Review: Honor Girl: A Graphic Memoir

By Maggie Thrash
Available now from Candlewick
Review copy

Maggie Thrash, a writer for online teen mag Rookie, writes about the summer of 2000 in her debut work, an autobiographical graphic novel.  That summer she went to Bellflower Camp, a Christian girls' camp in Georgia, as she did every summer.  She also came to realize that she was a lesbian due to her (requited) crush on one of the counselors.

Thrash does a wonderful job of capturing the time and place.  Backsteet Boys' Millenium is still on top, and everyone is passing around their copies of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. For Thrash, coming out is about as easy as you would expect at a Christian girls' camp in Georgia.  The title HONOR GIRL refers to the girl chosen at the end of each year who embodies the ideals of the camp.  It is an honor Thrash become less and less interested in pursuing as she struggles with her identity.

I thought the daily life at the camp was well represented.  More people than Thrash expects take her sexuality in stride.  She suffers from the attention of a bully, but more due to her skill on the range.  However, homophobia still rears its ugly head.  Tammy, one of the camp authorities, is right that letting a nineteen year old and a fifteen year old have a romantic relationship would be irresponsible of the camp no matter their genders.  Unfortunately, not much else about how she handles the situation is right.

HONOR GIRL is drawn in watercolors, a medium that suits the subject matter well.  The soft colors look nostalgic, and reminiscent of projects one might make at camp.  Thrash is better at drawing objects than people.  I thought the art was amateurish.  Everyone has pupil-less eyes and sloping noses.  It gets the story across, but isn't particularly engaging.

Thrash's story is one of first love, friendship, and alienation.  It's a little choppy and messy, with a somewhat unsatisfying ending, which reflects its autobiographical nature.  I thought it was well told, even if I wasn't enamored with the art.

Review: People Who Eat Darkness: The True Story of a Young Woman Who Vanished From the Streets of Tokyo--And the Evil That Swallowed Her Up

By Richard Lloyd Parry
Available now from FSG Originals (Macmillan)
Review copy

I infrequently read nonfiction.  This is due less to a lack of interest in the form than an overriding interest in fiction.  But I thought it would be a nice change of pace during my marathon of reading for the 48 Hour Book Challenge.  In the end, I finished a little over half of the book before my deadline.

So what sparked my interest in PEOPLE WHO EAT DARKNESS, the true crime account of the disappearance of British Lucie Blackman in Tokyo during the summer of 2000?  The back blurb promised cultural and psychological insight on the level of Truman Capote's IN COLD BLOOD.  It touched on one of my academic interests, East Asian culture, and one of my favorite books.

The comparison to IN COLD BLOOD on the back does PEOPLE WHO EAT DARKNESS no favors.  Richard Lloyd Parry's lengthy and detailed account of the Lucie case lacks the transgressive power of Capote's masterpiece.  Capote offered no pretense of objectivity, instead showing great feeling for a man who committed a brutal multiple murder.  Parry's book is drier and attempts for an objective tone, but there is never a sense that he sees shades of grey in Joji Obara.  There is no strange, compelling beauty.  There is only a sad, friendless, bizarre man who committed at least nine and possibly hundreds of rapes over the course of thirty years, resulting in at least two deaths.

The transgressive, enigmatic figure in PEOPLE WHO EAT DARKNESS is Lucie's father, Tim.  He skillfully used the media to create enough interest in her case to force the Japanese police to treat her disappearance seriously, but took a payment from her killer to sign a document casting doubt on evidence from the police.

Parry does do a good job of creating a complex portrait of Japan.  He cogently explains the water trade, the jobs perceived as forms of sex work, and the history of the Zainichi, Japanese of Korean descent.  They're difficult subjects to address in a chapter or less, but Parry manages to do it in a way that should express them accurately to an unfamiliar audience.  The economics of the yen versus Western forms of money during the long time period covered by PEOPLE WHO EAT DARKNESS are mentioned but less fleshed out.  Interested readers can seek out more detail in R. Taggart Murphy's seminal work THE WEIGHT OF THE YEN.  (Although it should be noted that Murphy's work is preoccupied with Japan-U.S. relations rather than Japan-UK.)

For all the lurid nature of Obara's crimes, PEOPLE WHO EAT DARKNESS is not a lurid book.  I appreciated the respect shown for the women Obara violated.  But with only a few brief statements from a minority of survivors and no personal interview with Obara, there's a certain lack of drama.    The book veers closest to tedium when discussing the investigation and criminal proceedings.  Their are two strains of drama that enliven the proceedings.

