BAD KID

Labeled a “bad kid,” Szamosi was 13 when her mother sent her to a rural residential facility in Virginia.

Over the next few years, Szamosi was in and out of both long- and short-term self-styled “therapeutic wilderness programs” that claimed to help troubled teens but that ultimately kept her isolated from family, stripped her of her autonomy, provided inadequate therapy, and left her traumatized—all while profiting from her, even lying about her progress to prolong her treatment. Returning home proved challenging for Szamosi: Her relationship with her mother was now strained, and she quickly fell back into her old behavioral patterns. But her deep friendships with girls she regarded as soul sisters, whom she met both in and out of the programs, offered a thread of hope. While detailing her experiences in this graphic memoir, Szamosi also provides glimpses into her earlier childhood and her fractured relationship with her single mother, a professor who had a traumatic past of her own. In an authentic voice, Szamosi, who appears white, touches upon topics that many teens will find relatable: complex family dynamics, disordered eating, substance use, bodily autonomy, and the desire for freedom. The monochromatic art is punctuated by bold slashes of red that highlight key moments. Thoughtfully interspersed personal photographs and excerpts from Szamosi’s teen journal offer deeper glimpses into her world.

A raw, deeply intimate account of a girl coming of age while trying to survive the troubled teen industry.