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Abuse
Take it as a compliment. by Stoian, M.
Bringing together the voices of males and females of all ages, the stories in this collective graphic memoir reflect real life experiences of sexual abuse, violence and harassment. Each experience is brought to life by Maria Stoian's exceptional artwork. Her unique and varied styles powerfully reflect the tone and mood of the different stories and in just a few pages express the complex emotions felt by victims of sexual abuse. Covering acts such as sexual violence, public sexual harassment, domestic abuse and child abuse, this is a reminder for survivors that they are not alone and a call for all of us to take action. The stories clearly show that assault of any type is not an honour bestowed on anyone. It is not a compliment.
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 0857012428
Publication Date: 2015
Anxiety
When anxiety attacks. by Koscik, T.
Frank and full of gentle humor, Terian Koscik's graphic memoir shares her experiences of living with anxiety, finding the courage to see a therapist, and learning more than she could have imagined. Even in childhood anxious thoughts would seep into Terian's day. Yet she never thought that getting professional help was for her, simply concluding that her problems weren't "real" problems (a lion hadn't devoured her whole family, for example). But when her anxiety finally became overwhelming, she knew it was time to see a therapist. To her surprise, Terian learned endless coping techniques through her therapy sessions. She shares how mindfulness strategies helped her observe anxious thoughts without criticizing them, and how "I" statements encouraged her to express feelings more openly in relationships. But perhaps the most important thing she learned was that there really is no "right" way to feel.
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 0857012320
Publication Date: 2015
Bipolar Disorder
Marbles: Mania, depression, Michelangelo and me: A graphic memoir. by Forney, E.
Cartoonist Ellen Forney explores the relationship between "crazy" and "creative" in this graphic memoir of her bipolar disorder, woven with stories of famous bipolar artists and writers. Shortly before her thirtieth birthday, Forney was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Flagrantly manic and terrified that medications would cause her to lose creativity, she began a years-long struggle to find mental stability while retaining her passions and creativity. Searching to make sense of the popular concept of the crazy artist, she finds inspiration from the lives and work of other artists and writers who suffered from mood disorders, including Vincent van Gogh, Georgia O'Keeffe, William Styron, and Sylvia Plath. She also researches the clinical aspects of bipolar disorder, including the strengths and limitations of various treatments and medications, and what studies tell us about the conundrum of attempting to "cure" an otherwise brilliant mind. Darkly funny and intensely personal, Forney's memoir provides a visceral glimpse into the effects of a mood disorder on an artist's work, as she shares her own story through bold black-and-white images and evocative prose.
Call Number: 741.5973 F727
ISBN: 1592407323
Publication Date: 2012
Cancer Care
Cancer vixen. by Acocella Marchetto, M.
"What happens when a shoe-crazy, lipstick-obsessed, wine-swilling, pasta-slurping, fashion-fanatic, single-forever, about-to-get-married big-city girl cartoonist with a fabulous life finds . . . a lump in her breast?" That's the question that sets this powerful, funny, and poignant graphic memoir in motion. In vivid color and with a taboo-breaking sense of humor, Marisa Acocella Marchetto tells the story of her eleven-month, ultimately triumphant bout with breast cancer--from diagnosis to cure, and every challenging step in between. But Cancer Vixen is about more than surviving an illness. It is a portrait of one woman's supercharged life in Manhattan, and a wonderful love story. Marisa, self-described "terminal bachelorette," meets her Prince Charming in Silvano, owner of the chic downtown restaurant Da Silvano. Three weeks before their wedding, she receives her diagnosis. She wonders: How will he react to this news? How will my world change? Will I even survive? And . . . what about my hair? From raucous New Yorker staff lunches and the star-studded crowd at Silvano's restaurant to the rainbow pumps Marisa wears to chemotherapy, Cancer Vixen is a total original. Marisa's wit and courage are an inspiration--she's a cancer vixen, not its victim.
Call Number: 362.196 M317 M317 2006
ISBN: 0307263576
Publication Date: 2006
The death of captain marvel. by Marvel Comics Staff; Abel J. (Illustrator), Broderick, P., (Illustrator)Englehart, S., Moench, D., Patterson, B. (Illustrator)& Starlin, J.
As Protector of the Universe and de facto defender of Earth, the Kree Captain Mar-Vell has triumphed over foes large and small. But when Mar-Vell is diagnosed with cancer, he finds himself face-to-face with a foe that even his vast might can't defeat... and both he, and a universe that loves him, must rally together to accept the inevitable. Plus, look back at the seminal battle with Nitro that infected Captain Marvel years before - and, in the midst of a battle with Titan's planet-sized computer system, now corrupted by the madness of Thanos, witness the budding romance between Mar-Vell and his true love Elysius! Collecting: Marvel Super-Heroes (1967) 12-13; Captain Marvel (1968) 1, 34; Marvel Spotlight (1979) 1-2; Marvel Graphic Novel 1: The Death of Captain Marvel
Call Number: 741.5973 D2857
ISBN: 1302915932
Publication Date: 2019
Don't go where I can't follow. by Nilsen, A.
In this collection of letters, drawings, and photos, Anders Nilsen chronicles a six-year relationship and the illness that brought it to an end. Don't Go Where I Can't Followis an eloquent appreciation of the time the author shared with his fiancée, Cheryl Weaver. The story is told using artifacts of the couple's life together, including early love notes, simple and poetic postcards, tales of their travels in written and comics form, journal entries, and drawings done in the hospital in her final days. It concludes with a beautifully rendered account of Weaver's memorial that Glen David Gold, writing in theLos Angeles Times, called "16 panels of beauty and grace."Don't Go Where I Can't Followis a deeply personal romance, and a universal reminder of our mortality and the significance of the relationships we build.
Call Number: 741.5973 N712 2012
ISBN: 1770460918
Publication Date: 2012
An elegy for Amelia Johnson. by Rostan, A., Valeza, D., Kasenow, K. (Illustrator), & Christy, S. (Editor)
In her 30 years on earth, Amelia Johnson has touched many lives with her compassion, intelligence, and spirit. Now, at the end of a year-long battle with cancer, she asks her two closest friends to take her final messages to the people who have touched her life the most. Henry Barrons is a cocky, Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker whose demeanor hides deep insecurities. Jillian Webb is an acclaimed magazine writer with an inability to make long-term commitments. They set out across the country to fulfill Amelia's dying wish...and end up learning more about her -- and themselves -- than they ever imagined.
Call Number: 741.5973 R8392
ISBN: 1932386831
Publication Date: 2011
The embroidered cancer comic. by Shefrin, S. E.
Come to bed with me?' 'Huh? No, I'd rather read this book about cancer...' As soon as Bob was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer, he and his wife Elizabeth started making cancer jokes to take the edge off of an otherwise frightening situation. A lot of those jokes were about sex. Here, textile artist Elizabeth Shefrin has picked up a needle and thread to share those intimate jokes, revealing how they helped her and her husband to process the realities of cancer treatment. Giving lightness and humour to a rarely discussed topic, this unpretentious and wry embroidered comic will create awareness and discourse around a taboo topic, resonating with others in similar situations and reassuring us that it's ok to laugh.
Call Number: 362.1969 S542 2016
ISBN: 1848192894
Publication Date: 2016
The inflatable woman. by Ball, W.
Irisa is a zookeeper looking for love when she is diagnosed with breast cancer. Overnight, her life becomes populated with a carnival of daunting hospital characters. Despite the attempts of her friends-Maud,Granma Suggs, Larry the Monkey and a group of singing penguins-to comfort her, Iris's fears begin to encircle her until all she has to cling to is the attention of a lighthouse keeper called sailor_buoy_39. The Inflatable Woman combines magic realism with the grit of everyday life to create a poignant and surreal journey inside the human psyche.
