The Reading Audience
This series of articles about graphic novels has been about books written with the intended audience of adults. I wish to expand our horizons a bit further.
Just as there are movies to be enjoyed by a group of mixed-age people, so the same for graphic novels. Most libraries, including Carnegie Library and the others in the CAMAL system, categorize and shelve the graphic novels in two different locations: one for Adults and one for Young Adults.
My fellow adults: please expand your browsing to include the Young Adult section. There are excellent graphic works that are just as educational and/or entertaining as those in the Adult section.
To be sure, most of the graphic works in the Young Adult section are written with a vocabulary or story line that can be understood by younger readers; but that fact makes some of these books even more enjoyable for adults; they may be a bit easier to understand and therefore more pleasant for relaxed reading.
One genre of graphic works to look for in the Young Adult section is History. There’s Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World, by Penelope Bagieu, that profiles women throughout history who led inspiring lives in one way or another.
Some Young Adult books can be quite simple to read, but informative from a historical point of view if you know nothing of the topic. Laika, about the first mammal—a dog—to go into outer space, and Becoming RGB, the biography of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, are two that come to mind. I found them both interesting simply because I knew nothing about either topic.
Any books written by Jim Ottaviani are worthwhile. In the Young Adult section we have T-Minus: The Race to the Moon, and Feynman (the physicist), both science history-based topics.
A common theme in Young Adult books is—of course—the coming-of-age story. Combined with history, it can be quite interesting—and powerful—for adults. They Called Us Enemy is one such potent graphic novel, about a young Japanese American boy interned with his family during WWII.
Speaking of coming-of-age stories, the Young Adult section has several books I like to call Dream Food. These books present the common theme with uncommonly fine artwork. The Golden Compass, adapted from the book that was also made into a movie, has beautiful French-style graphics that gave me plenty to dream about.
Some books are perhaps more food for nightmares than dreams. Beautiful Darkness, rendered in stunning watercolors, could be one such a book. Described as an anti-fairy tale, indeed the storyline is as disturbing as the artwork is beautiful.
Anything by Neil Gaiman will be worth your while to explore. Much of his work will be found in the Adult section, but he’s got some in the Young Adult category as well. Check out The Graveyard Books for easy-going scares, a coming-of-age story, and artwork to feed any dream.
Back over in the Adult section, you might see some books while browsing that will lead you to believe they belong in the Young Adult section. Don’t be fooled.
Talking about dream food, a previous review mentioned My Favorite Thing is Monsters. A thick book, with a complex coming-of-age theme intertwined with decidedly adult-themes and drawn in colored pencils as though on a lined school notebook, this graphic work is enthralling in both artwork and storyline.
Monstress can be mistaken as a coming-of-age book series, but the artwork and more complex storyline make this an enjoyable and challenging read for adults.
Finally, the series Fables may sound “childish” from its title and from a quick glance through its artwork. But the story of what happened to our favorite Brothers Grimm characters since the Middle Ages is an entertaining adult-themed story worth exploring.
So, head on down to the local library to educate and entertain your inner adolescent.
Visit webonbooks.com for more articles by William.