Framed by moving, thoughtful text, Sfar’s beautifully detailed “little drawings” convey heartbreak.
Turning to art in the face of grief.
“L’Chaim”—“to life”—cry guests celebrating Sfar’s belated birthday on October 7, 2023, the day of the Hamas attack, as he is given a Chai necklace of the Hebrew letters. Wearing it, however, becomes “an act of bravery.” The acclaimed French graphic novelist’s intensely personal account of that day and the next 80 days is anguished (“It’s gone from difficult to unbearable”) but hopeful. He identifies his adversary: “not the Palestinian, or the Israeli, or the Muslim or the Jew. The enemy is the person who decides that children or civilians are targets.” Those pairings anticipate further tensions strung throughout: between Ashkenazi and Mizrahi and Sephardic lines; between his deep French identity and secular Judaism; between horrifying experiences of increasing antisemitism and critiques of Israel. “A Jew who doesn’t vilify Israeli is already a stranger in the eyes of many,” but, to Sfar, hoping for Jews’ mere survival, it is “a safe haven”—then, perhaps not. Vividly reporting the attackers’ atrocities (and accusing activists and the press of silence or distortion), he contextualizes them in past and present antisemitism, also recognizing Israeli violence against Palestinians. He sometimes even doubts the utility of writing, talking, or teaching, but he never stops drawing. Evoking large- and small-scale history, he reframes the conflict, concluding that “each side must be able to acknowledge the suffering of the other side.” His goal is “the Israeli ideal: a nation of refugees that cares about the law and the dignity of one and all.” But can the rule of law prevail? Moments of self-deprecating humor or irony, observation, and personal details contrast with the dire situation. Kane’s colloquial translation from the original French text gives Sfar’s impressions, conflicts, and reflections a lively, authentic, informed, and agonized voice. Sfar’s blue-washed ink drawings richly evoke emotions, and the many wiry and expressive portraits bring his interlocutors “to life.”
Framed by moving, thoughtful text, Sfar’s beautifully detailed “little drawings” convey heartbreak.Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2026
ISBN: 9781250393210
Page Count: 448
Publisher: 23rd St.
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A memoir for those who want to laugh through the free fall of their own emotional roller coaster.
A humorous take on dread.
In her amusing graphic memoir, cartoonist Correll turns her emotional roller coaster into a literal, visual experience with her own amusement park of worries that she calls Anxietyland. Within this playful framework, she guides readers through her lifelong struggle with severe anxiety—there are attractions like the “worry-go-round,” “booze cruise,” “downward spiral,” and more, all culminating in finding the help that not only helps her manage the anxiety, but pushes her to do the work in confronting and living with it. To her credit, Correll uses the amusement park concept to dissect points in her life where her anxiety was holding her hostage from leading a fulfilling life. One panel shows Correll’s whimsical approach, as when her cat, Oliver, goes missing. “Why hasn’t he come home?” she thinks, her eyes full of worry, her mouth downturned. “What if he’s dead?” The subsequent image shows her pet peeking into the panel; the accompanying text reads, “Oliver (very much alive).” It’s one thing to read a memoir that breaks down episodes with the benefit of time and knowledge; it’s a completely different experience to see someone living through their depression while hanging on for dear life in “anxie-tea” cups. Readers who hold season passes to Anxietyland will be able to laugh along with the author, but this book will also benefit those coming to terms with a new or future anxiety diagnosis. These readers may, for the first time, be able to put their swirling emotions into a tangible context that makes more sense to them and others. That’s the beauty of Correll’s memoir: The book provides a comical medium lens that can open doors to understanding—rather than a door to the house of horrors.
A memoir for those who want to laugh through the free fall of their own emotional roller coaster.Pub Date: April 28, 2026
ISBN: 9781668004159
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2026
An impassioned message of rage and hope.
The author of Persepolis returns with a collection about burgeoning activism in Iran.
In September 2022, the beating and death of Mahsa Jina Amini, an Iranian student arrested for not wearing her headscarf properly, incited a solidarity movement among women and men that spread around the world. To publicize and bear witness to this major uprising, Satrapi has gathered stories, cartoons, and essays from more than 20 artists, activists, journalists, and academics. The author has two aims: “to explain what’s going on in Iran, to decipher events in all their complexity and nuance for a non-Iranian readership, and to help you understand them as fully as possible”; and “to remind Iranians that they are not alone.” Setting the movement in context, Iranian American historian Abbas Milani offers an overview of the political upheavals and revolutions that have led to the current misogynist, repressive regime and the “resolute defiance” that has emerged in protest. As each contributor attests, life under a wrathful dictatorship is consistently frightening and dangerous: “The Islamic Republic ensures its own survival by murdering people. During the successive demonstrations” over Amini’s murder, “several hundred people were killed in an attempt to strike fear into the hearts of protesters. Young people were forced to confess under torture.” Women are especially vulnerable. Since November 2022, young students in schools across Iran have been poisoned by toxic gas as part of an attempt to force girls’ schools to close. Protecting the regime falls to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a paramilitary organization that answers directly to Khomeini, the Supreme Leader, and for the past four decades has carried out a reign of terror. This collection pays homage to victims and celebrates the dreams of Iran’s determined activists. Other contributors include Joanne Sfar, Lewis Trondheim, Paco Roca, and Mana Neyestani.
An impassioned message of rage and hope.Pub Date: March 19, 2024
ISBN: 9781644214053
Page Count: 280
Publisher: Seven Stories
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
IN THE NEWS
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
