Huda F Cares?

I try to vary where and how I get graphic novels to read, and I was pleasantly surprised to find another book by Huda Fahmy in a little free library in my neighborhood. It's the follow-up to Huda F Are You?, which I finally read earlier this year, and it may be even more excellent. It continues the fictionalized memoir, following Huda into the summer after her freshman year of high school as she and her family embark on a road trip to Disney World for a family vacation.

I can say without hyperbole, I LOVED THIS BOOK. It is hilarious and human, a great look at family life as well as the dynamics of planning a trip and then traveling with siblings. They bicker during the long car ride. They have to split up in pairs and keep a strict timetable, otherwise they are grounded and have to spend all their time with their parents. Some help keep secrets, while others are complete tattletales. I found so much to relate to, cringe over, and laugh about, both recalling my own childhood travels and more recent happenings as a parent traveling with three children. 

Along the way, Huda learns a bunch about herself and her relationships with her sisters in organic ways. She sometimes tries to hide her Muslim prayer rituals, gets embarrassed by family picnics when her parents are trying to economize, makes a friend, tries to boss around her younger siblings, and has to deal with rude strangers as well as handsy jerks. She suffers many different consequences for her actions, the biggest one being detained by security for sticking up for herself, and the stakes for that offense make for some compelling reading. But really what bears emphasizing is that with all of this introspection, learning, and drama, the whole book is frequently HILARIOUS. I dare anyone to read it and not at least crack a smile or chuckle.

A National Book Award Finalist, this book has been very well reviewed. Islamic School Librarian wrote that "the entire book reads like time spent with friends who can keep you laughing, comfort you when needed, and who are willing to share their very real relatable world with you." Andy Oliver commented that "Fahmy’s great skill as a storyteller is to combine very funny character pieces with those more touching observations about contemporary perceptions of Islam." Kirkus Reviews summed up, "Delightfully heartwarming."

Huda F Cares? was published by Dial Books, and they provide more information about it here. 

Huda F Are You?

I have been meaning to read this book for a while now, ever since I learned about it during a presentation at the Literacy Research Association this past December. Huda F Are You? is a fictionalized memoir about a young, Egyptian-American girl trying to figure things out. First, and foremost, is the titular question she is trying to answer, as she is struggling with a great many issues: keeping up her grades, being a hijab-wearing Muslim, making friends, and meeting her parents' expectations. The first one is easy for her, and being a top student is a key part of her identity. The second is tougher, as it makes her pretty visible and a target for discrimination from random white people and even teachers. The third is complicated because she feels like she does not really feel she is Muslim enough, because she is not as strong in Arabic as many of the other students in her school in Dearborn, Michigan. So she feels inferior to what she sees as "more perfect" Muslim kids, but she also feels alien to most other kids at her school.

Dealing with these three concerns cause Huda to spin off her axis, and her grades start to slip. So she makes some somewhat bold choices that lead her into more awkward situations. All of these behaviors lead to a confrontation with her mother that frames the narrative.

Not everything in this book resolves neatly, but she does find some peace and connections in her social and academic worlds. What impressed me most about this narrative was how relatable and  funny it is. It features lots of observational humor and also running jokes, like the multiple ways that people mispronounce her name, which I can relate to. This book has a lot of heart, and it shows it through its expressive artwork, intricate characters, and the delicate, deliberate pacing. I very much enjoyed this book, and now I need to read its two sequels.

This book's creator Huda Fahmy has written a number of comics for both adults and younger readers. Huda F Cares? and Huda F Wants to Know? are the two sequels to this book. Yes, I Am Hot in This and That Can Be Arranged are graphic novels that began as webcomics, and they are more geared toward adults. Fahmy speaks about her life and work in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read of this book sing its praises. Kirkus Reviews called it "hilarious, charming, and much needed." Richetta wrote, "This book is perfect for discussing identity on multiple levels." Amani Salahudeen opined, "I loved how Huda weaved in humor, touched on important topics within the Islamic community, and was unapologetically Muslim. This book is a must-read!"

Huda F Are You? was published by Dial Books, and they offer a preview and more information about it here. I recommend it for middle and high school readers.