Grief, guilt, and blame tear the Blackman family apart in the wake of Lucie's death.  The ill feelings between her divorced parents escalate into a war over the narrative of her life and her legacy.  Tim administers the Lucie Blackman Trust, a non-profit selling items like kits to test drinks for drugs and offering services to families whose loved ones went missing abroad.  Jane resents his use of their daughter's name.

The second gripping narrative is the creation of a system of racism and misogyny that allowed a rapist to freely commit his crimes for three decades.  He had been accused of rape as early as 1997 and a suspicious character in a woman's death in 1992, but never investigated.  But while Parry is critical of the police's methods, he never questions reported crime rates.  It strikes me as odd that Parry questions so much in PEOPLE WHO EAT DARKNESS but never discusses the possibility of unreported crimes when throwing out statistics about Japan's safety.  His credulity is especially impressive when discussing a man who describes raping hundreds of women in his private papers, of whom less than ten have ever made an accusation.

PEOPLE WHO EAT DARKNESS is an intriguing work, a thorough investigation of a crime that can offer no answer to its questions.  There are tedious stretches, but it's a compelling story.

Review: 5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth

By Matthew Inman (the Oatmeal)
Available now from Andrews McMeel Publishing
Review copy



Okay, I often don't talk about what format I read a book in. I read the epub version of 5 VERY GOOD REASONS TO PUNCH A DOLPHIN IN THE MOUTH, which is relevant because the resolution wasn't all that awesome. You couldn't really zoom, which meant some bits were almost impossible to read. Judging by the reviews on Amazon, that hasn't been fixed. So printed is the way to go. Not that I expect many people to be more interested in the e-version of this. It's easier to browse through the random comics with a book or on the site than in an ebook.

I was excited for 5 VERY GOOD REASONS TO PUNCH A DOLPHIN IN THE MOUTH because I'm a big fan of the Oatmeal, author Matthew Inman's humor site. There are great infographics about such things as grammar, vocabulary, cheese, and coffee. There are also fun quizzes and some delightfully surreal comics, such as the eponymous work. It's nice to have some favorites collected and at hand.

At the same time, when idly browsing on the internet I never noticed how often Inman jokes about hookers. Not particularly good jokes, either. It got kind of uncomfortable after awhile.

Between being underwhelmed by the format and overwhelmed by (dead) hooker jokes, I was less impressed by 5 VERY GOOD REASONS TO PUNCH A DOLPHIN IN THE MOUTH. I'll continue to check the website, but I don't think I'm going to purchase the book for myself or as a gift for friends.

Review: Read, Remember, Recommend for Teens

Before the review, two news items:

I've found a new, awesome charity: Project Schoolhouse. Their donations page offers three ways to help: PayPal, a check, or direct donations of Spanish language books. Project Schoolhouse works build new schools, provide clean water, and improve sanitation in rural communities of developing countries.

In addition, Children's Book Week is gearing up for this years celebration. You can vote here in the Children's Choice Book Awards. (SHIVER, which Rachelle recommended earlier today, is a nominee in the teen category.)



By Rachelle Rogers Knight
Available now from Sourcebooks; Review Copy

Some things are harder to review than others. READ, REMEMBER, RECOMMEND FOR TEENS is probably best for people who like to stay organized and can keep up with things. Generally I try to, but I always forget tools like this and use them sporadically.

I like the list. They're a good way to keep track of what awards reward books you like and such. (I also learned I need to read more nonfiction and Canadian authors.) My main complaint is that there's no way to mark books that you've read but don't own. I suppose you could use the "Recommend" box, but personally, I don't like every book I read. I settled for writing "have read" in the margin. Sometimes there are mistakes on the lists, like Holly Black's KIN: THE GOOD NEIGHBORS being listed under "nonfiction."

One of the best things about the lists though was learning about awards that I'd never heard of, like the Alex Awards, which are for adult books with appeal to young adults. I'd only read a few of the winners, but many of the rest look like something I would enjoy. A number of the winners are books I'd heard of but wasn't sure if I'd like.

There's a "To Read" section, which I might use to jot down things I see interesting reviews for. I wouldn't actually write down what I'm planning to read as I tend to change my mind about that too often. There are 64 boxes in which to record your "To Read" books. Next are a series of "Journal Pages" to keep track of what you're reading - you can put it in a simple list or fill out more detailed cards. Helpful for some people, but I'd forget to do it after a week. Same with the "Recommendations" section.