Call Number: 741.5 B1877
ISBN: 140885807X
Publication Date: 2015
Janet and me by Mack, S
In words and drawings both candid and human, Stan Mack follows his eighteen-year relationship with Janet Bode, a lighthearted fling that beat the odds to become an enduring love affair. The only thing they couldn't beat was cancer. As Janet and Stan confront the jagged terrain of cancer, then navigate the twilight of terminal illness, two portraits emerge: of a woman who faced her cancer the same way she lived her life, with guts and charm; and of the man who held her close and shared her struggle. For anyone who can't resist a beautifully told love story, for anyone who is touched by someone suffering from serious illness and looking for emotional and practical guidance, and for anyone who appreciates a life lived to the fullest, Janet & Me will resonate long after the last page is turned.
Call Number: 362.196 M1532 2004
ISBN: 9780684872780
Publication Date: 2004
Lisa's story: The other shoe. by Batiuk, T.
A story from the comic strips that will make you laugh and cry Tom Batiuk spent several years as a middle school art teacher before creating the comic strip Funky Winkerbean in 1972. Originally a "gag-a-day" comic strip that portrayed life in high school, Funky has evolved into a mature series of real-life stories examining such social issues as teen dating abuse, teen pregnancy, teen suicide, violence in schools, the war in the Middle East, alcoholism, divorce, and cancer. In 1999, Lisa Moore, one of Funky's friends and a main character, discovered she had breast cancer. Batiuk, unsure about dealing with such a serious subject on the funny pages, decided to go ahead with the story line. He approached the topic with the idea that mixing humor with serious and real themes heightens the reader's interest. Lisa and husband Les faced the same physical, psychological, and social issues as anyone else dealing with the disease. After a mastectomy and chemotherapy, Lisa was cancer free. She finished her law degree, opened a practice, and had a baby daughter, Summer. Then, in the spring of 2006, the cancer returned and metastasized. Lisa's Story: The Other Shoe is a collection of both the 1999 comic strips on Lisa's initial battle with cancer and the current series examining her struggle with the disease and its outcome. Additionally, it contains resource material on breast cancer, including early detection, information sources, support systems, and health care.
Call Number: 616.99 B333
ISBN: 0873389247
Publication Date: 2007
Mammoir: A pictorial odyssey of the adventures of a fourth grade teacher with breast cancer. by Fussell, T.
Part memoir, part fantasy, Mammoir is a full length comic book, whose words and pictures take you on a wild ride through Fussell's experience as a fourth grade Boston teacher diagnosed with breast cancer. Mammoir is exhilarating, whimsical, serious and intense, mirroring the diverse ways cancer manifested in her life that year. The graphics and humorous characters help demystify hospital procedures, and will appeal to anyone who has visited a hospital and not understood a word the doctors have said. In addition, Mammoir is a must-read for all those in education who struggle to reach their students. Finally, this graphic novel might interest those who have had similar experiences dealing with breast cancer. Mammoir weaves the reader in and out of a fourth grade classroom, the hospital, and Fussell's imagination, often suddenly, in the same unpredictable way that she lived her life during that cancer year. The story attempts to convey how a single entity in the universe tries to rise above one of the many irrational situations that are randomly dropped into all of our laps. Get ready. Fasten your seatbelts. Enjoy the ride.
Call Number: 741.5973 F994
ISBN: 1420874780
Publication Date: 2005
Mom's cancer. by Fies, B.
Each year, approximately 1.5 million people in the United States and Canada are diagnosed with cancer. This is one family's story.Winner of the 2005 Eisner Award in the category of Best Digital Comic for the original Web version, Mom's Cancer is now available as a graphic novel. An honest, unflinching, and sometimes humorous look at the practical and emotional effect that serious illness can have on patients and their families, Mom's Cancer is a story of hope--uniquely told in words and illustrations.Brian Fies is a freelance journalist whose mother was diagnosed with lung cancer. As he and his two sisters struggled with the effects of her illness and her ongoing recovery from treatment, Brian processed the experience in his journal, which took the form of words and pictures.The story that came to be known as "Mom's Cancer" first gained notice on the internet. It was posted anonymously, with the intention of sharing information and insights gained from his family's experience. Thanks to the words and illustrations of Brian Fies, readers have already responded that they were surprised and gratified to realize that they weren't alone. Abrams ComicArts is proud to bring this story to a whole new audience.
Call Number: 741.5973 F466 2008
ISBN: 0810971070
Publication Date: 2006
My diary. by Matsumoto, M. (Illustrator);Matsumoto, M.
February 2002. Mio Matsumoto, a Japanese student at the Royal College of Art in London, finds what she thinks is an ulcer on her tongue. In July she decides that she ought to have it looked at. When her dentist recommends a biopsy, Mio, scared, decides to return to Japan. There she is diagnosed with cancer.My Diary is Mio Matsumoto's brilliantly drawn diary of the five months she spends in treatment. In it she writes about - and illustrates - her fears, her feelings, her darkest moments, as well as brilliantly observed and often painfully funny scenes from hospital life - the boredom, the food, the enemas, the other patients, the doctor she has a crush on...This is a marvellous book - funny, frightening, unsentimental and utterly real.
Call Number: 362.1969 M4346 M4346
ISBN: 0224084437
Publication Date: 2009
Our cancer year. by Pekar, H., Brabner, J., Stack, F. (Illustrator)
It was they year of Desert Storm that Harvey Pekar and his wife, Joyce Brabner, discovered Harvey had cancer. Pekar, a man who has made a profession of chronicling the Kafkaesque absurdities of an ordinary life (if any life is ordinary) suddenly found himself incapacitated. But he had a better-than-average chance to beat cancer and he took it -- kicking, screaming, and complaining all the way. Pekar and Brabner draw on this and other trials to paint a portrait of a man beset with fears real and imagined -- who survives.
Call Number: 362.1969 B795 P379
ISBN: 1568580118
Publication Date: 1994
Probably nothing. by Tristram, M.
Probably Nothing by Matilda Tristram - a moving, funny and inspiring graphic memoir by a woman who discovered she had cancer whilst she was pregnant 'This deeply personal memoir, written as a graphic novel is one of the most darkly funny, bittersweet and moving cartoons you will ever come across (and that includes the hunting scene in Bambi). It also has (spoiler alert) one hell of a happy ending. Add it to your basket now' Stylist At 31, Matilda Tristram was 17 weeks pregnant and looking forward to having her first baby. Then she discovered she had bowel cancer. This touching and hilarious graphic memoir, which is never morose or self-pitying, starts at the moment Matilda was diagnosed and ends when her course of chemotherapy finishes in October 2013. Recording the awkward conversations, the highs and lows of treatment, the mixed blessings of receiving 'Get Well' cards, and the reality of still having to queue too long for croissants, Matilda captures her experiences with style and warmth. Along the way she learns to cherish the small details of life. Her beautiful and boisterous son was born without complications and is reliably keeping her up most nights. Charming, witty and uplifting - this unique and beautifully illustrated book will leave you cherishing the good things in life, and ready to face your own challenges. Will be enjoyed by readers of The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil by Stephen Collins, Fun Home by Alison Bechdel and Building Stories by Chris Ware. 'A beautiful account ... Apart from how funny Tristram's comic is, it's hard to pinpoint what makes it so magnetic ... the honesty makes you feel, as a reader, like a companion on her journey' Zoe Williams, Guardian Matilda Tristram studied animation at the Royal College of Art, graduating in 2008. Since then she has worked as a children's writer, lecturer and filmmaker. She was co-writer on two animated BBC TV shows for CBeebies with Ragdoll Productions, The Adventures of Abney and Teal and Dipdap. Dipdap won a BAFTA in the short from category. Her short films have screened at over 30 festivals internationally.
Call Number: 362.196 T838
ISBN: 9780241004159
Publication Date: 2014
Relatively indolent but relentless: A cancer treatment journal by Freedman, M.
From October 3 to November 28, 2012, Matt Freedman underwent radiation and chemotherapy at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, for treatment of Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma, a rare cancer that had spread from his tongue to his neck to his lungs by the time it was discovered. This is the journal he kept during that time, his 35-day course of treatment.
Call Number: 616.99 F8535 F8535 2014
ISBN: 160980516X
Publication Date: 2014
Seeds by Mackintosh, R.
In July 2009, Ross Mackintosh learned that his father had contracted cancer. Beginning with the diagnosis, then taking us through the journey of his father's decline and eventual passing, SEEDS is a touching tribute and powerful, autobiographical account of one man's experience, combining humor, sadness, philosophy and honesty.
