non-fiction

atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “My Brain is Different: Stories of ADHD and Other Developmental Disorders” by Monzusu & Ben Trethewey

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

This manga is a collection of nine different adults talking about life with different developmental disorders. It’s sad that so many of these stories involve bullying and abuse but yeah; some parents suck and some teenagers suck. Most of these stories end in the person finding the support they need to live their lives but the important thing is to make sure the reader is educated on these various disorders, how they work, and how they can be more understanding and accepting. It may also give some insight to those who have similar behaviors and maybe inspire them to get tested. It’s informative without being preachy or info dumping. 5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Spent: A Comic Novel” by Alison Bechdel

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review and is suggested for mature readers. 

While called a novel in the title, this memoir details Alison living with her partner on their pygmy goat sanctuary as she tries to come up with and pitch her next book.

I love how self-reflective this is and not because it makes me feel less crazy for doing the same thing: looking at the world and wanting to do something to solve the world’s problems but having no idea where to start. It feels trippy since I’m so much younger than her. I do love seeing her thoughts on watching the show based on her book: Death and Taxidermy and grappling with how while it’s based on her work, it’s someone else’s vision now. There’s also an interesting storyline about her sister writing her own memoir to debunk Alison’s. It all brings out the feeling of being overwhelmed with everything going on, wanting to fix all of it, realizing we can’t, but we can still do something. Even if it’s small. 5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Everything Is Fine, I’ll Just Work Harder: Confessions of a Former Badass” by Cara Gormally

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review. Trigger warning for sexual assault.

Cara is a hard worker. She never skips a run, has plenty of projects and papers to work on, and a solid relationship with her partner. Things are going great until her rapist sends her a friend request. As she spirals, Cara returns to therapy to work through her trauma.

I love how emotions pour through the pages even with the simple art style. In fact, I think keeping the art simple works perfectly. This is one person’s deeply personal journey dealing with her rape and tells you what she wants you to know candidly and at her own comfort. Not to even attempt to judge but I get a strong feeling just from the book that this was cathartic to create and while not an easy read (I can see this triggering some for obvious reasons) I respect this book. 4.9 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “The Murder Next Door: A Graphic Memoir” by Hugh D’Andrade

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

At 10 years old, Hugh came home from school to see his friends crying outside their home because they’d discovered the body of their murdered mother. As an adult, he still struggles with the memories and fear.

This memoir is mainly about how trauma can affect someone in the long term. It’s very honest and not at all subtle which I think is needed; especially since this is about a man dealing with childhood trauma. The best part of this? He’s actually dealing with it. He’s in therapy, looking back, analyzing, talking, considering, and really doing his best to reckon with what happened to him as a child and how it shaped the man he’s become. Speaking as a person who will go as far as to think my feelings are a burden even to my therapist, this is refreshingly unflinching. I like this. It’s insightful and I appreciate it. 4.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Hanging On By A Thread” by Noémie Honein

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review and is suggested for mature audiences.

In Beirut where it is considered taboo to discuss such things, 18-year-old Noémie is diagnosed with cancer and this book shows her treatment and recovery from her illness.

This depiction is fairly unflinching. I say ‘fairly’ because it’s not gory or anything but Noémie is very frank about infections and the like. It’s honest and harrowing but also hopeful. The book doesn’t end when her treatment ends; it continues through when you’re “cured” but the mental toll on someone going through all that lingers on and I haven’t seen many others talking about that. And the colored pencil style is beautiful. I guess a trigger warning for cancer-related health issues since that can be tough for some people. 5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Witchcraft: A Graphic History” by Lindsay Squire

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Told through a young girl named Lindsay visiting Biddy, a the early 19th century Irish witch, this book tells the history of witchcraft through the ages.

First off, the art style if perfect for this. It captures the beauty of nature and magic; even gives biddy a knowing glint in her expressions. It’s exposition heavy in places but the book is trying to teach the reader. It’s a perfect entry point for someone curious about what witches do; past and present. It’s cute to me as a practitioner with 30 years under my belt but for someone new, this is an enjoyable introduction. 3.7 out of 5.

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Makin the effort

The mythical "They" says I must blog every day to be a success. So, the Lenni has a couple questions: What kinds of things would you all like to read from me every day? Do YOU blog every day? Would endless complaints about how the blank pages mock me or how Open Office fucks up the formatting in my Word 2007 files? Do you want to hear a library rant every so often? Cause I got plenty of those. XD

Ya’ll gotta let the Lenni know, people. I do enjoy the occasional personal question but I reserve the right not to answer. (Bwahaha!)

Anyways, on to writing type news. There are day to day activities that tend to inspire me to write different things. Weeding and collection development are two of those things. Looking for books on certain subjects usually exposes gaps in subject matters that I never would have thought to write about.

I tend towards fiction. You can fact check elements of fiction (yes, I have been fact checked) but on the whole the "make shit up" aspect tends to leave me free of reality’s constraints. But every so often, I get a bug up my ass to write non-fiction. This time, it’s particularly strong. Like, "I have half an outline in my head already," strong. Should I go for it? I mean really? I should post a tally of my current projects to make this question a bit meatier… XD

Anyways, it’s out there and up for consideration. We shall just have to see what falls where. 🙂

Till later, babies!