Instead of reading All Quiet on The Western Front and Night, I have been consuming graphic novels this month. I have always wanted to read Blankets by Craig Thompson- a poignant coming of age story about a young man raised in a fundamentalist Christian household and his first experiences with infatuation, lust, love, guilt, etc. It was probably one of the most touching pieces of literature exploring adolescence I have read and only enhanced by the imagery of the graphic form.
The other graphic novel I finished was The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci, the first in a new series by DC comics aimed at the adolescent market. The Plain Janes comments on cliques and the social hierarchy of schools- accurately catching each nuance of what it means to be a creative and "different" in a society increasingly based on fear.
I read each novel with my students in mind- hoping that I could share some of the explicit messages about being "cool" and "fitting in" but Blankets is a bit too mature for many of my students due to direct references to sexuality in the writing as well as nudity in the illustrations. Nonetheless, I am a bit infatuated with both novels and look forward to exploring the genre more - ie Chris Ware, Adrian Tomine, etc.
I should probably be reading "Julius Cesar" instead...
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