A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Lives

[spectralbovine]

My latest reading adventure? Comic memoirs. It's become increasingly popular for people to draw their history in addition to writing it. I went on a comic memoir bender, and I ended up choosing three very different books, which just goes to show the possibilities of the medium.

The king of all comic memoirs, of course, is Maus (1973 - 1991). In

Comments

[sophia_helix]

Fun Home sounds really interesting -- I've read the first two, and enjoyed them for different reasons. Actually, I think I read Maus a really long time ago (high school?) and since I own it, I should probably read it again. Also, the recent Persepolis movie is really excellent. I've been on a comics kick, period recently (having just finished my reread of Bone and digging through the archives of the narrative webcomic Something Positive), so I'd love to have something new to check out.

[spectralbovine]

I want to see the movie of Persepolis since my neighbors prefer it to the book, but I don't want to watch it right away or I'll just be comparing it to the book the whole time.

I do need to read Bone.

Fun Home is very interesting and different. I just noticed that all three of my selections are about minorities: Jews, Iranians, and lesbians. Comic memoirs are a good way to get a taste of those worlds. Less words! More pictures!

[electricmonk]

I've read all of those! And I think they're the only graphic novels I've read, basically. Recommend me something?

Fun Home was amazing. Sometimes overt attempts to thematize annoy me, but the way she pulls those threads (Gatsby, bread truck, and I know there were others, but I can't remember) through the book is really careful and profound. "Recursive" is a great word.

The scene I remember from Persepolis, more than any of the ones about religion or repression, is the one where she angrily attempts to pee standing up. And yeah, the film's really good, surprisingly.

And Maus was the first graphic novel I read, like most everyone else in the world, I imagine. I think I did a project on it in 9th grade, which might have been before we were calling them "graphic novels." He has a book about 9/11 now, which I haven't read, but it looks interesting.

Whoo, picture books!

[electricmonk]

Ooh, good song, also.

[spectralbovine]

I've read all of those! And I think they're the only graphic novels I've read, basically.
Ooh, very cool! I didn't think anyone else had even heard of Fun Home. Once I looked it up, I think I may have vaguely recalled a mention in Entertainment Weekly, but that's it.

Recommend me something?
What do you think I've been DOING, lady?!

"Recursive" is a great word.
Yeah, I thought that was a nice way of describing it. And I agree with you on the thematizing. It was so effortless, and it never felt forced. This was her life, and she identified the elements that made the best story.

[electricmonk]

I didn't think anyone else had even heard of Fun Home.

I read about it on Bookslut. And a friend of mine in college was really into Dykes to Watch Out For, so I'd heard about her, although I don't think I realized she'd written both until I looked at the blurbs on Fun Home.

What do you think I've been DOING, lady?!

I am duly shamed. I'll click back through those. Thanks, yo.

[pandora_17]

I haven't even heard of any of these. I am so uncultured.

[spectralbovine]

Any? But the movie version of Persepolis was nominated for an Oscar! And Maus is...Maus! Get thee to a library!

[pandora_17]

Well, I understood all your references. I just haven't heard of the three you reviewed.

This one? Was it even released nationally? And I already looked up Maus on the library site and it's checked out. Plus, it's in the young adult section and I always feel self conscious going over there.

Hee to your icon.

[spectralbovine]

Was it even released nationally?
Yes! Maybe only in little independent theatres, though.

And I already looked up Maus on the library site and it's checked out. Plus, it's in the young adult section and I always feel self conscious going over there.
Don't! I saw some dude reading Holes out in the open the other day, and it was awesome. We even talked about it like it was an actual book worth reading.

[punzerel]

"A lot of the time, the "dialogue" felt very manufactured." I have to agree on this one. I really enjoyed the Perspepolis books, but they didn't always feel that they flowed very naturally. The writing was sometimes a little stilted - but maybe this was a function of the translation?

I haven't read Maus I/II in a long time. I remember them being still hard to read, but moderately less so than other Holocaust books. (I deal spectacularly badly with Holocaust memoirs etc. You should have seen me after I read Night, hoo boy.)
They're much more of a story and much more nuanced than Persepolis, I think.

[electricmonk]

Oh, man. I had to read Night twice for school. I thought it might be easier the second time, but no.

[spectralbovine]

The writing was sometimes a little stilted - but maybe this was a function of the translation?
Yeah, that could definitely be an issue. I was mostly thinking of various things her parents said, which seemed more like blatant political statements than anything a person would say in their own home. But I also agree that as a whole, it didn't flow. It was very disjointed.

You should have seen me after I read Night, hoo boy.
I haven't read that one.

[ethanvahlere]

I never read Persepolis, but I did see the movie, and liked it very much. I never got the feeling the dialogue was manufactured, although I might feel that way seeing it on the page. I also remember that time, albeit only from the American perspective - the time period she's talking about is when American hostages were taken - and it was nice to get a different perspective of that time.