Some time ago I talked with you about my specific interests in the area of graphic novels. That previous post provided suggestions for reading material by female graphic artists. I’ve been reading more items along those same lines as of late, so here are a few more to put on your “to read” list, if you haven’t already.
Alone Forever by Liz Prince – Liz Prince is trying to find someone, a man, to share her life with. Problem is that she can’t seem to get the guys she’s interested in to even look at her sometimes. She worries that it’s her approach, her looks, how she dresses or the types of music she listens to. Trying to find love in the big city is never easy. Not in person and not online either. At least she has cats…
Pregnant Butch: Nine Long Months Spent in Drag by A.K. Summers – When you look like a fat guy instead of a pregnant woman, people will not offer you a seat on the subway. This is just one of the hard lessons 
learned by the author as she carries the child for herself and her partner Vee. Coming to terms with this most feminine of body functions was difficult for Summers. How do you adjust your view of yourself when your body is changing constantly? This is a sentiment that all pregnant women can relate to, no matter what their gender or sex identification is.
Lena Finkle’s Magic Barrel by Anya Ulinich – Being an immigrant is never easy. Trying to adjust to your new country is almost as difficult as never feeling at home again in your old one. Add to that a childhood trauma, a long distance relationship, a bad marriage or two and online dating, and you have one person in need of friends. As long as those friends give you good advice!
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi – If you thought the 80s here was rough, try the 80s in Iran. It seemed to Marjane that all of a sudden things changed for the worse. her school became segregated by sex, she had to wear a veil,
people were always watching for her to behave inappropriately. At home, most of her family were political activists, and her uncle was ultimately executed. Because she was always taught to stand up for herself and the oppressed, Marjane was eventually expelled from school. Her parents thought a life in Europe might be better for her, but she never quite found a safe place and ended up living on the streets. After returning to Iran her life became even more confused. This graphic novel explores life behind a curtain many Americans never see.
An Age of License: A Travelogue by Lucy Knisley – Lucy Knisley is fast becoming my favorite graphic novel artist/writer. Her travel memoirs are always studded with the great food she eats wherever she goes. Since traveling and food are two of my favorite hobbies, this combination really speaks to me. In this latest work, Lucy is planning an extended trip to Europe. This trip begins with an invitation to speak at a comic fest in Norway and continues with stops in Sweden for a love affair, France for wine and Paris, because well, Paris. Along the way, she realizes that the chaos she feels as she’s in her mid-twenties is exactly where she’s supposed to be. As her mom says, “If you hadn’t been screwing things up along the way – then I’d be worried.” A-men!
Happy Reading!
Melissa M.
Eleventh Stack 