Call Number: 741.5973 M1588
ISBN: 0983223807
Publication Date: 2011
The story of my tits. by Hayden, J. (Artist, Cover Design by)
"When Jennifer Hayden was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 43, she realized that her tits told a story. Across a lifetime, they'd held so many meanings: hope and fear, pride and embarrassment, life and death. And then they were gone. Now, their story has become a way of understanding her story: a journey from the innocence of youth to the chaos of adulthood, through her mother's mastectomy, her father's mistress, her husband's music, and the endlessly evolving definition of family. As cancer strikes three different lives, some relationships crumble while others emerge even stronger, and this sarcastic child of the '70s finally finds a goddess she can believe in."
Call Number: 362.1969 H414
ISBN: 1603090541
Publication Date: 2015
When david lost his voice. by Vanistendael, J.
The doctor's verdict is final: David has cancer. There is still a possibility of remission, but it is very small. And if the tumour kills him, David won't have a chance to see his baby granddaughter Louise grow up. We see his wife become progressively consumed by the looming shadow of death, in Vanistendael's sensitive portrayal of a family battling cancer.
Call Number: 745.1 V258
ISBN: 1906838542
Publication Date: 2013
Coming of Age
This one summer. by Tamaki, M. & Tamaki, J.
Every summer, Rose goes with her mom and dad to a lake house in Awago Beach. It's their getaway, their refuge. Rosie's friend Windy is always there, too, like the little sister she never had. But this summer is different. Rose's mom and dad won't stop fighting, and when Rose and Windy seek a distraction from the drama, they find themselves with a whole new set of problems. One of the local teens - just a couple of years older than Rose and Windy - is caught up in something bad... Something life threatening. It's a summer of secrets, and sorrow, and growing up, and it's a good thing Rose and Windy have each other. This One Summer is a tremendously exciting new teen graphic novel from two creators with true literary clout. Cousins Mariko and Jillian Tamaki, the team behind Skim, have collaborated on this gorgeous, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful story about a girl on the cusp of childhood - a story of renewal and revelation.
Call Number: YA 741.5 T153
ISBN: 159643774X
Publication Date: 2014
Deafness
El deafo. by Bell, C, & David Lasky, D. (Illustrator)
El Deafo is a funny, deeply honest graphic novel memoir for middle graders. It chronicles the author's hearing loss at a young age and her subsequent experiences with a powerful and very awkward hearing aid called the Phonic Ear. It gives her the ability to hear--sometimes things she shouldn't--but also isolates her from her classmates. She really just wants to fit in and find a true friend, someone who appreciates her, Phonic Ear and all. Finally, she is able to harness the power of the Phonic Ear and become "El Deafo, Listener for All." And more importantly, declare a place for herself in the world and find the friend she's longed for.
Call Number: YA 362.4209 B4333 B4333
ISBN: 1419710206
Publication Date: 2014
Death and Dying
100 months. by Hicklenton, J., & Mills, P. (Introduction by)
Johnny Hicklenton was one of Britain's leading comic book artists, who took his own life in March 2010 with the assistance of Dignitas in Zurich. 100 Months is an apocalyptic parable of environmental devastation written and drawn in fore knowledge of his own impending death. An intense, hallucinatory story with overtones of Dostoevsky's 'Legend of the Grand Inquisitor' and artwork of breathtaking intensity, it is the crowning achievement of a brilliant career, a true graphic novel that engages ultimate themes of life, death and salvation.
Call Number: 741.5 H6285
ISBN: 0956544525
Publication Date: 2012
Displacement. by Knisley, L. (Artist)
In her graphic memoirs, New York Times-best selling cartoonist Lucy Knisley paints a warts-and-all portrait of contemporary, twentysomething womanhood, like writer Lena Dunham (Girls). In the next installment of her graphic travelogue series, Displacement, Knisley volunteers to watch over her ailing grandparents on a cruise. (The book's watercolors evoke the ocean that surrounds them.) In a book that is part graphic memoir, part travelogue, and part family history, Knisley not only tries to connect with her grandparents, but to reconcile their younger and older selves. She is aided in her quest by her grandfather's WWII memoir, which is excerpted. Readers will identify with Knisley's frustration, her fears, her compassion, and her attempts to come to terms with mortality, as she copes with the stress of travel complicated by her grandparent's frailty.
Call Number: 741.5973 K718 2015
ISBN: 1606998102
Publication Date: 2015
Doctors. by Shaw, D. (Artist), & Shaw, G. B.
This new graphic novel from acclaimed cartoonist Dash Shaw (Bottomless Belly Button) is his most taut book to date. Dr. Cho is the creator of the Charon, a device that allows his staff to take the form of a memory in a dead patients' consciousnesses, and bring them back to life, with one catch: the experience is traumatic and the process kills them again soon thereafter. But for some bereaved, the opportunity is priceless. So when Bell is killed in a random accident, her daughter hires Dr. Cho's team to bring her back. But what if Bell didn't want to come back? The dying unconsciously create the afterlife they want, or feel they deserve, in their minds before everything fades to black. Isn't that better than the reality, and no less meaningful than life itself? Can unconsciousness coexist with consciousness? Doctors is part science-fiction thriller, part family drama, part morality play for the 21st century, and quite possibly Shaw's best book to date.
Call Number: 741.5973 S5344 2014
ISBN: 9781606998038
Publication Date: 2014
Fish. by Bagnarelli, B. (Illustrator)
Milo is twelve. The summer after his parents were involved in a fatal accident, Milo's struggle with grief threatens to overwhelm him. He sees death everywhere. When a missing girl is found drowned, Milo thinks that seeing her will finally lift the veil of the great unknown. A moving parable in comic form, this unflinching coming-of-age story is the American debut of one of Europe's finest young cartoonists.
Call Number: 741.5945 B147 2014
ISBN: 1907704876
Publication Date: 2014
Homesick. by Walz, J.
"While navigating the chaos of Brooklyn and planning his own wedding, Jason finds himself facing increasing panic attacks and the very real threat of losing his Mom to cancer. Meanwhile, thousands of miles above earth, one lost and forgotten cosmonaut struggles with the realities that come with facing his own end. As his ship floats deeper out into space, questions of purpose and choice become frustratingly difficult. As their lives charge toward their own grim realities, the boundaries that separate them begin to fade away. What they discover may just be enough to repair the fear and sadness in their hearts"--Publisher's web site.
Call Number: 741.5973 W242
ISBN: 9781624072314
Publication Date: 2012
Sick. by Schulz, G.
"Sick is a graphic document of 15 days of physical, mental & societal collapse. Part autobiography, part autopsy, it probes the hidden spaces between health & disease, happiness & despair, delusion & clarity"
Call Number: 741.5973 S388
ISBN: 0996273913
Publication Date: 2016
Special exits: A graphic memoir. by Farmer, J. (Artist)
In the vein of Alison Bechdel or Harvey Pekar, Joyce Farmer's memoir chronicles the decline of the author's parents' health, their relationship with one another and with their daughter, and how they cope with the day-to-day emotional fragility of the most taxing time of their lives. Set in southern Los Angeles (which makes for a terrifying sequence as blind Rachel and ailing Lars are trapped in their home without power during the 1992 Rodney King riots), Farmer details the slow, inexorable decline in Lars' and Rachel's health, and perfectly captures the timbre of the exchanges between a long-married couple: the affectionate bickering; their gallows humor; their querulousness as their bodies break down.
Call Number: 741.5973 F2336
ISBN: 1606997602
Publication Date: 2014
Depression
Hyperbole and a half. by Brosh, A.