I Was Their American Dream

I am the child of two immigrants, a German and a Greek, which makes me a Gerk ("jerk") is my hilarious joke. I have my own sense of figuring out my identity in relation to my relatives and also my native land, the USA, and I was very glad to read a very different tale of a person melding nationalities,  I Was Their American Dream. This book is a memoir by Malaka Gharib, whose parents are Filipino and Egyptian, making for a unique blend of cultures and religions. 

Much of this book centers on Malaka relating her formative experiences, remembering, celebrating, and regretting her cultural roots while also detailing how she made sense and peace with two religious traditions, Islam and Christianity. Also, it is about how she incorporated different aspects of those cultures into her life while also trying her best to be an American. It is a bumpy journey, and I really loved how she shares her various insights along the way. 

The artwork is mostly comics, though there are some passages that are more like an illustrated book. The drawings are cartoonish and convey broad emotions and actions very well. Still, there are some more quiet moments that still pack a sentimental punch. This book made me giggle, grow wistful, cringe, and relate. It is the best sort of memoir, one that is a window into a different world that affects how the reader sees life. I really loved this book.

This book was created by Malaka Gharib, who is a journalist and artist who works for NPR. She has also published another graphic memoir, It Won't Always Be Like This, about her summers abroad in Egypt. She speaks about the background and making of this book in this interview.

I Was Their American Dream won the 2020 Arab American Book Award, and has been well praised. In their starred entry, Kirkus Reviews summed it up as "a heartwarming tribute to immigrant families and their descendants trying to live the American dream." In another starred entry, from School Library Journal, Elise Martinez wrote, "This engaging memoir is an uplifting ode to Gharib’s bicultural background, her immigrant parents, and her road to self-acceptance."

I Was Their American Dream was published by Clarkson Potter, and they offer a preview and more information about it here.

Pantheon: The True Story of the Egyptian Deities

As you might guess from the cover, depicting a buff Horus kicking his uncle Set square in the family jewels, this is not your typical take on ancient myths. Read from a contemporary stance, Egyptian mythology is full of some strong, strange stuff, including incest, murder, sex, sibling rivalries, and dismemberments. Pantheon: The True Story of the Egyptian Deities tells those stories in a faithful fashion (it is prefaced by a Egyptologist who vouches for it), but it also modernizes them with a current sensibility, slang, and sarcasm. The result is pretty hilarious, gross, and compelling. For the most part, the book focuses on the misadventures of the brother/sister/husband/wife duo of Osiris and Isis as they contend with their brother Set and his efforts to disrupt the world and their lives. But everything begins with the story of creation that I partially excerpt here:

As you can see, the artwork was appropriately cartoonish and quite clever in many places. I loved how it was a combination of iconography and comic conventions and also how it balanced storytelling with joking. The dialogue and pacing in the excerpt give an accurate picture of the tone of the entire book. Many of the events seem surreal and hilarious, but they are also reflective of the superhuman flaws and personalities of the gods themselves. They mess up continually, feud, and allow themselves to be ruled haphazardly. Still, despite the capriciousness and hilarity, there is an element of sincerity and depth that especially arises in the book's ending. Before reading it, I had a passing knowledge of the Egyptian pantheon, but I feel that I learned much more here. I also got a good number of laughs from it, which was a huge bonus.

Pantheon is the work of Hamish Steele. It is his debut graphic novel, and he got funding for its initial version via a Kickstarter campaign. He also works on a biweekly webcomic called Deadendia.

All of the reviews I have read about this book have been celebratory. Publishers Weekly wrote, "After the parade of slapstick and gross sexuality that comes before it, it’s a surprising conclusion that makes the ancient stories feel relevant and alive." Joe Gordon called it "an utter, cheeky delight." James Smart opined, "This take on ancient Egypt is educational as well as hilarious." Kevin Harkins called it "one of the cleverest ideas I have seen in a while."

Pantheon was published by Nobrow Press, and they have a preview and more info about it here. I suggest this book for mature readers because of profanity and a number of these attributes listed on the back cover:

The Professor's Daughter

Imhotep IV, the mummy reanimated in this book is unlike many of his undead brethren. He is not an unthinking zombie, nor does he yearn for flesh or blood. He just wants to fit into 18th century British society and resume his regal lifestyle. He is abetted in this task by Lillian, the mischievous daughter of the professor who discovered him and brought him to England to display. He is enamored with this woman because she resembles his dead wife, a point of contention between the two. Among the exciting and zany things that happen to this unlikely couple: Imhotep III is also remarkably alive and up to seeming no good; Scotland Yard is after him for murder and rounding up all the mummies in town as suspects, and the pair must contend with her father's attempts to reclaim his prime display artifact. Also in the course of the story, Queen Victoria gets kidnapped in the hopes of her providing a pardon. Talk about a star-crossed romance...

