Status
Available
Collections
Publication
HarperTeen (2020), Edition: Illustrated, 208 pages
Description
From Noelle Stevenson, the New York Times bestselling author-illustrator of Nimona, comes a captivating, honest illustrated memoir that finds her turning an important corner in her creative journey-and inviting readers along for the ride. In a collection of essays and personal mini-comics that span eight years of her young adult life, author-illustrator Noelle Stevenson charts the highs and lows of being a creative human in the world. Whether it's hearing the wrong name called at her art school graduation ceremony or becoming a National Book Award finalist for her debut graphic novel, Nimona, Noelle captures the little and big moments that make up a real life, with a wit, wisdom, and vulnerability that are all her own.
User reviews
LibraryThing member norabelle414
Noelle Stevenson was an award-winning comics artist and writer before she was 22 years old. Such a meteoric rise took a toll on her mental health, which she had been neglecting in an effort to meet such high expectations. This book is a published version of blog posts and personal comics from 2011
If you're thinking Stevenson is a little young to be writing a memoir....that's pretty much true. There's not a lot of hindsight or analysis, just a recap of how each year went. There's a little bit of insight about bipolar disorder and sexuality and the perils of being recognized as successful at a young age, but they are only touched on lightly and never directly mentioned.
If you've read Stevenson's blog or followed her online, you've probably seen all this content already. I'm very excited to see what she has to write in the future, but this one didn't speak to me.
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to 2019.If you're thinking Stevenson is a little young to be writing a memoir....that's pretty much true. There's not a lot of hindsight or analysis, just a recap of how each year went. There's a little bit of insight about bipolar disorder and sexuality and the perils of being recognized as successful at a young age, but they are only touched on lightly and never directly mentioned.
If you've read Stevenson's blog or followed her online, you've probably seen all this content already. I'm very excited to see what she has to write in the future, but this one didn't speak to me.
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LibraryThing member villemezbrown
A powerful introduction by the author sets high expectations for an amazing graphic memoir, but then the book quickly degenerates to sketchbook doodling and noodling. It wasn't until page 48 that I found out this was a collection of blog entries. (No, I don't read cover copy, reviews, or
The diary-like quality gave some of the material a real sense of immediacy and power, but the year-in-review entries mostly felt like Christmas card family letter material.
The collection picked up toward the end with some almost poetic bits and pieces and allusions to mental health issues, but I was just left yearning for the true graphic memoir outlined in the intro.
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promotional material for books by authors I like and know I will read regardless.)The diary-like quality gave some of the material a real sense of immediacy and power, but the year-in-review entries mostly felt like Christmas card family letter material.
The collection picked up toward the end with some almost poetic bits and pieces and allusions to mental health issues, but I was just left yearning for the true graphic memoir outlined in the intro.
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LibraryThing member krau0098
Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book that I borrowed from the library.
Story (4/5): I really enjoyed this and thought it was well done. I liked the look into Stevenson's road to success and appreciated her candor about her struggles. The book is organized by year and takes us through
Writing/Drawing Style (4/5): The book is drawn and written in Stevensen’s typical style. It’s organized by year and most of the entries are yearly end summaries she wrote as she was living her life. Some of the pages are a bit sparse with drawing but in general were well done.
My Summary (4/5): Overall I would recommend this if you are interested in graphic novel memoirs in general or have a particular interest in Stevenson. This does cover some about how people deal with being so successful so quickly and what that can do to a person’s mental state.
Story (4/5): I really enjoyed this and thought it was well done. I liked the look into Stevenson's road to success and appreciated her candor about her struggles. The book is organized by year and takes us through
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Stevenson’s start as a writer.Writing/Drawing Style (4/5): The book is drawn and written in Stevensen’s typical style. It’s organized by year and most of the entries are yearly end summaries she wrote as she was living her life. Some of the pages are a bit sparse with drawing but in general were well done.
