Stitches: A Memoir by David Small

Hey there, Internet! As a librarian, I’m very positive on graphic novels. They’re a wonderful stepping stone for reluctant readers, and the use of pictures does as much for the story as the words. Today’s selection is a surprising autobiography from the mind of a celebrated illustrator. I give you…

Stitches: A Memoir by David Small



David Small's work has appeared in children's stories such as The Essential Worldwide Monster Guide, The Mouse and His Child, and That Book Woman. He has also illustrated books written by his wife, Sarah Stewart.

Stitches tells of his early childhood during the first golden age of radiology. Small's father, a doctor, believed that exposing his son to radiation, he could cure him of his respiratory problems. (In his defense, this was back during a time when they thought using DDT was a good idea, too.) Small describes his childhood as being very lonely, as his family is emotionally distant from each other, and he doesn't seem to have any friends.

As Small gets older, he begins to develop a strange growth on his neck. Further examination takes him into surgery, after which he wakes up, his neck "stitched up like a bloody boot." However, the worst part is that his operation has left him unable to speak. It becomes an existence of cruel irony: having no voice and being trapped with people who refuse to speak with one another. Small works up the courage to run away from home at sixteen with nothing but the dream of becoming an artist as he works toward finding a voice and piecing his life back together.

Stitches is told more through pictures than words, but the illustrations speak volumes, conjuring terrifying fantasies and showing the full depths of frustration and despair. Small shows his strained relationship with both his parents, and the shock of uncovering deep-seeded secrets. It's a story that's tragic, infuriating, and surreal (for example: Small portrays his therapist as the White Rabbit). Even so, I found it to be impossible to put down, and by story's end, the reader is left feeling uplifted and hopeful.

Image copyright by David Small. Source: http://www.grovel.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/stitches-03.jpg

Paperback: 329 pages

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; Reprint edition (September 13, 2010)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 9780393338966

ISBN-13: 978-0393338966

Identical by Ellen Hopkins

Hello, Internet! Library Fairy here. My latest find is, well, a bit of downer. However, not all good books are intrinsically happy, and this one is tough, painful, and beautifully written, and I believe that it bears a closer look. I give you…

Identical by Ellen Hopkins

At first glance, the reader might be a little daunted by Identical’s staggering 576 pages. However, you’ll find that each page goes by relatively quickly. Ellen Hopkins is known for a rather unique style of writing. Her first person narratives are written in a style of free-verse poetry, often arranging the words into shapes in a fashion reminiscent of e.e. cummings. The author’s other works include Burned, Impulse, Tricks, and Crank, and her characters deal with such hard-hitting issues as drug addiction, eating disorders, and sexual abuse.

Identical is the story of a pair of twin girls, Kayleigh and Raeanne. On the surface, their life looks pretty plush: they live in a beautiful house, they have pretty clothes to wear, and they come from a well-to-do family. Their mother is running for Congress, and their father is a well-established judge. On the inside, though, is a very different picture. The family has been splintered since a terrible car accident that injured their mother, causing her to physically and emotionally distance herself from her husband and children. Daddy, as he is called, abuses alcohol and pills and regularly sexually abuses Kayleigh and ignores Raeanne. Each girl finds her own way of coping with the pain: Kayleigh turns to binge eating and self-mutilation, while Raeanne indulges in drugs and casual sex.

Image source: http://rapesexualabuse.blogspot.com/

The narrative shifts in point of view back and forth between the two girls. Each has her own distinct personality: Kayleigh is docile and quiet, and Raeanne is brazen and fiery. Each recognizes that Kayleigh has become her mother’s stand-in for her father’s misplaced affections, though Raeanne sees it more as a twisted game of playing favorites. Each lives in her own personal hell, and work to unravel the ugly truths surrounding their family to find some sort of salvation.

While the text isn’t graphic, the author pulls no punches in letting the reader know exactly what’s going on. The flashbacks that the two girls relive, though brief, make the reader very uncomfortable. The story manages to be both difficult to read and difficult to put down. On a personal note, I was biting my lip and wondering if this story could possibly have a happy ending. I won’t give anything away, but Hopkins gives an artful one-two punch at the climax when everything that’s been buried is revealed again. If a book can be both beautiful and terrible, this is it. As a warning, this may be a difficult read if you have a weak stomach or post-traumatic stress disorder.

Reading level: Young Adult

Hardcover: 576 pages

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry (August 26, 2008)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1416950052

ISBN-13: 978-1416950059

As a sidenote, April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, for more information, go to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center's website,  http://www.nsvrc.org/saam.



Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

        Greetings and welcome to the inaugural post of Library Fairy’s Book Reviews! I’m Katie-Beth, the Library Fairy, and I’ll be your flight attendant today (tee-hee). I love to read, and I’m hoping that by creating this blog, I can help you find your next favorite book. So, without further adieu, I bring you…

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

        Scott Westerfeld is the author of such works as the Uglies trilogy and Peeps (which has nothing at all to do with marshmallow chicks, I’ve discovered). In October 2009, Simon Pulse released Leviathan, the first of a fantastical trilogy that latches onto the reader like a koala to the face of an over-curious tourist.

        Leviathan is a novel in the steampunk genre that follows an alternate timeline in the early days of World War I. In this world, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Germans are known as “Clankers,” because their armies operate kerosene-powered walking machines equipped with guns and ammunition. Meanwhile, the British Empire is “Darwinist,” because all of their most useful creations are built from fabricated animals. The book’s title comes from the name of an immense living airship, the Leviathan, whose main body is comprised of a whale. (Just imagine the terrible mess that would make of your car!) To add to the period feel of the novel, illustrator Keith Thompson adds rich, Edwardian-style pictures to enhance the story and give the reader a visual of Westerfeld’s fantastic creations. Alternatively, Leviathan is also available as an audiobook read by Alan Cumming (which is, in my oh-so-humble opinion, dazzling).

Image source: http://images1.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/Steampunk-Lincoln-steampunk-1038417_400_500.jpg

        The story shifts back and forth between two different points of view. One of the protagonists is Aleksandar Ferdinand, the son of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Princess Sophie. Being the child of a morganatic marriage has made his upbringing incredibly plush, but lonely. Then one night, everything changes. He’s roused from bed to be informed that his parents have been assassinated in Sarajevo, and he must flee immediately. His elderly grandfather, the Emperor, has no heir, and when he passes on, the people might be willing to overlook Alek’s illegitimacy and make him ruler of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. With the Archduke’s death sparking the beginning conflicts, it would be very easy to make one teenage boy “disappear.” And so, with only his most trusted servants and one Stormwalker as his retinue, the young prince gets caught up in a cat-and-mouse game with his own people.

        The other protagonist is Deryn Sharp, a feisty tomboy who dreams of joining the British Air Service. After the death of her father in a balloon accident, she loses the strongest person who encouraged her dreams. For fear of being forced into doing “girl stuff,” she hides from the rest of her family in London with her brother, Jaspert. Her best bet in joining the military is as a boy. Disguising herself as “Dylan Sharp,” she enlists in the Academy and on the first day, gets the ride of her life. In a routine flight test aboard a Huxley (a balloon/jellyfish construct), a violent storm blows Deryn off-course and into the path of the airship Leviathan. Her rescue turns into a great opportunity to join the Leviathan’s crew in their top-secret mission to Constantinople.

        The two stories blend seamlessly together, and the reader breathes a little sigh of relief when the two characters are finally able to meet for the first time. The writing is very clever—Westerfeld clearly did extensive research in writing this story. He creates a world that is lush and full of detail, so much so that it feels real. Much of the story is based off of actual events and actual people. The Darwinist creatures are based off of the designs of Charles Darwin (although fantastic real creatures, like the Tasmanian tiger, make an appearance). The language the characters use also feels authentic—Alek speaks with a lofty sort of diction that becomes more apparent when he speaks English. Deryn’s speech is peppered with period-appropriate swears that made me giggle with pedantic glee. As a reader, I cheered for Alek and Deryn to the very end—at which point I cried with dismay, “Where’s the rest of it?!” Lucky for us, the second book in the trilogy, Behemoth is already out, and the last book, Goliath will be released September of this year. 

·         Reading level: Young Adult

·         Hardcover: 448 pages

·         Publisher: Simon Pulse (October 6, 2009)

·         Language: English

·         ISBN-10: 9781416971733

·         ISBN-13: 978-1416971733