#1 New York Times Bestseller "Funny and smart as hell" (Bill Gates), Allie Brosh's Hyperbole and a Half showcases her unique voice, leaping wit, and her ability to capture complex emotions with deceptively simple illustrations. FROM THE PUBLISHER: Every time Allie Brosh posts something new on her hugely popular blog Hyperbole and a Half the internet rejoices. This full-color, beautifully illustrated edition features more than fifty percent new content, with ten never-before-seen essays and one wholly revised and expanded piece as well as classics from the website like, "The God of Cake," "Dogs Don't Understand Basic Concepts Like Moving," and her astonishing, "Adventures in Depression," and "Depression Part Two," which have been hailed as some of the most insightful meditations on the disease ever written. Brosh's debut marks the launch of a major new American humorist who will surely make even the biggest scrooge or snob laugh. We dare you not to. FROM THE AUTHOR: This is a book I wrote. Because I wrote it, I had to figure out what to put on the back cover to explain what it is. I tried to write a long, third-person summary that would imply how great the book is and also sound vaguely authoritative--like maybe someone who isn't me wrote it--but I soon discovered that I'm not sneaky enough to pull it off convincingly. So I decided to just make a list of things that are in the book: Pictures Words Stories about things that happened to me Stories about things that happened to other people because of me Eight billion dollars* Stories about dogs The secret to eternal happiness* *These are lies. Perhaps I have underestimated my sneakiness!
Call Number: 741.5973 B8741 B8741 2019
ISBN: 9781451666175
Publication Date: 2013
Living with a black dog: His name is depression. by Johnstone, M. (Illustrator)
One in four women and one in six men will suffer from depression at least once in their life. Few are immune. It was the greatly admired Winston Churchill, a depression sufferer for much of his life, who nicknamed this human condition "Black Dog." Living with a Black Dog is perhaps the most useful book ever created about depression. In simple text and strongly supportive illustrations, this slim volume examines, explains, and demystifies one of the most widespread and debilitating problems afflicting modern society. Whether you've struggled with your own Black Dog for years, wondered why you're feeling sort of "ruff" lately, or known someone shadowed by a dark canine, Living with a Black Dog is for you. Artist and writer Matthew Johnstone, a depression sufferer himself, delivers a moving and uplifting insight into life with this unsavory companion. Even better, the book shows the strength and support to be found within and around us to tame this shaggy beast and ultimately bring it to heel. Johnstone's book doesn't pretend to have all the answers. It doesn't resort to simple "dog tricks" for dealing with depression. But Living with a Black Dog does deliver understanding, hope, and the assurance that Black Dog days are not forever.
Call Number: 616.8527 J736
ISBN: 0740757431
Publication Date: 2006
My depression. by Swados, E.
A poignant look at one woman's fight for herself, told in expressively scrawled drawings and commentary. Author Elizabeth Swados takes us on an intimate journey through her long-time struggle with depression that is by turns tender, funny, and uplifting, and will resonate with everyone affected by depression and those who love them. Through the author's charming and frenzied drawings, readers get a unique look into the experience of severe depression, from the black cloud forming in the horizon, to the strained relationships, the side effects of anti-depressants, and the difficulty getting out of bed and functioning. For the many people who suffer from depression, this is a reminder that they are not alone and that their experiences are legitimate and deserve to be part of mainstream awareness. This is an engaging and uplifting story of an illness that has been stigmatized for too long.
Call Number: 616.85 S9712 S9712 2014
ISBN: 1609805496
Publication Date: 2014
HIV/AIDS
Pedro and me: Friendship, loss and what I learned. by Winick, J.
"You are eighteen years old. You get up in front of a thousand people - your classmates, your friends, basically the people who make up your entire existence - and announce, 'I'm HIV positive.'" Told entirely in sequential art, here is the story of the life-changing friendship between the author, a cartoonist from Long Island, and Pedro Zamora, an HIV-positive AIDS activist, which was filmed day by day on MTV's Real World San Francisco.As a speaker and educator, a guest on many talk shows (including Oprah), and when his tragic death received front-page coverage in the press, Pedro taught a generation that AIDS was not a punishment for moral defects or a mere killer that reduced humans to wraiths. Rather, he showed how those afflicted with the disease could live and love nobly with intelligence, humor and great humanity. Judd Winick's compelling memoir allows each of us to experience the vitally important message Pedro brought us.Inspiring, moving, informative, and instantly accessible, Pedro and Me could become one of the books that defines a generation.
Call Number: YA 362.1969 Z25 W772
ISBN: 0805064036
Publication Date: 2000
Hospice Care
Things to do in a retirement home trailer park: When you're 29 and unemployed. by Wright, A.
Aneurin (Nye) Wright hasn't been on good terms with his father for a long time. When he receives a call on his birthday from his father, Neil, he isn't quite sure how to react. Neil has been diagnosed with emphysema and is "certified for hospice," a six-month death sentence. He needs help. Newly unemployed, Nye is free to move into the trailer park where his father lives and assume the role of caregiver. Neither Nye nor Neil is particularly enthralled by the situation. Things to Do in a Retirement Home Trailer Park documents Nye's reconciliation with his father as he cares for him in hospice. Their daily schedule of pill counting and medical checks unfolds in an extraordinary world where the protagonist is a minotaur and his father a rhinoceros, social workers are sea turtles, and mobile homes move atop gigantic elephants. Curious neighbors and medical and social care workers--whether man or beast--become their friends, and the family comes together once more. Nye and his father become more intimate as they reveal more and more of their emotions to each other. As the old man battles against emphysema, his shortness of breath becomes more evident until his speech bubbles, previously charged with pithy comment, are mostly filled with pauses. Graphic artist Aneurin Wright's unforgettable debut is a universal tale of love and loss told in a wholly original way.
Call Number: 616.02 W9471
ISBN: 0271071125
Publication Date: 2015
Immigrant Experiences
American born Chinese. by Luen Yang, G., & Pien, L. (Illustrator)
American Born Chinese tells the story of three apparently unrelated characters: Jin Wang, who moves to a new neighborhood with his family only to discover that he's the only Chinese-American student at his new school; the powerful Monkey King, subject of one of the oldest and greatest Chinese fables; and Chin-Kee, a personification of the ultimate negative Chinese stereotype, who is ruining his cousin Danny's life with his yearly visits. Their lives and stories come together with an unexpected twistin this action-packed modern fable.
Call Number: YA 741.5973 Y223
ISBN: 159643208x
Publication Date: 2006
The complete persepolis. by Satrapi, M.
Here, in one volume: Marjane Satrapi's best-selling, internationally acclaimed graphic memoir. Persepolis is the story of Satrapi's unforgettable childhood and coming of age within a large and loving family in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution; of the contradictions between private life and public life in a country plagued by political upheaval; of her high school years in Vienna facing the trials of adolescence far from her family; of her homecoming--both sweet and terrible; and, finally, of her self-imposed exile from her beloved homeland. It is the chronicle of a girlhood and adolescence at once outrageous and familiar, a young life entwined with the history of her country yet filled with the universal trials and joys of growing up. Edgy, searingly observant, and candid, often heartbreaking but threaded throughout with raw humor and hard-earned wisdom--Persepolis is a stunning work from one of the most highly regarded, singularly talented graphic artists at work today.
Call Number: 955.0542 S2537
ISBN: 0375714839
Publication Date: 2007
Pain
Pain is really strange. by Haines, S., & Standing, S. (Illustrator)
Answering questions such as 'how can I change my pain experience?', 'what is pain?', and 'how do nerves work?', this short research-based graphic book reveals just how strange pain is and explains how understanding it is often the key to relieving its effects. Studies show that understanding how pain is created and maintained by the nervous system can significantly lessen the pain you experience. The narrator in this original, gently humorous book explains pain in an easy-to-understand, engaging graphic format and reveals how to change the mind's habits to transform pain.
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 0857012126
Publication Date: 2015
Health Care
Health care reform: What it is, why it's necessary, how it works. by Gruber, J., Motter, D. (Illustrator), & Schreiber, N. (Illustrator)
You won't have to worry about going broke if you get sick. We will start to bring the costs of health care under control. And we will do all this while reducing the federal deficit. That is the promise of the Affordable Care Act. But from the moment President Obama signed the bill into law in 2010, a steady and mounting avalanche of misinformation about the ACA has left a growing majority of Americans confused about what it is, why it's necessary, and how it works. If you're one of them, buy this book. From how to tame the twin threats of rising costs and the increasing number of uninsured to why an insurance mandate is good for your health, Health Care Reform dispels false fears by arming you with facts.
Call Number: 362.1042 G8857 2011
ISBN: 0809094622
Publication Date: 2011
Trauma and Resilience
Barefoot gen: A cartoon story of Hiroshima. by Nakazawa, K. Project (Translator)
The story recounts the bombing of Hiroshima from the perspective of a young boy, Gen, and his family. But the book's themes (the physical and psychological damage ordinary people suffer from war's realities) ring chillingly true today. Despite its harrowing nature, this work is invaluable for the lessons it offers in history, humanity and compassion.
Call Number: 940.5425 N1638 vol. 1-2
ISBN: 0867196025
Publication Date: 2004
Maus: A survivor's tale. by Spiegelman, A.
The author-illustrator traces his father's imprisonment in a Nazi concentration camp through a series of disarming and unusual cartoons arranged to tell the story as a novel.
Call Number: YA 940.5318 S7553 S7553 vol 1-2
ISBN: 0808598538
Publication Date: 1986
Trauma is really strange. by Haines, S.& Standing, S. (Illustrator)
What is trauma? How does it change the way our brains work? And how can we overcome it? When something traumatic happens to us, we dissociate and our bodies shut down their normal processes. This unique comic explains the strange nature of trauma and how it confuses the brain and affects the body. With wonderful artwork, cat and mouse metaphors, essential scientific facts, and a healthy dose of wit, the narrator reveals how trauma resolution involves changing the body's physiology and describes techniques that can achieve this, including Trauma Releasing Exercises that allow the body to shake away tension, safely releasing deep muscular patterns of stress and trauma.
Call Number: 616.8521 H1534
ISBN: 1848192932
Publication Date: 2015
Aging
Displacement. by .Knisley, L. (Artist)
In her graphic memoirs, New York Times-best selling cartoonist Lucy Knisley paints a warts-and-all portrait of contemporary, twentysomething womanhood, like writer Lena Dunham (Girls). In the next installment of her graphic travelogue series, Displacement, Knisley volunteers to watch over her ailing grandparents on a cruise. (The bookâe(tm)s watercolors evoke the ocean that surrounds them.) In a book that is part graphic memoir, part travelogue, and part family history, Knisley not only tries to connect with her grandparents, but to reconcile their younger and older selves. She is aided in her quest by her grandfatherâe(tm)s WWII memoir, which is excerpted. Readers will identify with Knisleyâe(tm)s frustration, her fears, her compassion, and her attempts to come to terms with mortality, as she copes with the stress of travel complicated by her grandparentsâe(tm) frailty.
Call Number: 741.5973 K718 2015
ISBN: 9781606998106
Publication Date: 2015
Take it as a compliment. by
Bringing together the voices of males and females of all ages, the stories in this collective graphic memoir reflect real life experiences of sexual abuse, violence and harassment. Each experience is brought to life by Maria Stoian's exceptional artwork. Her unique and varied styles powerfully reflect the tone and mood of the different stories and in just a few pages express the complex emotions felt by victims of sexual abuse. Covering acts such as sexual violence, public sexual harassment, domestic abuse and child abuse, this is a reminder for survivors that they are not alone and a call for all of us to take action. The stories clearly show that assault of any type is not an honour bestowed on anyone. It is not a compliment.
When anxiety attacks. by
Frank and full of gentle humor, Terian Koscik's graphic memoir shares her experiences of living with anxiety, finding the courage to see a therapist, and learning more than she could have imagined. Even in childhood anxious thoughts would seep into Terian's day. Yet she never thought that getting professional help was for her, simply concluding that her problems weren't "real" problems (a lion hadn't devoured her whole family, for example). But when her anxiety finally became overwhelming, she knew it was time to see a therapist. To her surprise, Terian learned endless coping techniques through her therapy sessions. She shares how mindfulness strategies helped her observe anxious thoughts without criticizing them, and how "I" statements encouraged her to express feelings more openly in relationships. But perhaps the most important thing she learned was that there really is no "right" way to feel.
Marbles: Mania, depression, Michelangelo and me: A graphic memoir. by
Cartoonist Ellen Forney explores the relationship between "crazy" and "creative" in this graphic memoir of her bipolar disorder, woven with stories of famous bipolar artists and writers. Shortly before her thirtieth birthday, Forney was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Flagrantly manic and terrified that medications would cause her to lose creativity, she began a years-long struggle to find mental stability while retaining her passions and creativity. Searching to make sense of the popular concept of the crazy artist, she finds inspiration from the lives and work of other artists and writers who suffered from mood disorders, including Vincent van Gogh, Georgia O'Keeffe, William Styron, and Sylvia Plath. She also researches the clinical aspects of bipolar disorder, including the strengths and limitations of various treatments and medications, and what studies tell us about the conundrum of attempting to "cure" an otherwise brilliant mind. Darkly funny and intensely personal, Forney's memoir provides a visceral glimpse into the effects of a mood disorder on an artist's work, as she shares her own story through bold black-and-white images and evocative prose.
Cancer made me a shallower person. by
a cartoonist examines her experience with breast cancer in an irreverent and humorous graphic memoir.
Cancer vixen. by
"What happens when a shoe-crazy, lipstick-obsessed, wine-swilling, pasta-slurping, fashion-fanatic, single-forever, about-to-get-married big-city girl cartoonist with a fabulous life finds . . . a lump in her breast?" That's the question that sets this powerful, funny, and poignant graphic memoir in motion. In vivid color and with a taboo-breaking sense of humor, Marisa Acocella Marchetto tells the story of her eleven-month, ultimately triumphant bout with breast cancer--from diagnosis to cure, and every challenging step in between. But Cancer Vixen is about more than surviving an illness. It is a portrait of one woman's supercharged life in Manhattan, and a wonderful love story. Marisa, self-described "terminal bachelorette," meets her Prince Charming in Silvano, owner of the chic downtown restaurant Da Silvano. Three weeks before their wedding, she receives her diagnosis. She wonders: How will he react to this news? How will my world change? Will I even survive? And . . . what about my hair? From raucous New Yorker staff lunches and the star-studded crowd at Silvano's restaurant to the rainbow pumps Marisa wears to chemotherapy, Cancer Vixen is a total original. Marisa's wit and courage are an inspiration--she's a cancer vixen, not its victim.
The death of captain marvel. by
As Protector of the Universe and de facto defender of Earth, the Kree Captain Mar-Vell has triumphed over foes large and small. But when Mar-Vell is diagnosed with cancer, he finds himself face-to-face with a foe that even his vast might can't defeat... and both he, and a universe that loves him, must rally together to accept the inevitable. Plus, look back at the seminal battle with Nitro that infected Captain Marvel years before - and, in the midst of a battle with Titan's planet-sized computer system, now corrupted by the madness of Thanos, witness the budding romance between Mar-Vell and his true love Elysius! Collecting: Marvel Super-Heroes (1967) 12-13; Captain Marvel (1968) 1, 34; Marvel Spotlight (1979) 1-2; Marvel Graphic Novel 1: The Death of Captain Marvel
Don't go where I can't follow. by
In this collection of letters, drawings, and photos, Anders Nilsen chronicles a six-year relationship and the illness that brought it to an end. Don't Go Where I Can't Followis an eloquent appreciation of the time the author shared with his fiancée, Cheryl Weaver. The story is told using artifacts of the couple's life together, including early love notes, simple and poetic postcards, tales of their travels in written and comics form, journal entries, and drawings done in the hospital in her final days. It concludes with a beautifully rendered account of Weaver's memorial that Glen David Gold, writing in theLos Angeles Times, called "16 panels of beauty and grace."Don't Go Where I Can't Followis a deeply personal romance, and a universal reminder of our mortality and the significance of the relationships we build.
An elegy for Amelia Johnson. by
In her 30 years on earth, Amelia Johnson has touched many lives with her compassion, intelligence, and spirit. Now, at the end of a year-long battle with cancer, she asks her two closest friends to take her final messages to the people who have touched her life the most. Henry Barrons is a cocky, Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker whose demeanor hides deep insecurities. Jillian Webb is an acclaimed magazine writer with an inability to make long-term commitments. They set out across the country to fulfill Amelia's dying wish...and end up learning more about her -- and themselves -- than they ever imagined.
