Being Human

Each of the books in Smith's Seasonal Quartet focus on a few major subjects/social justice issues/moral imperatives. Spring explores the detainment of refugees and migrants as well as the dehumanization of the people who we place in these centers (as well as the general disregard and/or derision that our society has for people labeled 'other' or 'foreign') . She looks at this topic through a few different lenses so that the reader can get a full view of the situation. We see the inside of a detainment facility in the UK through the eyes of a Detainment Officer named Brittany who has lost all compassion for the people under her 'care'. [A/N: The care aspect is dubious at best if the person doing the caring sees the people as inconveniences instead of humans which is pretty much the main point that Smith is making.] When Brittany meets a young girl at the train station who seems to have an almost hypnotic effect on everyone that she meets (including Brittany) the story takes a turn because Brittany (as well as the reader) is confronted with serious questions about otherness, belonging, and moral responsibility on a macro scale.

The same time that this storyline is unfolding there is a parallel storyline following a director named Richard who has lost someone very close to him and has decided that life has lost all meaning as a result. His story is told very descriptively through literature and film references and without any visuals still manages to evoke clear pictures in the mind of the reader. (If you couldn't tell I really loved it.) Rainer Maria Rilke and Katherine Mansfield's stories are told alongside his as he wrestles with adapting a book about them into a film. I feel that Smith's writing is valuable and poignant as well as incredibly relevant (purposely so which is why I somewhat regret not reading these as they came out). I'm very much looking forward to the last in the series but I'm also sad to be finishing the journey. Spring is a definite 10/10.

[A/N: As a slight spoiler, there are mentions of suicidal ideation so be aware if that might be triggering to you.]

Source: Amazon (this is the UK cover which I prefer)

A/N: It might seem a bit like I've jumped into the middle of a series with today's review but actually I read Ali Smith's Autumn and Winter at the end of last year before I got back into the swing of blogging. For my thoughts on those two books you can head over to my Goodreads page.

What I'm currently reading: The Great Pretender by Susannah Cahalan & Avengers: Vision and the Scarlet Witch: A Year in the Life by Steve Engelhart

**If you're interested in buying any of these books or any books really, you can click here. This will re-direct you to AbeBooks which is a site I use all of the time to find used books at an excellent price. A lot of the time I don't even pay for shipping! Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made through this link. You will not be charged anything additional for my commission. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **

I'm not the audience for this one

New Kid by Jerry Craft is a middle grade graphic novel that tells the story of a boy named Jordan who has (against his will) been enrolled in a prestigious private school in the upscale (and predominantly white) neighborhood of Riverdale. While he didn't necessarily feel like he fit in among his peers at his old school in Washington Heights he really feels like the outsider at this school being one of only 3 students of color. (There's a lot of mixing up of names by the teachers + bullying by peers.) In classic 'rebellious preteen' fashion he feels that the world (i.e. good ol' mom) is set on ruining his life because she won't let him go to art school instead of this place where it seems like everyone is either rich, white, or both. To help him sort through his frustrations and rage he takes to working on a sketchbook detailing his experiences. [A/N:These comics are interspersed throughout the book.] New Kid is a coming of age story about classism, racism, and finding out where you truly belong.

Honesty compels me to tell you that I didn't necessarily love this book because of its predictability and slow moving pace. However, this book wasn't written with me in mind as its audience and therefore I think for the young person who is feeling 'other' and beaten down by circumstances out of their control this could be quite an important book. I liked the illustrative style particularly how it worked so well with the sprinkling of Jordan's comics with their very different artistic approach so no complaints on that front. For me it's a 4/10 but in terms of readability for that audience I'd say 8/10.

Source: Amazon

An example of Craft's style. [Source: iTunes]

What's Up Next: Remember? Remember? by Charles Beaumont

What I'm Currently Reading: ElfQuest Archives Volume 4 by Wendy & Richard Pini

**If you're interested in buying this book or any books really, you can click here or here. The first will re-direct you to AbeBooks and the second will re-direct you to The Book Depository. These are great websites for purchasing books (AbeBooks carries inexpensive used and out-of-print books and The Book Depository ships free everywhere in the world). Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made by following either of these links. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **

Maybe my favorite book of 2016

The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil by Stephen Collins is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel that I think everyone should read. It follows the story of Dave who loves drawing what's outside of his window and listening to his favorite song 'Eternal Flame' on repeat. (He's a real fun guy.) He lives on an island called Here where everyone and everything is neat, tidy, and absolutely normal. Dave may be just as clean shaven (except for that one unruly chin hair) and orderly but that all changes when his one little hair morphs into an out-of-control beard. There's one thing that unites all the citizens of Here (besides their fastidiousness) and that's their fear of There. When Dave's beard threatens the carefully arranged status quo of Here the citizens and the government decide something needs to be done. This book discusses what it means to be different, the ways in which society ostracizes and vilifies the elusive 'other', and how fear of that 'other' can shape a community. The artwork alone would make this book one of my absolute favorites but the storyline combined with it shoots it right to the top of the list. It's phenomenal. 10/10

This made me chuckle.

Apologies for the crookedness.

Absolutely stunning artwork

**If you're interested in buying this book or any books really, you can click here or here. The first will re-direct you to AbeBooks and the second will re-direct you to The Book Depository. These are great websites for purchasing books (AbeBooks carries inexpensive used and out-of-print books and The Book Depository ships free everywhere in the world). Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made by following either of these links. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **