The 6 graphic novels I read this year. Five were nonfiction. I can recommend all of the nonfiction, but that vampire book might need a special audience.

If you struggle to read nonfiction there are SO MANY graphic novel/memoirs choices to help smarten you up.

The Talk by Darrin Bell. Highly recommend. Darren Bell has a white mother and a black father and it was his mother who is the first to tell him that the world will see him as different. She embarrasses him when she causes scenes calling out bias and yet his father remains largely silent. This book starts when he is 6 and has a run in with the police and they take his water gun and ends after the George Floyd murder when he has to decide if it’s the right time to have the talk about race with his own young son.

Feeding Dangerously by Andres, Orlando, and Ponticelli. Tells the story of how Jose Andres started the World Central Kitchen, heroes. These volunteers go into areas ravaged by natural disasters like hurricanes, fires, and volcanoes, but more recently into areas of active conflict and war to heal the people through home cooked meals. I’m in awe of all that this organization does.

Nat Turner by Kyle Baker. Over 200 pages of shocking, emotional, and violent black and white drawings. The only words in the book are direct quotes, most coming from Turner himself as he sat in prison. The book is powerful and some will find the images too violent. It’s not for everyone, but it made me feel the horror, and for that I applaud it. It’s the story of the slave rebellion of 1831.

Coco Chanel by Megan Hess. I picked this up because the book is gorgeous. The art mesmerized me and I also learned more about Coco too. Win win. Learning about her Nazi ties was disturbing.

Bloodlust & Bonnets by Emily McGovern. What a hoot! Lucy is a 19th century debutante who is approached to join a vampire cult. Just as she’s about to go to the dark side Lord Byron whisks her off to his magic castle on his psychic eagle. It’s just as silly as it sounds.

Seek You by Kristen Radtke. A book about American lonliness in memoir form. Lots of research, and lots to think about. The monkey experiments were heartbreaking.