Graphic Novels

American Born Chinese was short and sweet with multiple narratives which were charming and drove the theme home. The illustrations were nice, almost cartoonish like a lot of stuff younger people watch on Cartoon Network or Nickelodeon. Personally, I love graphic novels. They're a perfect combination of art and storytelling. Often the author is also the illustrator, which allows them to express their story in more than one way. The pictures can say just as much, sometimes more, than words on a page. Often the stories in graphic novels are very intense and the images compliment that. Perhaps its something about the way graphic novels are paced or maybe there's just a lot of really great graphic novelists, but I find that most graphic novels are very exciting and interesting. I can't say I've ever read one that I didn't enjoy. I feel that the graphic novel works well for young adult fiction because not only can it discuss serious issues that teens are interested in, as many graphic novels are gritty and serious, but it also has that fast paced, easy to consume reading which appeals to younger audiences. It especially appeals to those who don't like to read and prefer movies, because reading a graphic novel is a lot like watching a movie. I know I will personally continue to read graphic novels, but I've always like them so that's nothing new.

Novels in Verse

As I said in class, I read "What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know" which is a really fast paced verse novel through the perspective of a 14 year old boy. The article we read was really helpful to help me see the value in novels in verse because the one I read, along with Brown Girl Dreaming, didn't really show me that. I like the way the author showed the graph of a novel in verse surrounded by drama, poetry, and novels. When put that way, it starts to make more sense. The comparisons to drama throughout were also helpful to imagine the character as someone presenting a speech on stage or multiple characters having their chance in the spotlight to tell a story. I would have like to read a novel in verse with multiple perspectives because it does sound like a good use of that form. I have read a few young adult novels with multiple perspectives and I really enjoyed it. I think it was also helpful when the author of the article compared novels in verse to drama in that we need to set the stage in a way for ourselves and it's very based on character's voice. Although I still am not totally sold on novels in verse, I do see a lot more value in them after reading the article and I think if done well, it can be really successful and beautiful. Unfortunately, the one I read was not done well, the poems were simply broken up paragraphs, and it felt like lazy writing. I would like to give novels in verse another chance some day.