by Tina Martel illustrated by Tina Martel ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A
A beautifully sassy survivor tale with a punk rock vibe.
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This debut illustrated memoir tells the story of an artist’s battle with breast cancer.
When Martel walked the annual Run for the Cure in honor of her mother’s fight with cancer, she had no idea that in less than a year she would return to the event to commemorate her own battle. Diagnosed with stage 2B breast cancer, the Canadian artist documented her cancer bout by creating drawings, photographs, and paintings that expressed her feelings during that time. The end result is this colorful account (Martel calls it a “graphic narrative”) full of vibrant illustrations and the artist’s conversational notes, from diagnosis to life after cancer. There will be no girly pink for this survivor—she prefers, instead, the motto “Fuck Cancer.” But who can blame her? The author suffered severe side effects from chemotherapy and radiation, like mouth sores, hemorrhoids, nausea, bone-crushing fatigue, and peeling/burning skin. This unblinking cancer journey is full of sarcastic wit and dark humor, as when Martel jokingly compares her radiation peel to a bad sunburn at Chernobyl. At times, her words have a poetic feel. In a meeting to discuss her life choices, she writes that “the words skim off my skin and swirl around the room.” The author also describes insensitive comments she had to endure, including people who told her stories about others who had died of cancer. Still, she’s thankful for the supportive folks in her life, such as friends, family, and her loving husband, Doug. Ranging from dark to playful, Martel’s vivid artwork is memorably edgy; for example, a collage of women’s legs in trash cans symbolizes a bad chemo day. In contrast, a pair of animal print heels at the book’s conclusion has a much more upbeat, kicking-cancer’s-ass feel to it. Newly diagnosed readers may be terrified by some of the gritty medical details, like the 12-inch fluid drain inserted into her arm. But the author’s strong spirit is undeniably inspirational.
A beautifully sassy survivor tale with a punk rock vibe.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 978-0-9939548-0-1
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Time Tunnel Media
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
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by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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developed by Ludwig Bemelmans ; illustrated by Steven Salerno
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