The section I really love is the "Loaner Lists." Title, loaned to, when borrowed, when returned. There are 132 boxes to fill out, which allows me to lend plenty of books and know who has them. As this is information I am always forgetting, I like having a place to put it.

The final section is "Resources." This contains other places to find lists, definitions of literary terms, blogs and other book websites, author websites, and an index. I think the author website list is more helpful than the blog list. It's hard to find every YA blog, and some of the ones Knigh listed aren't my favorites. The literary definitions are well-done, but fairly superficial (mostly defining genres and such). Of course, I'm an English major and have an entire dictionary of English terms.

If you like to journal, lend out a bunch of books, or want to find something new to read, READ, REMEMBER, RECOMMEND FOR TEENS might be a good addition to your shelf.

Guest Blog: What is the Obama Revolution?

Alan Kennedy-Shaffer served as a regional field director for Barack Obama and the Democratic Party in Virginia. Educated at Yale University and William & Mary Law School, Kennedy-Shaffer is the author of DENIAL AND DECEPTION: A Study of the Bush Administration’s Rhetorical Case for Invading Iraq. Kennedy-Shaffer’s writings have also appeared in The New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, the Washington Post, the Patriot-News, the Daily Press, and the Virginia Gazette. Alan lives in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. You can visit his website here.

I highly recommend googling his name to read about his exploits at Yale. It's hilarious; I promise.

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What is the Obama Revolution?
By Alan Kennedy-Shaffer

Review: The Obama Revolution

By Alan Kennedy-Shaffer



Clearly, this is not IBWB's usual. But I must admit, I'm a little geeky for politics and government (I did go to Girls State) and so I took the chance when I heard about this tour. After all, a book written by an insider should contain information not found elsewhere. And hey, I did vote for Barack Obama. (I'm young, in college, and living in the most liberal city in Texas. Don't tell me you're surprised.)

To me, THE OBAMA REVOLUTION starts slow. Alan Kennedy-Shaffer's prose is clear and his text is clearly researched, as evidenced by frequent quotes, but it starts with a description of Obama's stance during the campaign. It's nice to know what he promised, but that's not his revolution. Every politician outlines a plan during a campaign that's mostly unlikely to come to fruition. This part of his revolution cannot truly be examined until he's out of office and we can see how Obama affected policy, specific issue awareness, and how he deals with crises.

After that, the book does pick up. Kennedy-Shaffer discusses the technique of the campaign, which used technology and rhetoric in innovative ways. His bias shines through the entire novel, which you do have to work through, but the wealth of empirical evidence helps keeps things even-footed.

THE OBAMA REVOLUTION definitely hasn't converted me to reading political books full time. If I'm going to read something political, I still prefer a primary source. (Check out Brutus. He could make a business student question his or her worship of Alexander Hamilton. ) As things go, the book is written in an easily readable style and is a good primer for those who want to know more about what Obama promised the nation and how he convinced the US those promises were real. It's good information to keep in mind as one keeps an eye on what he does in office.

You can find more information on Kennedy-Shaffer's website and MySpace. He's written several newspaper articles, including a promotion for the book at The Huffington Post. THE OBAMA REVOLUTION is available now. Be sure to come back tomorrow for a guest post as well as the beginning of Body Image Week.

Review copy courtesy of Pump Up Your Book Promotion

The Art Instinct: Beauty, Pleasure, and Human Evolution

I made ya'll wait several days for new content despite my resolve to post more frequently. Sorry, but at least I'm all moved into the dorm again!



By Denis Dutton

If you can't tell, I don't read much non-fiction for pleasure. I love learning about things, but I usually save that for school and use my reading time for other pursuits. However, THE ART INSTINCT appeared to combine two of my favorite things, genetics and the arts. Unfortunately it is not friendly to casual reading. Denis Dutton's authorial voice is rather dry and unengaging.

Various ideas caught my attention, but I didn't really get into his argument until the 8th chapter (Intention, Forgery, Dada: Three Aesthetic Problems). Of course, this may be my personal interests talking. I often work at reconciling modern interpretation of text with its contemporary interpretation and possible authoritorial intent. And who doesn't find Dada fun?

But there were many points before that where I thought the text should hit its stride, particularly Chapter 5: Art and Natural Selection. Instead it felt like the argument just wasn't coming together. Dutton sets out to prove a rather large thesis, but at the end I feel like I'm still not sure what he's saying the connection between art and evolution is. He sometimes contradicts himself (especially in one terrible argument about a pill vs. a Salvador Rosa landscape) and he's far more familiar with art than the science aspects.

