Recently I asked if y’all read graphic novels-how about graphic novel memoirs?
Allie Brosh is one of the first online creators I remember deliberately following. I didn’t subscribe to an email list or RSS feed and I don’t even remember if social media was a real thing then, but I diligently checked her website for new comics regularly. She posted funny things about her dogs and her life that always made me laugh, but she also posted very frankly about her clinical depression and mental health. It was maybe the first time I had seen that type of representation in any type of media and it was so influential. She published a book, Hyperbole and a Half, in her signature style and further discussed her depression.
Allie disappeared for a while after she published her first book, and after a time of checking her website and seeing no updates, I was worried. The good news is that she’s healthy and safe and published a second book in 2020, where she handles some really serious topics such as medical emergencies, divorce, and the death of her sister. Maybe it is strange to read about all these things in comic form, but Allie has a way of connecting with her audience with enough humor to really make you not feel quite so alone.
So, all of that to say: don’t discount a book because of the format it is written in! Graphic novels and graphic novel memoirs can be so powerful and impactful. What are some others you have read or have on your TBR?
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