Episode 192 - Non-Fiction Graphic Novels & Comics

Book Club for Masochists: a Readers’ Advisory Podcast

This episode we’re discussing the format of Non-Fiction Graphic Novels & Comics! We talk about what we even mean when we say “non-fiction,” comics vs. graphic novels, art vs. writing, memoirs vs. other stuff, and more. Plus: It’s been over 365 days since our last gorilla attack!

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In this episode

Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | Jam Edwards

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Things We Read (or tried to…)

• Moi aussi je voulais l'emporter by Julie Delporte
  • This Woman's Work by Julie Delporte, translated by Helge Dascher and Aleshia Jensen
• Sông by Hài-Anh and Pauline Guitton
• Kimiko Does Cancer by Kimiko Tobimatsu and Keet Geniza
• Why I Adopted by Husband by Yuta Yagi
• The Art and Life of Hilma af Klint by Ylva Hillström, translated by Karin Eklund
• Go to Sleep (I Miss You): Cartoons from the Fog of New Parenthood by Lucy Knisley
• Nuking Alaska: Notes of an Atomic Fugitive by Peter Dunlap-Shohl
• My Brain is Different: Stories of ADHD and Other Developmental Disorders by Monzusu, translated by Ben Trethewey
• The Comic Book Guide to Growing Food: Step-by-Step Vegetable Gardening for Everyone by Joseph Tychonievich and Liz Kozik

Other Media We Mentioned

• Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
  • Fun Home (musical) (Wikipedia)
• Maus by Art Spiegelman
• Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, translated by Mattias Ripa
• Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton
• Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud
• The Essential Dykes To Watch Out For by Alison Bechdel
• Displacement by Lucy Knisley
• Pedro and Me: Friendship, Loss, and What I Learned and Judd Winick
• Melody: Story of a Nude Dancer by Sylvie Rancourt, translated by Helge Dascher
• Kid Gloves by Lucy Knisley
• The Mental Load by Emma
• The Secret to Superhuman Strength by Alison Bechdel
• What Is Obscenity?: The Story of a Good for Nothing Artist and Her Pussy by Rokudenashiko
• Homestar Runner
• Button Pusher by Tyler Page
• Last of the Sandwalkers by Jay Hosler
• Clan Apis by Jay Hosler
• Ping-pong by Zviane
• Dumb: Living Without a Voice by Georgia Webber
• When David Lost His Voice by Judith Vanistendael
• Blankets by Craig Thompson
• Smile by Raina Telegmeier
• Dog Man by Dav Pilkey
• Sensible Footwear: A Girl's Guide by Kate Charlesworth

Links, Articles, and Things

• Harvey Pekar (Wikipedia)
• Joe Sacco (Wikipedia)
• Japanese adult adoption (Wikipedia)
• In the name of the queer: Sailor Moon's LGBTQ legacy
• The Spectre of Orientalism in Craig Thompson’s Habibi
• Cultural Appropriation in Craig Thompson’s Graphic Novel Habibi

35 Non-fiction Graphic Novels by BIPOC Authors

Every month Book Club for Masochists: A Readers’ Advisory Podcasts chooses a genre at random and we read and discuss books from that genre. We also put together book lists for each episode/genre that feature works by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) authors. All of the lists can be found here.

• This Place: 150 Years Retold
• Zodiac: A Graphic Memoir by Ai Weiwei with Elettra Stamboulis & Gianluca Costantini
• Nat Turner by Kyle Baker
• The Talk by Darrin Bell
• The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui
• I’m a Wild Seed by Sharon Lee De la Cruz
• Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese American by Laura Gao
• Stamped from the Beginning: A Graphic History of Racist Ideas in America by Joel Christian Gill and Ibram X. Kendi
• Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts by Rebecca Hall and Hugo Martinez
• The 500 Years of Resistance Comic Book by Gord Hill
• Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations by Mira Jacob
• The American Dream? A Journey on Route 66 Discovering Dinosaur Statues, Muffler Man, and the Perfect Breakfast Burrito: a Graphic Memoir by Shing Yin Khor
• Banned Book Club by Kim Hyun Sook, Ryan Estrada, and Ko Hyung-Ju
• In Limbo by Deb J.J. Lee
• This Country: Searching for Home in (Very) Rural America by Navied Mahdavian
• Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir by Pedro Martín
• Monstrous: A Transracial Adoption Story by Sarah Myer
• Steady Rollin': Preacher Kid, Black Punk and Pedaling Papa by Fred Noland
• Citizen 13660 by Mine Okubo
• Your Black Friend and Other Strangers by Ben Passmore
• Kwändǖr by Cole Pauls
• Worm: A Cuban American Odyssey by Edel Rodriguez
• Power Born of Dreams: My Story is Palestine by Mohammad Sabaaneh
• A First Time for Everything by Dan Santat
• Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi
• Grandmothers, Our Grandmothers: Remembering the "Comfort Women" of World War II by Han Seong-Won
• Death Threat by Vivek Shraya and Ness Lee
• Palimpsest: Documents From A Korean Adoption by Lisa Wool-Rim Sjöblom
• Big Black: Stand at Attica by Frank "Big Black" Smith, Jared Reinmuth, and Améziane
• Victory. Stand!: Raising My Fist for Justice by Tommie Smith, Dawud Anyabwile, and Derrick Barnes
• The High Desert by James Spooner
• They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, and Harmony Becker
• Feelings by Manjit Thapp
• The Black Panther Party: A Graphic Novel History by David F. Walker and Marcus Kwame Anderson
• Now Let Me Fly: A Portrait of Eugene Bullard by Ronald Wimberly and Braham Revel

Bonus list: 21 Non-Fiction Manga

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