The embroidered cancer comic. by
Come to bed with me?' 'Huh? No, I'd rather read this book about cancer...' As soon as Bob was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer, he and his wife Elizabeth started making cancer jokes to take the edge off of an otherwise frightening situation. A lot of those jokes were about sex. Here, textile artist Elizabeth Shefrin has picked up a needle and thread to share those intimate jokes, revealing how they helped her and her husband to process the realities of cancer treatment. Giving lightness and humour to a rarely discussed topic, this unpretentious and wry embroidered comic will create awareness and discourse around a taboo topic, resonating with others in similar situations and reassuring us that it's ok to laugh.
The inflatable woman. by
Irisa is a zookeeper looking for love when she is diagnosed with breast cancer. Overnight, her life becomes populated with a carnival of daunting hospital characters. Despite the attempts of her friends-Maud,Granma Suggs, Larry the Monkey and a group of singing penguins-to comfort her, Iris's fears begin to encircle her until all she has to cling to is the attention of a lighthouse keeper called sailor_buoy_39. The Inflatable Woman combines magic realism with the grit of everyday life to create a poignant and surreal journey inside the human psyche.
Janet and me by
In words and drawings both candid and human, Stan Mack follows his eighteen-year relationship with Janet Bode, a lighthearted fling that beat the odds to become an enduring love affair. The only thing they couldn't beat was cancer. As Janet and Stan confront the jagged terrain of cancer, then navigate the twilight of terminal illness, two portraits emerge: of a woman who faced her cancer the same way she lived her life, with guts and charm; and of the man who held her close and shared her struggle. For anyone who can't resist a beautifully told love story, for anyone who is touched by someone suffering from serious illness and looking for emotional and practical guidance, and for anyone who appreciates a life lived to the fullest, Janet & Me will resonate long after the last page is turned.
Lisa's story: The other shoe. by
A story from the comic strips that will make you laugh and cry Tom Batiuk spent several years as a middle school art teacher before creating the comic strip Funky Winkerbean in 1972. Originally a "gag-a-day" comic strip that portrayed life in high school, Funky has evolved into a mature series of real-life stories examining such social issues as teen dating abuse, teen pregnancy, teen suicide, violence in schools, the war in the Middle East, alcoholism, divorce, and cancer. In 1999, Lisa Moore, one of Funky's friends and a main character, discovered she had breast cancer. Batiuk, unsure about dealing with such a serious subject on the funny pages, decided to go ahead with the story line. He approached the topic with the idea that mixing humor with serious and real themes heightens the reader's interest. Lisa and husband Les faced the same physical, psychological, and social issues as anyone else dealing with the disease. After a mastectomy and chemotherapy, Lisa was cancer free. She finished her law degree, opened a practice, and had a baby daughter, Summer. Then, in the spring of 2006, the cancer returned and metastasized. Lisa's Story: The Other Shoe is a collection of both the 1999 comic strips on Lisa's initial battle with cancer and the current series examining her struggle with the disease and its outcome. Additionally, it contains resource material on breast cancer, including early detection, information sources, support systems, and health care.
Mammoir: A pictorial odyssey of the adventures of a fourth grade teacher with breast cancer. by
Part memoir, part fantasy, Mammoir is a full length comic book, whose words and pictures take you on a wild ride through Fussell's experience as a fourth grade Boston teacher diagnosed with breast cancer. Mammoir is exhilarating, whimsical, serious and intense, mirroring the diverse ways cancer manifested in her life that year. The graphics and humorous characters help demystify hospital procedures, and will appeal to anyone who has visited a hospital and not understood a word the doctors have said. In addition, Mammoir is a must-read for all those in education who struggle to reach their students. Finally, this graphic novel might interest those who have had similar experiences dealing with breast cancer. Mammoir weaves the reader in and out of a fourth grade classroom, the hospital, and Fussell's imagination, often suddenly, in the same unpredictable way that she lived her life during that cancer year. The story attempts to convey how a single entity in the universe tries to rise above one of the many irrational situations that are randomly dropped into all of our laps. Get ready. Fasten your seatbelts. Enjoy the ride.
Mom's cancer. by
Each year, approximately 1.5 million people in the United States and Canada are diagnosed with cancer. This is one family's story.Winner of the 2005 Eisner Award in the category of Best Digital Comic for the original Web version, Mom's Cancer is now available as a graphic novel. An honest, unflinching, and sometimes humorous look at the practical and emotional effect that serious illness can have on patients and their families, Mom's Cancer is a story of hope--uniquely told in words and illustrations.Brian Fies is a freelance journalist whose mother was diagnosed with lung cancer. As he and his two sisters struggled with the effects of her illness and her ongoing recovery from treatment, Brian processed the experience in his journal, which took the form of words and pictures.The story that came to be known as "Mom's Cancer" first gained notice on the internet. It was posted anonymously, with the intention of sharing information and insights gained from his family's experience. Thanks to the words and illustrations of Brian Fies, readers have already responded that they were surprised and gratified to realize that they weren't alone. Abrams ComicArts is proud to bring this story to a whole new audience.
My diary. by
February 2002. Mio Matsumoto, a Japanese student at the Royal College of Art in London, finds what she thinks is an ulcer on her tongue. In July she decides that she ought to have it looked at. When her dentist recommends a biopsy, Mio, scared, decides to return to Japan. There she is diagnosed with cancer.My Diary is Mio Matsumoto's brilliantly drawn diary of the five months she spends in treatment. In it she writes about - and illustrates - her fears, her feelings, her darkest moments, as well as brilliantly observed and often painfully funny scenes from hospital life - the boredom, the food, the enemas, the other patients, the doctor she has a crush on...This is a marvellous book - funny, frightening, unsentimental and utterly real.
Our cancer year. by
It was they year of Desert Storm that Harvey Pekar and his wife, Joyce Brabner, discovered Harvey had cancer. Pekar, a man who has made a profession of chronicling the Kafkaesque absurdities of an ordinary life (if any life is ordinary) suddenly found himself incapacitated. But he had a better-than-average chance to beat cancer and he took it -- kicking, screaming, and complaining all the way. Pekar and Brabner draw on this and other trials to paint a portrait of a man beset with fears real and imagined -- who survives.
Probably nothing. by
Probably Nothing by Matilda Tristram - a moving, funny and inspiring graphic memoir by a woman who discovered she had cancer whilst she was pregnant 'This deeply personal memoir, written as a graphic novel is one of the most darkly funny, bittersweet and moving cartoons you will ever come across (and that includes the hunting scene in Bambi). It also has (spoiler alert) one hell of a happy ending. Add it to your basket now' Stylist At 31, Matilda Tristram was 17 weeks pregnant and looking forward to having her first baby. Then she discovered she had bowel cancer. This touching and hilarious graphic memoir, which is never morose or self-pitying, starts at the moment Matilda was diagnosed and ends when her course of chemotherapy finishes in October 2013. Recording the awkward conversations, the highs and lows of treatment, the mixed blessings of receiving 'Get Well' cards, and the reality of still having to queue too long for croissants, Matilda captures her experiences with style and warmth. Along the way she learns to cherish the small details of life. Her beautiful and boisterous son was born without complications and is reliably keeping her up most nights. Charming, witty and uplifting - this unique and beautifully illustrated book will leave you cherishing the good things in life, and ready to face your own challenges. Will be enjoyed by readers of The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil by Stephen Collins, Fun Home by Alison Bechdel and Building Stories by Chris Ware. 'A beautiful account ... Apart from how funny Tristram's comic is, it's hard to pinpoint what makes it so magnetic ... the honesty makes you feel, as a reader, like a companion on her journey' Zoe Williams, Guardian Matilda Tristram studied animation at the Royal College of Art, graduating in 2008. Since then she has worked as a children's writer, lecturer and filmmaker. She was co-writer on two animated BBC TV shows for CBeebies with Ragdoll Productions, The Adventures of Abney and Teal and Dipdap. Dipdap won a BAFTA in the short from category. Her short films have screened at over 30 festivals internationally.