This fantastical graphic novel was produced by two of France's premier comics creators, Emmanuel Guibert and Joann Sfar. Guibert is an artist capable of many styles who has been involved in writing the Sardine in Outer Space series as well as drawing Didier Lefèvre's The Photographer. The prolific Sfar has written and drawn hundreds of comics and graphic novels, including the acclaimed The Rabbi's Cat and The Little Vampire series.

As might be expected when two high caliber talents collaborate, the critics I have read largely celebrate this book. Susan L. Carr draws attention to the many whimsical details the story exposes about Victorian England. Heidi Dolamore from the School Library Journal praised Guibert's art as the best part of this "enjoyable melodrama." Gina Ruiz highly recommends this "bizarre, well told and completely wonderful" tale. Perosnally, I found the book funny, surreal, and slightly dark at times.

A preview is available here from the book's publisher First Second.

Isis & Osiris: To the Ends of the Earth

This retelling of the ancient Egyptian myth of Isis and Osiris is rendered in dynamic fashion by David Witt, an accomplished artist whose work has shown up in t-shirts, comics, rock posters, Guitar Hero II, and art exhibitions. The narrative was laid out by Jeff Limke, a frequent contributor to Lerner Publishing's Graphic Universe imprint. Limke has worked in comics for a long while, as chronicled in this interview, and has also been a high school teacher.

The myth presented here deals with Isis and Osiris , who are wife and husband as well as sister and brother, having to contend with their jealous brother Set. Set tricks Osiris into a sarcophagus and kills him. Isis finds his body and sets out to resurrect him, but Set discovers this and cuts his brother into 14 parts and scatters them about. Isis eventually recovers most of his body and brings him back, much in the same fashion of the Egyptian mummification process. After defeating Set, Osiris becomes the final judge in the afterlife, determining who is good and evil.

As with other books in the Graphic Universe series, there is a glossary, pronunciation guide, and other resources that would be helpful in using this book with students. It has received decent ratings on Goodreads and Amazon. The editorial reviews on Amazon, from Booklist and The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, point out some story drawbacks as well as the vivid artwork and their potential appeal for young readers.

A preview is provided by Lerner Publishing.

The Cartoon History of the Universe I: Volumes 1-7: From the BIG BANG to Alexander the Great

This book began as a series of comic books that started in 1977. It covers history from the Big Bang until the time of Alexander the Great (roughly 350 - 320 BCE) with well-researched facts, footnotes, citations, resources for further reading, and the timely infusion of humor. The author/illustrator Gonick plays the narrator, portraying himself with wild Einstein-style hair and amazing abilities to travel through time and space.

Volumes 1 through 7 cover a broad range of history, from the origins of the universe and life on Earth to the Ice Age and the rise of human civilizations. The high points include sections on Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, the Middle East via the Old Testament (or the Torah), Mycenaean Greece, and Athens. At the end of the book are pages dedicated to brief commentary on the references that inform the cartoons, which could also be read for further information.

Writer and artist Larry Gonick has been creating comics since the early 1970s, and he has made a cottage industry out of his Cartoon series of nonfiction. His works range in topic across chemistry, genetics, statistics, and sex. He has served as a Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT as well as a cartoonist for Discover and Muse magazines. He and his work have won a number of awards including a Harvey and an Inkpot. For those interested in his life and work, this interview with Richard Morris is quite informative. This interview with Chris Mautner at Robot 6 gives some insight into the Cartoon History of the Universe books, his magnum opus.

The Cartoon History of the Universe books have been very well received and have been translated into many languages and sold internationally. Reviews have been largely positive, and many of them point out that it was entertaining and effective to learn about history via comics. J. Stephen Bolhafner called it "a delight to read." Jerry Stratton stated that this book and the rest of the series "should be on every bookshelf of the English-speaking world." Gonick also catalogs a diverse range of reviews on his website.

Gonick offers a sample page on his website, but a lengthier preview can be found at Amazon.com.