Pride: 

Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel, Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, opened up my mind in many ways.   I was under the impression that this format wasn’t worth my time because it was of little substance.   Once I started reading this graphic novel I was enthralled and couldn’t put it down.  This true story is rich, powerful, and tragic.   “Fun Home” is a compact literary achievement, written intelligently and artistically illustrated.   The core of the story is about a daughter trying to understand her father through the common and unspoken bond of homosexuality.  Shortly after she comes out to her family, her closeted father is hit and killed by a truck.  Alison believes it is a suicide brought on by her own confession.

This graphic novel is such a compelling story that it made me run out to get more of Bechdel’s books and look for other authors that she makes reference to throughout her story.    This is a sure sign of a great book!  Considered a GLBT classic, pick it up today.  Free your mind and heart.

Look for this graphic novel in our catalog by clicking on this title: “Fun Home”

I often hear folks say that reading comic book doesn’t really count as reading. It’s a trained response, really. I’m not going to say that everyone out there is going to LOVE every comic book or graphic novel ever. That’s silly. We each come at reading a little differently and we each find the appealing in what we read in our own unique way. Still, there’s this slight nose crinkle that twitches up automatically when I recommend a graphic novel series to someone who doesn’t believe such works are *real* books. And I just want to say…the world of literature is so much bigger than we can imagine. As cliche as it is, sometimes a picture truly is worth a thousand words.

Case and point: a recent xkcd (webcomic), at first glance, is just kinda a cute strip. The world is sad. The world is wonderful. The world is big. Huh. Cute. Whatever. But then there’s more… That final panel – about being big – click on it and drag. There’s a lot more to that story than just the first page.

And, I’d say that’s the case about many of our graphic novels. Fun fact. A study done in 1988 established that comic books had 53.5 rare words per 1000. That’s a little more than adult novels (at 52.7) and a lot more than “educational” television shows like Mr. Rogers or Sesame Street (only 2 rare words per 1000). What’s that mean? Comic books build vocabulary. How really awesome is that?

Interested in trying something new? If you’re unsure of where to start, there’s a lot of directions to go.

Want a classic? Try Moby Dick, retold by Lew Sayre Schwartz. Or maybe Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 is more your style.

So you like your novels? Ever try a graphic novelization? Daniel X by James Patterson is a fun place to start. Or A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. Or Stephen King’s The Stand.

Of course there’s the deep ones too… Like Laurie Sandell’s The Impostor’s Daughter about a young lady struggling with her identity when she realizes her father was a compulsive liar and everything she thought she knew about him was just a tale.

Or the story of a heroine with questionable sanity in the Joe Kelly’s I Kill Giants.

Or the entirely wordless but evocative Arrival by Shaun Tan. (This book probably taught me the most about learning to read…despite the lack of words!)

And, yeah, there’s the zombies and men in capes too. Walking Dead by Kirkman or Batman by Loeb.

So, next time you’re dropping by the library to grab a book to read, don’t shy away from the ones with pictures. They offer a lot more than what first meets the eye!

Smart kids! Geology wizards! Lovers of comics! YOU MUST CHECK OUT THIS BOOK. The title pretty much says it all: this graphic novel is the uniquely illustrated miraculous journey through the center of the earth by the intrepid Leo Geo. And, while that in and of itself is rather fun, the artwork is so detailed and intricate that you could pour over the book for hours and still not see all there is to see.

Leo Geo, the explorer, goes through great peril for his most worthy cause: science! As he quests through the earth’s mantle and outer core, he fills you in on lots of amazing facts. (Did you know that the earth’s mantle can reach temperatures of 8000 degrees Fahrenheit? Or, that a Japanese Spider Crab has the greatest leg span of any critter on the surface of earth?)

As exciting as the science and learning are, Leo Geo’s quest takes him through Quadclops monsters and bizarre sub-surface dwellers too. For a rip-roaring good adventure story, magnificent artwork, and the amazing facts make sure to check out this comic today!

Although the Ramayana has more text than standard comic book, the additional words are helpful to readers not familiar with the classical back story of the poem. If you don’t know who Sita, Rama, or Ravana are, don’t worry! There’s even a helpful visual guide at the front.

Of course, the bright palette of Moya Chitrakar’s vivid artwork certainly make this graphic novel one of the most colorful reads in the library. If you’re looking for a little classic history, a beautiful work of art or just a proper all out battle between gods and demons, then Sita’s Ramayana is just the thing for you.

Grab it in the Comix section in the Teen Zone today! Or put it on hold in the catalog.