My Summary (4/5): Overall I would recommend this if you are interested in graphic novel memoirs in general or have a particular interest in Stevenson. This does cover some about how people deal with being so successful so quickly and what that can do to a person’s mental state.
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LibraryThing member sashame
i follow noelles work quite closely. almost immediately after this book was released, he came out as transgender and nonbinary, and stopped using she pronouns. the book jacket exclusively uses "she" pronouns for noelle, and the book makes no overt/explicit allusions to gender--tho any trans person
both this book and honestly a lot of the plot of "she-ra" make me so upset abt the contract and production process for american media; i love noelles comics abt their trans journey, dealing w gender and dysphoria, and i cant wait to see what they work on next. nimona, she-ra, and this now all ooze w a poignant transmasc story, and i cant wait to see them rly bite into this w new recognition. not that every creator needs to center their identity--but noelle DOES center their identity and struggles in their work.
it infuriates me to no end how they had to delay their public transition until AFTER the end of the "girl power" show they helmed. i can only imagine they put this book out when they did, w the material it has, due to a publshing contract. and i hate that
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would recognize the dysphoric self-hate and numbness illustrated so clearly on these pages.both this book and honestly a lot of the plot of "she-ra" make me so upset abt the contract and production process for american media; i love noelles comics abt their trans journey, dealing w gender and dysphoria, and i cant wait to see what they work on next. nimona, she-ra, and this now all ooze w a poignant transmasc story, and i cant wait to see them rly bite into this w new recognition. not that every creator needs to center their identity--but noelle DOES center their identity and struggles in their work.
it infuriates me to no end how they had to delay their public transition until AFTER the end of the "girl power" show they helmed. i can only imagine they put this book out when they did, w the material it has, due to a publshing contract. and i hate that
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LibraryThing member roniweb
GORGEOUS BOOK. This is simply a gorgeous book from start to finish. Noelle Stevenson may be best known as the showrunner for She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. But I came to know of their work through Lumberjanes. It is told in double reflective mode. Not only a memoir, but a collection of
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Noelle's End of the Year Tumblr posts. The time period covered is Noelle's emergence as a powerhouse artist and creator. They also share how they wrestled with their sexuality. One note is that the author bio does not use their current pronoun they. Given their young age, I fully expect another memoir in due time. Show Less
LibraryThing member jennybeast
There's a lot of good stuff in here, and I'm not sure how I feel about it, much as I'm not sure how I feel about the types of graphic novel memoir that go into all the details -- there's a balance, and this one falls on the vague side. I think that's a strength, because it allows the reader to
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determine what they will take away and to see themselves in the work. It didn't make me think I knew the creator any better at the ending, but it was kind of cool to see that the fire/hole in the chest thing isn't just me, and I loved the art. Cool. Show Less
LibraryThing member caedocyon
More of an art book/blog compilation/scrapbook thing than a memoir. A memoir requires reflecting on the past with a perspective you didn't have at the time, and weaving threads together and forming them into a narrative. This is just a bunch of sketches drawn in the heat of the moment, and year-end
Don't get me wrong, I loved the heat-of-the-moment comics about feelings. Stevenson is very good at them. But if you're going into this expecting a cohesive story or, like, any details whatsoever (about his creative process, or what it was like to work on his projects day to day, or even his coming out), you're going to be disappointed.
(review Sept 2020; edited Dec 2023 for pronoun updates)
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reflections that are word-for-word what Stevenson wrote at the time.Don't get me wrong, I loved the heat-of-the-moment comics about feelings. Stevenson is very good at them. But if you're going into this expecting a cohesive story or, like, any details whatsoever (about his creative process, or what it was like to work on his projects day to day, or even his coming out), you're going to be disappointed.
(review Sept 2020; edited Dec 2023 for pronoun updates)
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Awards
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2020
Physical description
8.5 inches
Local notes
Donated by Rev. John Fiscus