Some Graphic Novel Reviews (Non-Fiction) - Marina

Primates by Jim Ottaviani and Maris Wicks

One of the first graphic novels in non-fiction that grabbed my attention a few years ago was Primates by Jim Ottaviani and Maris Wicks. This book’s cartoon art style clearly conveyed the events of the book, which followed three women, their journeys in primatology, and the primates that they studied. The narration was told from the distinct perspectives of the women: likely the most famous of the three was Jane Goodall and her study of chimpanzees, then Diane Fossy’s interactions with Gorillas, and finally Biruté Galdikas and her adventures with Orangutans. The women faced hardships and challenges living in the environments that their research demanded, but became adept at finding ways to learn about the animals they loved, all despite working in a male-dominated profession. I found the stories interesting and inspiring, and I got to learn about primates along the way.

Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales  by Nathan Hale

My second review is not of a single book but of a series of historical non-fiction graphic novels called Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales. The premise of the series begins in the first book, where the real historical figure and American spy in the Revolutionary War Nathan Hale (not to be confused with the author/illustrator Nathan Hale) is set to hang for being caught in British territory as a spy. Nathan Hale recites his famous last words “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country”, and then the narrative takes a more fictional term. 

The author creates a story where Nathan Hale’s last words were so famous that he was put into “The Big Huge Book of American History”, and learned all of American History within the book. This leads to a series where the spy Nathan Hale tells his executioner and provost non-fiction stories of the world (Mainly US) in order to delay his death (though the spy was hanged and died in real life). In this way, the books use a fun little fictional premise to tell many exciting stories from the history books. The books are at a pretty easy reading level, and have some gore occasionally, but those factors do not stop it from being an intriguing and often funny way to learn about history.

When Stars are Scattered  by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed

Written and Illustrated by the author of the well-known graphic novel Roller Girl in cooperation with African immigrant Omar Mohamed, this semi-autobiographical story shows the journey of a little boy living in a refugee camp with his little brother. Omar has many struggles and victories throughout, as he tries to get an education, protect and care for his sibling, and live his life. It is an inspiring true story, set in recent times. I found it informative and absorbing, as much as many fictional books I’ve read. I find that graphic novels can help pull a reader into whatever narrative and/or information is being expressed, and this story has helped prove that point for me. Again, the writing itself is aimed at a lower reading level, but I still enjoyed the story, and just went through it more quickly than I would a more challenging book.

Let’s Make Ramen! And Let’s Make Dumplings! By Hugh Amano and Sarah Becan

The non-fiction that I’ve discussed so far have all been narrative based, because that’s the type of book I like to read the most. However, Let’s Make Ramen! And Let’s Make Dumplings! are non-fiction books that I recently encountered that have no story at all. These graphic-novel cookbooks talk about ramen and dumplings, as the titles imply, and they have such great pictures that I get hungry every time I flip through them. The books gives recipes and instructions as normal cookbooks would, but with helpful drawings demonstrating processes, in addition to fun facts and stories near the beginning about the origins of the popular dishes. If you ever find cookbook instructions difficult to understand only in writing, these might be the books for you.