the book outlines 10 principles based on the belief that an expectation of mutual care and concern across various other dimensions of identity can be integrated into queer community values. Eli’s prose is clear, straightforward, and powerful. While he makes some choices that may be divisive—for example, using the initialism LGBTQIAA+ which includes “ally”—he always makes clear those are his personal choices and that the language is ever evolving.
Small but mighty necessary reading. (resources) (Nonfiction. 14-18)Pub Date: June 2, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-09368-9
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
A powerful reminder of a history that is all too timely today.
A beautifully heart-wrenching graphic-novel adaptation of actor and activist Takei’s (Lions and Tigers and Bears, 2013, etc.) childhood experience of incarceration in a World War II camp for Japanese Americans.
Takei had not yet started school when he, his parents, and his younger siblings were forced to leave their home and report to the Santa Anita Racetrack for “processing and removal” due to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066. The creators smoothly and cleverly embed the historical context within which Takei’s family’s story takes place, allowing readers to simultaneously experience the daily humiliations that they suffered in the camps while providing readers with a broader understanding of the federal legislation, lawsuits, and actions which led to and maintained this injustice. The heroes who fought against this and provided support to and within the Japanese American community, such as Fred Korematsu, the 442nd Regiment, Herbert Nicholson, and the ACLU’s Wayne Collins, are also highlighted, but the focus always remains on the many sacrifices that Takei’s parents made to ensure the safety and survival of their family while shielding their children from knowing the depths of the hatred they faced and danger they were in. The creators also highlight the dangerous parallels between the hate speech, stereotyping, and legislation used against Japanese Americans and the trajectory of current events. Delicate grayscale illustrations effectively convey the intense emotions and the stark living conditions.
A powerful reminder of a history that is all too timely today. (Graphic memoir. 14-adult)Pub Date: July 16, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-60309-450-4
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Top Shelf Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 4, 2019
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