Relatively indolent but relentless: A cancer treatment journal by
From October 3 to November 28, 2012, Matt Freedman underwent radiation and chemotherapy at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, for treatment of Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma, a rare cancer that had spread from his tongue to his neck to his lungs by the time it was discovered. This is the journal he kept during that time, his 35-day course of treatment.
Seeds by
In July 2009, Ross Mackintosh learned that his father had contracted cancer. Beginning with the diagnosis, then taking us through the journey of his father's decline and eventual passing, SEEDS is a touching tribute and powerful, autobiographical account of one man's experience, combining humor, sadness, philosophy and honesty.
The story of my tits. by
"When Jennifer Hayden was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 43, she realized that her tits told a story. Across a lifetime, they'd held so many meanings: hope and fear, pride and embarrassment, life and death. And then they were gone. Now, their story has become a way of understanding her story: a journey from the innocence of youth to the chaos of adulthood, through her mother's mastectomy, her father's mistress, her husband's music, and the endlessly evolving definition of family. As cancer strikes three different lives, some relationships crumble while others emerge even stronger, and this sarcastic child of the '70s finally finds a goddess she can believe in."
When david lost his voice. by
The doctor's verdict is final: David has cancer. There is still a possibility of remission, but it is very small. And if the tumour kills him, David won't have a chance to see his baby granddaughter Louise grow up. We see his wife become progressively consumed by the looming shadow of death, in Vanistendael's sensitive portrayal of a family battling cancer.
This one summer. by
Every summer, Rose goes with her mom and dad to a lake house in Awago Beach. It's their getaway, their refuge. Rosie's friend Windy is always there, too, like the little sister she never had. But this summer is different. Rose's mom and dad won't stop fighting, and when Rose and Windy seek a distraction from the drama, they find themselves with a whole new set of problems. One of the local teens - just a couple of years older than Rose and Windy - is caught up in something bad... Something life threatening. It's a summer of secrets, and sorrow, and growing up, and it's a good thing Rose and Windy have each other. This One Summer is a tremendously exciting new teen graphic novel from two creators with true literary clout. Cousins Mariko and Jillian Tamaki, the team behind Skim, have collaborated on this gorgeous, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful story about a girl on the cusp of childhood - a story of renewal and revelation.
El deafo. by
El Deafo is a funny, deeply honest graphic novel memoir for middle graders. It chronicles the author's hearing loss at a young age and her subsequent experiences with a powerful and very awkward hearing aid called the Phonic Ear. It gives her the ability to hear--sometimes things she shouldn't--but also isolates her from her classmates. She really just wants to fit in and find a true friend, someone who appreciates her, Phonic Ear and all. Finally, she is able to harness the power of the Phonic Ear and become "El Deafo, Listener for All." And more importantly, declare a place for herself in the world and find the friend she's longed for.
100 months. by
Johnny Hicklenton was one of Britain's leading comic book artists, who took his own life in March 2010 with the assistance of Dignitas in Zurich. 100 Months is an apocalyptic parable of environmental devastation written and drawn in fore knowledge of his own impending death. An intense, hallucinatory story with overtones of Dostoevsky's 'Legend of the Grand Inquisitor' and artwork of breathtaking intensity, it is the crowning achievement of a brilliant career, a true graphic novel that engages ultimate themes of life, death and salvation.
Displacement. by
In her graphic memoirs, New York Times-best selling cartoonist Lucy Knisley paints a warts-and-all portrait of contemporary, twentysomething womanhood, like writer Lena Dunham (Girls). In the next installment of her graphic travelogue series, Displacement, Knisley volunteers to watch over her ailing grandparents on a cruise. (The book's watercolors evoke the ocean that surrounds them.) In a book that is part graphic memoir, part travelogue, and part family history, Knisley not only tries to connect with her grandparents, but to reconcile their younger and older selves. She is aided in her quest by her grandfather's WWII memoir, which is excerpted. Readers will identify with Knisley's frustration, her fears, her compassion, and her attempts to come to terms with mortality, as she copes with the stress of travel complicated by her grandparent's frailty.
Doctors. by
This new graphic novel from acclaimed cartoonist Dash Shaw (Bottomless Belly Button) is his most taut book to date. Dr. Cho is the creator of the Charon, a device that allows his staff to take the form of a memory in a dead patients' consciousnesses, and bring them back to life, with one catch: the experience is traumatic and the process kills them again soon thereafter. But for some bereaved, the opportunity is priceless. So when Bell is killed in a random accident, her daughter hires Dr. Cho's team to bring her back. But what if Bell didn't want to come back? The dying unconsciously create the afterlife they want, or feel they deserve, in their minds before everything fades to black. Isn't that better than the reality, and no less meaningful than life itself? Can unconsciousness coexist with consciousness? Doctors is part science-fiction thriller, part family drama, part morality play for the 21st century, and quite possibly Shaw's best book to date.
Fish. by
Milo is twelve. The summer after his parents were involved in a fatal accident, Milo's struggle with grief threatens to overwhelm him. He sees death everywhere. When a missing girl is found drowned, Milo thinks that seeing her will finally lift the veil of the great unknown. A moving parable in comic form, this unflinching coming-of-age story is the American debut of one of Europe's finest young cartoonists.
Homesick. by
"While navigating the chaos of Brooklyn and planning his own wedding, Jason finds himself facing increasing panic attacks and the very real threat of losing his Mom to cancer. Meanwhile, thousands of miles above earth, one lost and forgotten cosmonaut struggles with the realities that come with facing his own end. As his ship floats deeper out into space, questions of purpose and choice become frustratingly difficult. As their lives charge toward their own grim realities, the boundaries that separate them begin to fade away. What they discover may just be enough to repair the fear and sadness in their hearts"--Publisher's web site.
Sick. by
"Sick is a graphic document of 15 days of physical, mental & societal collapse. Part autobiography, part autopsy, it probes the hidden spaces between health & disease, happiness & despair, delusion & clarity"
Special exits: A graphic memoir. by
In the vein of Alison Bechdel or Harvey Pekar, Joyce Farmer's memoir chronicles the decline of the author's parents' health, their relationship with one another and with their daughter, and how they cope with the day-to-day emotional fragility of the most taxing time of their lives. Set in southern Los Angeles (which makes for a terrifying sequence as blind Rachel and ailing Lars are trapped in their home without power during the 1992 Rodney King riots), Farmer details the slow, inexorable decline in Lars' and Rachel's health, and perfectly captures the timbre of the exchanges between a long-married couple: the affectionate bickering; their gallows humor; their querulousness as their bodies break down.
Hyperbole and a half. by
#1 New York Times Bestseller "Funny and smart as hell" (Bill Gates), Allie Brosh's Hyperbole and a Half showcases her unique voice, leaping wit, and her ability to capture complex emotions with deceptively simple illustrations. FROM THE PUBLISHER: Every time Allie Brosh posts something new on her hugely popular blog Hyperbole and a Half the internet rejoices. This full-color, beautifully illustrated edition features more than fifty percent new content, with ten never-before-seen essays and one wholly revised and expanded piece as well as classics from the website like, "The God of Cake," "Dogs Don't Understand Basic Concepts Like Moving," and her astonishing, "Adventures in Depression," and "Depression Part Two," which have been hailed as some of the most insightful meditations on the disease ever written. Brosh's debut marks the launch of a major new American humorist who will surely make even the biggest scrooge or snob laugh. We dare you not to. FROM THE AUTHOR: This is a book I wrote. Because I wrote it, I had to figure out what to put on the back cover to explain what it is. I tried to write a long, third-person summary that would imply how great the book is and also sound vaguely authoritative--like maybe someone who isn't me wrote it--but I soon discovered that I'm not sneaky enough to pull it off convincingly. So I decided to just make a list of things that are in the book: Pictures Words Stories about things that happened to me Stories about things that happened to other people because of me Eight billion dollars* Stories about dogs The secret to eternal happiness* *These are lies. Perhaps I have underestimated my sneakiness!
