Summer Reading Picks: Graphic Literature

When I first heard about graphic novels, I thought they seemed silly. Glorified comic strips is all I could imagine. I ignored the genre for several years until I discovered Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis, a witty, heartbreaking account of the author's childhood during the Islamic Revolution in Iran. I quickly followed up with Persepolis 2, which chronicles her exiled adolescence in Europe, and Embroideries, a frank and charming picture of women's lives in Iran.

More recently I've read two excellent works of non-fiction: The 9/11 Report by Sid Jacobsen and Ernie Colon and The United States Constitution by Jonthan Hennessey and Aaron McConnell. The co-chairs of the September 11 Commission endorse this book's lively, engaging format as a means for readers to understand the complexities of the attacks and the subsequent recommendations. Both it and The United States Constitution would make excellent textbooks; the material comes alive through unforgettable illustrations.

A simpler book, but no less remarkable, is The Shiniest Jewel, a memoir by Marian Henley. In it Henley tells the story of her efforts to adopt a child from Russia, while at the same time facing both the declining health of her father and the decision of whether or not to marry. Poignant, honest and funny, Marian Henley's story is--like a lot of good fiction--our own story as well.

Finally, my favorite: Maira Kalman. Though she doesn't use the traditional comics format in her work, her illustrations are essential. I came upon Kalman through her blog, And The Pursuit of Happiness, published online in The New York Times. She's funny and quirky and colorful, and she loves hats and chairs and old people. Read her book The Principles of Uncertainty, and you'll find a story on every page.