I was pretty excited to get a graphic novel and a free verse memoir; quick reading for the holidays! Luckily I started with the graphic novel as the memoir was rather unappealing for various reasons.
I'll begin with Shout as I really wanted to love it. The message is there, especially in the 'me too' movement that encompasses social media and today's culture. As Laurie Halse Anderson's novel Speak had been recognized for various awards, I might have had my expectations a bit too high as I read this one. My complaint is that I could not connect with the main character. I mean I felt bad for her struggles and emphasized throughout her story but I just kept thinking 'would a junior high student read this?' It's not that the content is inappropriate and I hate to censor, I just don't think there's enough to sustain their attention (it feels wrong to say this about a memoir but I can't help but feel like the plot needed more). Perhaps I felt that her message/ journey is all too familiar in young adult literature where a young person goes through various struggles and finds their voice to overcome! Simply put, I just didn't enjoy it.
On the bright side, I was privileged to read The Prince and the Dressmaker. I have a hard time with graphic novels as my imagination hates being told what to 'see' by the images but something about this one, had me turning the pages quite quickly! Over the last decade, there have been so many changes in what is acceptable and it pleases me that anything goes in today's society with respect to gender/ sexuality, etc... Young people are brought up to be accepting and if they don't accept others, they are at least able to hold their tongue as we ensure that everyone has the right to be who they want! This novel encompasses this idea and displays a lovely amount of support for our prince who discovers, he too can be who he wants to be despite expectations! I absolutely loved this and smile when I think about it!
~Jan Reimer
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