The book's best parts are the smaller arguments. He combats the extreme lengths academics go to to avoid ethnocentricism which only exoticize other cultures in the end through interesting thought experiments and examples of genres that may compare though they're done with different mediums. It's when he tries to connect the science and art that I often feel a disconnect.

For instance, Dutton explores why smell is not used more often as an artistic medium. He settles on memory being a large part of the problem, as building on a basic theme (as in music or fiction) cannot be done with smells as it would be hard to remember a specific sequence. Another problem would be lack of emotional impact. Yet smell is the best sense for bringing about instaneous memory. Smells triggering memory is an important survival instinct and an important part of human evolution. Research being done now with the human sense of smell is both incredibly weird and fascinating. Why write an entire passage about smell and art that seems to ignore this work?

I don't want to sound like I hated the work. (Although I did hate that his go-to example was Andy Warhol's Brillo boxes. He just kept mentioning them and it was driving me insane.) THE ART INSTINCT contains many interesting passages, but they're put together towards a shaky whole. I think a less provocative thesis might have served Dutton better. People interested in the philosophy of art will probably enjoy THE ART INSTINCT quite well.

Kudos to Bloomsbury Press's Art Department for changing the cover between the ARC and the final. The final's landscape is (scientifically) more aesthetically pleasing - very important on a book about art.

THE ART INSTINCT released December 23, 2008. Britain, Australia, and New Zealand will get the book on Darwin Day (February 12, 2009). Denis Dutton is the editor of the beyond cool Arts & Letters Daily. His personal website can be found here.

Singled Out

How Singles Are Stereotyped, Stigmatized, and Ignored, and Still Live Happily Ever After


By Bella DePaulo, Ph.D.

I know some people are marriage-obsessed and I’ve certainly experienced one of the main questions at a family gathering being, “So, do you have a boyfriend?”; still, I’ve never realized the extent of discrimination against singles. (And yes, Bella DePaulo is very aware that singles do not face the discrimination many other groups must survive.) Sometimes she seems to be digging too deep into a frankly benign situation, but other times she uncovers surprising truths. The tone rarely contains bitterness – yes, there is some, but DePaulo approaches her subject matter with humor. Each chapter focuses on a different subject singlehood in a fairly self-contained manner. Thus, I’d like to make some comments about my favorite discussions.

Science and the Single Person

This is perhaps my favorite chapter in the book. Some might be intimidated by the large amount of data presented, but DePaulo presents everything in easy to understand terminology and graphics. We’ve all heard that married people are happier and healthier – but how accurately are scientists presenting this data? As it turns out, not very. I want to force some of my science friends to research some of the topics DePaulo brings up for their theses.

Myth #2: Single-Minded

DePaulo barely has to make a case for this one. What to single people want? To get married. Yeah, right. She deftly addresses how demeaning it feels to be reduced to an empty-headed man or woman chaser, simply because you don’t have a partner. She brings up examples of this experience that will feel familiar to any single. None of the material in this chapter seems stretched; it’s a concise, clearly stated common problem.

Myth #4 It Is All About You

This chapter definitely brought some issues to my attention I had never considered. Many cultures regard marriage as a sign of maturity, and treat singles as children no matter their age. On the other hand, there are many culturally acceptable ways for married people to act immature. One of the most obvious: a perfectly capable married person can rely on their spouse to cook and do their laundry.

Myth #6 Attention, Single Men

SINGLED OUT is a female-centric work, partially because it is informed by DePaulo’s person experience. This chapter focuses entirely on the male side of the equation. One of the most intriguing points is the tendency to perceive single men as creepers. In truth, many serial killers married and procreated. The majority of violence against women is done by a past or current intimate partner. In the end, DePaulo concludes society regards single men more favorably than single women.

To Be or Not to Be Single

DePaulo writes, “I think that most Americans – including most single Americans – want the marital mythology to be true. They passionately want to believe that if only they find their soulmate, they will live happily ever after.” My friends and I talk all the time about this concept, and we do want it to be true. We grew up in an age of high divorce rates, but we still hold the Disney dream close – jaded, cynical teenagers who still believe one day we’ll find the one. Maybe we will, maybe we won’t. Who cares? We’ll be just fine on our own, whether Prince Charming arrives on the scene or not.

Don’t be put off by the non-fiction aspect. SINGLED OUT is a fascinating read. It may not change your paradigm, but it will open your eyes to various injustices. Find out more at Bella DePaulo's website.