On February 3, 1979, the chickens of the world became human. Only months later did the United Nations officially recognize the change, and by then there was no denying it: chickens everywhere had instantaneously developed the same intelligence and capability of speech as homo sapiens.
This posed something of an ethical quandary for poultry farmers.
That was the most immediate concern, obviously, but other social dilemmas had surfaced in the intervening decades. Should chickens be integrated into the schools? Should chickens and people be allowed to marry? How do you stop workplace discrimination against chickens?
Jake Gallo struggles with the ugly side of chicken-racism every day. Bitter and angry, he has been the victim of vague institutional discrimination as well as brutal hate-crimes. Out of work and out of luck, he spends his time masturbating to human porn.
(If you have been waiting your whole life to read a chicken masturbation scene, THIS IS YOUR CHANCE.)
All of Jake’s problems fly out of his head when his father Elmer has a stroke. Jake rushes back to his childhood home, but he is too late: Elmer dies before Jake can say goodbye. But Elmer has bequeathed his journal to his son, and in its pages, Jake begins to see his father in a whole new way. Elmer had been hardly more than a chick when chickens became human. The chronicle of his liberation, education, and career reveals family secrets and forgotten history that will change Jake forever.
I cannot say enough good things about this book. Filipino graphic novelist Gerry Alanguilan has taken an absurd concept and turned it into something genuinely moving. The characters are memorable (and distinguishable from one another, despite being chickens) and there are a host of social questions to ponder— though your chicken sandwich might not seem appetizing when you’ve finished.
And I simply must acknowledge Alanguilan’s illustrations. The black-and-white art is outstanding. His chickens are realistic and individualistic without any cartoony silliness. The images are vital to the story, and so magnificently drawn that you’ll find yourself studying them in detail, unwilling to turn the page. The book is not appropriate for children (there are instances of human nudity and intense violence, and there’s lots and lots of swearing) but it is precisely the sort of unexpected and too-little-publicized book that ought to be in the hands of thoughtful adults.
Check the WRL catalog for Elmer
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