To Kill a Mockingbird (Graphic Novel) Adapted by Fred Fordham
In 1960, To Kill a Mockingbird was published under the pen name, Harper Lee. This would go on to be her legacy, having published one novel, until the first draft of the well-known work would later be printed in 2016 and titled Go Set a Watchman. This took place while Lee was in a nursing home unable to consent to this publication, which many people think is a sequel to her famous novel, leading to outrage and disappointment.
To be clear, To Kill a Mockingbird was my favorite book I read for school and was a big stepping stone in cultivating my passion to write. Women wrote back then? Who knew? I can write, too! Harper Lee’s death stands to be the only “celebrity death” I have cried about and written about. Thus, I come to this graphic novel both loving the medium and the original text and the mindset of, “Please don’t make me hate this.”
I didn’t. Hate it, that is. The illustrations and color are beautiful, and the pages are thick and crisp. It doesn’t get much better than that, right book lovers? However, I love the novel as a novel and expected the graphic rendition to be written more to the style of a graphic novel: intricate artwork that stands in place of longer text, sequential images without interruption, and a variety of paneling choices.
While the book has these moments, they are far and few between. There is a lot of text that can be a turn-off to younger readers promised a comic-book-like experience. I understand the desire to put the entire novel into his new rendition and to stay true to Lee’s text—believe me, I know—however, this book seeks to do so by putting in too much dialogue to the point of a few monologues. The speech can be cut down and replaced with images that show expression or the dynamic between Scout, Dill, and Jem.
Also, I love graphic novels for how the illustrator uses paneling and white space across the spread. For most of the book, Fordham does not use these methods to his advantage. Rather, there is a consistent 7-9 panel page for most of the book. I love when images jump out at me, and there were some, but I also love when they jump out of their panels and seemingly come to life, which is only done one or two times. It is a technique that shouldn’t be used all the time but could’ve been done to make some dramatic scenes really pop.
Yes, I do love this rendition of To Kill a Mockingbird. Does it have to do with my previous love for the original novel? Oh, most definitely. Though, I love the medium and I think Fordham did the text justice (get it, because Atticus is a lawyer!). I also believe this is a great way for students to get into this 60-year-old text. My middle schoolers love graphic novels and comics! This is a lovely chance to meet halfway and say, “Let’s talk about it.” From race to our criminal justice system to gender norms, this book has it all and depicts it visually so all students can access the story.
Please do be aware of the author’s note in the back that discusses the way the characters speak and the use of n—.
Find To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee here!
Find To Kill a Mockingbird Adapted by Fred Fordham here!
Internment by Samira Ahmed
On the cover of the first printing of Internment, there is a young woman dressed in all black, a brick wall and red barb wire seemingly painted across her torso, and we also see the moon and stars. However, this book has been defined by this young woman wearing a cap that states, “RESIST”. In one word, the cover encapsulates the themes and premise of Samira Ahmed’s novel that “takes place fifteen minutes into the future,” referencing President Donald Trump’s Muslim Ban.
Layla Amin’s family is torn from their home and sent to a faraway internment camp with other Muslims. She and a newfound friend see the prejudice as Exclusion Guards maintain the army-like order of the camp. Especially when the Director talks down to the internees and enforces his rules with acts of violence, Layla yearns for the normalcy of school and meeting up with her boyfriend, David, who is not Muslim. However, there will never be the same normalcy.
Before all hope is lost, one Exclusion Guard becomes the middle-man between seventeen-year-olds Layla and David, even sneaking him inside the internment camp. Though Layla is only one internee out of thousands, she resists the hate and violence. Even when stakes rise to terrifying heights, she resists.
Ahmed has written a novel that is timely and realistic. At the end of the book, Ahmed acknowledges the internment camps for Japanese-Americans during WWII. Today, we are living in a time in which Internment is a very real story for some people, for all Americans. With the Muslim Ban, or Travel Ban, in place, it is so easy to see the actual fear some people—and the government—have about Muslims.
This novel is scary because of how much truth rests in its pages. Ahmed is both political and emotional. She is vulnerable through the eyes of Layla and other internees. She is calling for action: resist.