I had a black dog: His name was depression. by
Presents an illustrated description of depression to people who suffer from it and those supporting them. Offers advice on how to deal with depression.
Living with a black dog: His name is depression. by
One in four women and one in six men will suffer from depression at least once in their life. Few are immune. It was the greatly admired Winston Churchill, a depression sufferer for much of his life, who nicknamed this human condition "Black Dog." Living with a Black Dog is perhaps the most useful book ever created about depression. In simple text and strongly supportive illustrations, this slim volume examines, explains, and demystifies one of the most widespread and debilitating problems afflicting modern society. Whether you've struggled with your own Black Dog for years, wondered why you're feeling sort of "ruff" lately, or known someone shadowed by a dark canine, Living with a Black Dog is for you. Artist and writer Matthew Johnstone, a depression sufferer himself, delivers a moving and uplifting insight into life with this unsavory companion. Even better, the book shows the strength and support to be found within and around us to tame this shaggy beast and ultimately bring it to heel. Johnstone's book doesn't pretend to have all the answers. It doesn't resort to simple "dog tricks" for dealing with depression. But Living with a Black Dog does deliver understanding, hope, and the assurance that Black Dog days are not forever.
My depression. by
A poignant look at one woman's fight for herself, told in expressively scrawled drawings and commentary. Author Elizabeth Swados takes us on an intimate journey through her long-time struggle with depression that is by turns tender, funny, and uplifting, and will resonate with everyone affected by depression and those who love them. Through the author's charming and frenzied drawings, readers get a unique look into the experience of severe depression, from the black cloud forming in the horizon, to the strained relationships, the side effects of anti-depressants, and the difficulty getting out of bed and functioning. For the many people who suffer from depression, this is a reminder that they are not alone and that their experiences are legitimate and deserve to be part of mainstream awareness. This is an engaging and uplifting story of an illness that has been stigmatized for too long.
Pedro and me: Friendship, loss and what I learned. by
"You are eighteen years old. You get up in front of a thousand people - your classmates, your friends, basically the people who make up your entire existence - and announce, 'I'm HIV positive.'" Told entirely in sequential art, here is the story of the life-changing friendship between the author, a cartoonist from Long Island, and Pedro Zamora, an HIV-positive AIDS activist, which was filmed day by day on MTV's Real World San Francisco.As a speaker and educator, a guest on many talk shows (including Oprah), and when his tragic death received front-page coverage in the press, Pedro taught a generation that AIDS was not a punishment for moral defects or a mere killer that reduced humans to wraiths. Rather, he showed how those afflicted with the disease could live and love nobly with intelligence, humor and great humanity. Judd Winick's compelling memoir allows each of us to experience the vitally important message Pedro brought us.Inspiring, moving, informative, and instantly accessible, Pedro and Me could become one of the books that defines a generation.
Things to do in a retirement home trailer park: When you're 29 and unemployed. by
Aneurin (Nye) Wright hasn't been on good terms with his father for a long time. When he receives a call on his birthday from his father, Neil, he isn't quite sure how to react. Neil has been diagnosed with emphysema and is "certified for hospice," a six-month death sentence. He needs help. Newly unemployed, Nye is free to move into the trailer park where his father lives and assume the role of caregiver. Neither Nye nor Neil is particularly enthralled by the situation. Things to Do in a Retirement Home Trailer Park documents Nye's reconciliation with his father as he cares for him in hospice. Their daily schedule of pill counting and medical checks unfolds in an extraordinary world where the protagonist is a minotaur and his father a rhinoceros, social workers are sea turtles, and mobile homes move atop gigantic elephants. Curious neighbors and medical and social care workers--whether man or beast--become their friends, and the family comes together once more. Nye and his father become more intimate as they reveal more and more of their emotions to each other. As the old man battles against emphysema, his shortness of breath becomes more evident until his speech bubbles, previously charged with pithy comment, are mostly filled with pauses. Graphic artist Aneurin Wright's unforgettable debut is a universal tale of love and loss told in a wholly original way.
American born Chinese. by
American Born Chinese tells the story of three apparently unrelated characters: Jin Wang, who moves to a new neighborhood with his family only to discover that he's the only Chinese-American student at his new school; the powerful Monkey King, subject of one of the oldest and greatest Chinese fables; and Chin-Kee, a personification of the ultimate negative Chinese stereotype, who is ruining his cousin Danny's life with his yearly visits. Their lives and stories come together with an unexpected twistin this action-packed modern fable.
The complete persepolis. by
Here, in one volume: Marjane Satrapi's best-selling, internationally acclaimed graphic memoir. Persepolis is the story of Satrapi's unforgettable childhood and coming of age within a large and loving family in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution; of the contradictions between private life and public life in a country plagued by political upheaval; of her high school years in Vienna facing the trials of adolescence far from her family; of her homecoming--both sweet and terrible; and, finally, of her self-imposed exile from her beloved homeland. It is the chronicle of a girlhood and adolescence at once outrageous and familiar, a young life entwined with the history of her country yet filled with the universal trials and joys of growing up. Edgy, searingly observant, and candid, often heartbreaking but threaded throughout with raw humor and hard-earned wisdom--Persepolis is a stunning work from one of the most highly regarded, singularly talented graphic artists at work today.
Pain is really strange. by
Answering questions such as 'how can I change my pain experience?', 'what is pain?', and 'how do nerves work?', this short research-based graphic book reveals just how strange pain is and explains how understanding it is often the key to relieving its effects. Studies show that understanding how pain is created and maintained by the nervous system can significantly lessen the pain you experience. The narrator in this original, gently humorous book explains pain in an easy-to-understand, engaging graphic format and reveals how to change the mind's habits to transform pain.
Health care reform: What it is, why it's necessary, how it works. by
You won't have to worry about going broke if you get sick. We will start to bring the costs of health care under control. And we will do all this while reducing the federal deficit. That is the promise of the Affordable Care Act. But from the moment President Obama signed the bill into law in 2010, a steady and mounting avalanche of misinformation about the ACA has left a growing majority of Americans confused about what it is, why it's necessary, and how it works. If you're one of them, buy this book. From how to tame the twin threats of rising costs and the increasing number of uninsured to why an insurance mandate is good for your health, Health Care Reform dispels false fears by arming you with facts.
Barefoot gen: A cartoon story of Hiroshima. by
The story recounts the bombing of Hiroshima from the perspective of a young boy, Gen, and his family. But the book's themes (the physical and psychological damage ordinary people suffer from war's realities) ring chillingly true today. Despite its harrowing nature, this work is invaluable for the lessons it offers in history, humanity and compassion.
Maus: A survivor's tale. by
The author-illustrator traces his father's imprisonment in a Nazi concentration camp through a series of disarming and unusual cartoons arranged to tell the story as a novel.
Trauma is really strange. by
What is trauma? How does it change the way our brains work? And how can we overcome it? When something traumatic happens to us, we dissociate and our bodies shut down their normal processes. This unique comic explains the strange nature of trauma and how it confuses the brain and affects the body. With wonderful artwork, cat and mouse metaphors, essential scientific facts, and a healthy dose of wit, the narrator reveals how trauma resolution involves changing the body's physiology and describes techniques that can achieve this, including Trauma Releasing Exercises that allow the body to shake away tension, safely releasing deep muscular patterns of stress and trauma.
Displacement. by
In her graphic memoirs, New York Times-best selling cartoonist Lucy Knisley paints a warts-and-all portrait of contemporary, twentysomething womanhood, like writer Lena Dunham (Girls). In the next installment of her graphic travelogue series, Displacement, Knisley volunteers to watch over her ailing grandparents on a cruise. (The bookâe(tm)s watercolors evoke the ocean that surrounds them.) In a book that is part graphic memoir, part travelogue, and part family history, Knisley not only tries to connect with her grandparents, but to reconcile their younger and older selves. She is aided in her quest by her grandfatherâe(tm)s WWII memoir, which is excerpted. Readers will identify with Knisleyâe(tm)s frustration, her fears, her compassion, and her attempts to come to terms with mortality, as she copes with the stress of travel complicated by her grandparentsâe(tm) frailty.