Tweak by Nic Sheff
With the release of Beautiful Boy, starring Timothée Chalamet and Steve Carell, I had to read Tweak, the memoir written by Nic Sheff, a former methamphetamine addict. His father, David Sheff wrote his own memoir, Beautiful Boy, about dealing with Nic’s addiction.
While the movie focuses on the father-son relationship, using Nic’s cycle of rehab and relapse as a vehicle to show how far a father will go to help his son while setting boundaries to protect the rest of their family, Tweak recounts Nic’s addiction and how it has affected his relationships—familial, romantic, and platonic.
Nic started using in high school and has abused many different substances, mostly heroine and crystal meth. Tweak starts when Nic is 18 months sober but quickly follows Nic as he couch surfs between friends’ and girlfriends’ homes after leaving his own, where he is unable to use drugs. Very quickly, Nic gets caught up in using and selling drugs—rather, using the drugs more than selling them. He and a friend, Gack, work together in the business, learning the shady tactics used against them by other sellers in the area. This forces them to move to other territories, where they can be trusted suppliers, though this always seems to fall through, whether because they are so short on cash or because they use all of their supplies.
The boys are so hooked on crystal that they skip meals to afford their addiction. However, when Nic realizes he has run out of money and has no place to stay, he considers going back home, knowing he will have to go back into rehab. His girlfriend, Lauren, offers to go into rehab with him if he will only stay with her. Nic knows he will relapse with Lauren around, so he gives in and moves back to his dad’s place.
Rehab. Runs back to LA. Relapse. No, Nic doesn’t relapse this time. He connects with his sponsor, Spencer, who has a wife and kids. They take in Nic like a family member, making Nic feel a part of something so wonderful. He is set up with a job as a receptionist at a salon. Nic constantly reflects on how grateful he is for this life. And when Spencer experiences a medical emergency, Nic is struck by how fragile life is.
Over a year of sobriety. Relapse. Another girlfriend named Zelda. Uses. Sells. Uses. Disappointment. Dread.
Tweak is no sugarcoated memoir. Nic was a drug addict. His story is rough and raw and hits rock bottom multiple times. While the movie, Beautiful Boy, focuses on the father-son strain, Tweak is all about the inner workings of Nic’s thoughts, depression, love, lust, and addiction. The reader steps into the mind of an addict, where thoughts are scattered and cyclical and harnessed by the need to use. There is no beauty in addiction. But there is hope, grace, forgiveness, and love.
Find Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines here.
Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake
Girl Made of Stars is a story that needs more attention than it’s gotten so far. Ashley Herring Blake uses the tropes of twin psychology and astrology/mythology to push the main topic of discussion, which is rape, particularly consent. Sexual orientation and gender identity are also present in the book but are addressed in ways that normalize these notions.
There is a lot to untangle here. Mara and Owen are twins in high school, and like many twins, have a deep emotional and mental connection to one another. They have always been there for each other, until now, when Owen is accused to raping his girlfriend, Hannah. Mara is torn between her love for her brother and her friendship with Hannah but is also aware of the way society silences women who come forward about sexual assault. Now, Mara has to pick a side. Due to secrets of her own, Mara does, and it sends her into a terrible spiral within the family, her circle of friends, and within herself.
Mara turns to her best friend and ex-girlfriend, Charlie, for support. There is tension between Mara and Charlie as they both seek relationships with other people (Mara being bisexual and Charlie being a lesbian and non-binary). However, with this nightmare of an event, Charlie tries to act as the comfort Mara needs while maintaining friendship status; Mara wants Charlie’s support but is upset when she sees Charlie with another girl. This tension is constant throughout the book, fueling Mara’s negative view of herself and dependency on Alex, Owen’s best friend, for romantic intimacy.
In the meantime, Hannah wants to hide, while Owen tells his side of the story, making everyone believe him. But no one ever believes the woman anyway, according to Mara and Hannah. The girls come together to comfort one another in their grief. Girl Made of Stars is about overcoming this self-silencing and being silenced. It’s about giving power to the victims of sexual assault and the trauma it leaves its victims. While society continues to point fingers at the victim, Blake suggests an urgency to show all sides of a story, even the ones that make us uncomfortable and are difficult to admit truth. This book is a must-read because it shows the necessity of coming forward and the process/aftermath of being a victim encouraged to become a survivor.
Find Girl Made of Stars here.
Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin
Jeff Garvin’s Symptoms of Being Human is the first book I’ve read with a gender fluid protagonist. While Garvin touches on sexual orientation, he mainly focuses on gender identity, being sure to clarify the distinction between the two notions through the characters’ interactions (mainly in the awful things people say to Riley, the main character). Riley’s attraction to Bec, a female, has nothing to do with the way Riley feels on a day-to-day basis. Furthermore, there is the distinction between being gender fluid and being transgender, though trans characters are present in the novel, as well.
Riley describes being gender fluid as being on a “dial,” which I find to be a fantastic metaphor for gender fluidity. Riley also suffers from dysphoric episodes, in which Riley doesn’t feel like the physical body the character is in. That dysphoria can come up when Riley is feeling either more feminine or more masculine but is forced to appear a certain way contrary to Riley’s instincts. Especially being the child of a congressman up for reelection, Riley is spotlighted as part of the father’s campaign as well as the new kid in school who dresses androgynously.
Of course, Riley has always been bullied for dressing this way. In Riley’s old and new school, there are incidents of homophobia and transphobia. People always want to know if Riley is a girl or a boy. The cover of Symptoms of Being Human even poses the question, “Boy or girl?” and answers it with, “Yes.” This itself is accurate and enticing for readers who wonder about Riley and people like Riley. In the many incidents of bullying in school and horrific assaults that happen to Riley due to other students’ attempts to reveal Riley’s sex, there is no reveal to the reader but only the story that matters. By emphasizing the horror of the assaults, Garvin essentially says Riley’s sex doesn’t matter; what matters is this happens.
I love how the reader is never told of Riley’s sex, the physical body that makes up Riley. This withholding of information keeps the reader guessing one thing and then changing their mind because of Riley’s reaction to something. This happens continuously, challenging the reader’s own preconceptions of gender and societal gender norms. Sometimes these sways in trying to peg Riley are done so subtly that the reader doesn’t catch themselves until they’re in the pitfall like everyone else. The reader becomes the judge, which is, in this case, judging the character based on what is considered feminine or masculine and why it matters enough to peg Riley as such. Challenging the reader like this is a wonderfully bold move that is eye-opening, even to those who are open to different ideas of gender and sexuality. While this technique can be seen as a trap, it’s a good trap to be in to really check ourselves and the way we view individuals.
Riley takes to blogging about gender fluidity and becomes an online source for advice for teens struggling with gender identity and sexual orientation. Feeling ill-equipped to provide advice, seeing as Riley has not even spoken about being gender fluid in person, other than to a therapist, Riley dispenses the best advice that seems valid at the time. A national incident of domestic abuse that stemmed from Riley advising a girl to return home after coming out as trans to her parents causes Riley to, again, be spotlighted. Then, in the slush of hate mail and thank yous, Riley is threatened by an anonymous person who implies they go to Riley’s school. Riley is terrified of being outed and what will happen if that happens—for Riley and for the congressman’s campaign.
Symptoms of Being Human is a very true-to-life narrative of what some people feel like. It tells a story about gender in a way I don’t think many people have read before. And while Riley’s physical description is ambiguous, there is no shortage of connection to this character and what Riley goes through as a gender fluid person. In fact, character relatability and hope for Riley is what draws me to the story. I feel like I know Riley really well, just as I would expect from any other novel.
Find Symptoms of Being Human here.
Burro Hills by Juila Lynn Rubin with Interview!
Burro Hills by Julia Lynn Rubin is a ferociously wild ride, one that will leave you with whiplash but also wanting more! With an eccentric cast of characters, there is never a dull moment in this town. From high school gossip to household dramas to drug trafficking, we follow an unexpected group and are given small breaths of reprieve throughout the novel. In this way, it almost feels like the reader is on this high with the characters, mimicking the bursts of adrenaline.
The story follows Jack, who sticks with his pot-smoking crew and his other best friend Jess. However, the new kid, Connor, rattles the status quo of the group, tearing Jack’s attention away from his friends. Connor seems to know exactly who he is: a kid who gets into trouble—oh, and he’s bisexual. On the other hand, Jack absolutely doesn’t know who he is. By spending time with Connor, Jack opens up and reveals to himself who he really is.
However, what about his old friends? They don’t forgive him for ditching them. And in a town riddled with homophobia, crime, and vengeance, there is no safe space for Jack—not even in his own home, where his dad is a drunk and his mother has a problem Jack cannot understand.
The following is an interview with author Julia Lynn Rubin:
CL: Congratulations on an amazing debut novel! Each character has so much depth, and they all jump off the page as realistic people. What made you write about a group of teen boys?
Julia Lynn Rubin, photo via www.julialynnrubin.com
JLR: Thank you so much! That is such high praise and I’m so flattered! I think I’ve always been fascinated by teen boys and why they say what they do, act how they act. It wasn’t a conscious decision when I first started the novel, but as I kept writing, it evolved into this deep-dive exploration of toxic masculinity. I had a lot of fun with their dialogue and characterizations and making them as “awful” as possible on the surface, while examining how sensitive and confused they are underneath all that exterior bullshit. Basically, in different circumstances, these boys wouldn’t be “bad.”
CL: This was a very interesting read for me since I know you personally. So I want to know which character you think you align with the most and why.
JLR: It’s definitely Jack. He’s the most autobiographical character to me, emotionally at least. I remember my dad read an early draft of the book back when it was a dual point-of-view between Jack and Jess, and he said: “You’re not Jess. You’re Jack.” That stuck with me, and helped inform my decision to make him the sole POV character when my agent and I were revising. He’s sensitive, anxious, thoughtful, observant, and a little too wrapped up in his own interiority to the point that he sometimes misses the obvious and misreads the situation. His cognitive distortions are all too familiar to me.
CL: You really put these characters through the wringer. People say to make your characters go through hell, to make the worst possible things happen to them in order to incite drama and conflict, and you do exactly that. Was there ever a moment in which you or your editor thought there was too much going on that the story would be found unbelievable? Did you have to pull back?
JLR: I remember revising and thinking, “I feel so bad for what I’m doing to these characters.” I even said that to my editor at one point. There are a handful of scenes and moments I kept second-guessing, wondering if I should put them in a YA novel since they’re so damn disturbing (though I know teens can totally handle it). But it’s true, you really have to up the stakes, especially in a character-driven story. And these characters are teenagers, so everything feels very life and death to them, very immediate and all-consuming. I actually had a few major scenes that I ended up either cutting or completely rewriting because they didn’t feel as believable in retrospect. I don’t want to spoil anything, but the whole final scene with Toby’s family was originally much different and maybe a little unrealistic and unsatisfying. I also spent a lot of time with my editor fleshing out Jack’s parents and making them feel like fully realized people, less like caricatures. But I never really pulled back, no.
CL: Now, I know you from The New School in New York City and we both also spent time in Pittsburgh, PA. From where did come up with the setting of Burro Hills? Is it based on anywhere in particular?
JLR: Yes! Small world. Actually, growing up on the East Coast made the decision to set the book in Southern California all the more tantalizing. I’ve always been fascinated with the West Coast and the climate and culture of Southern California. In high school I wanted to go to film school and move to L.A. and become a director. I visited with my mom to check out colleges and I was totally enamored. That’s probably where that setting originated, that and the way Janet Fitch describes it in White Oleander, a novel I’ve re-read many, many times. But I created a fake town so I wouldn’t offend anyone! The setting is also based on my perception of urban sprawl and dying towns and nowhere places; the beauty in the ugliness of America.
CL: In this book, there are themes of sexuality, friendship, broken families, drug use, coming of age, and so much more. What would you most like your readers to get from reading this book?
JLR: I think the great thing about books is that each reader takes away what they need to and sees what they want to see. I love that about art. I know everyone is going to have a different experience reading my book, but I really hope those who read it – teens especially – come away with a sense of being seen, and heard. And hope.
CL: Can you reveal what’s coming up next for you?
JLR: I’m currently on submission with my second YA novel (which I wrote at The New School), so fingers crossed that one lands somewhere!! I also have another YA in the works that was my MFA thesis, and an idea for a fourth. So basically I’m going to keep promoting my debut and writing and hoping and praying.
CL: Thank you so much, Julia, for answering these questions! I can’t wait to see what you do from here.
JLR: Thank you so much for having me! These were excellent questions.
Find Burro Hills here.
Follow Julia Lynn Rubin on Twitter!