Some of my favorite works of nonfiction are presented in the graphic format, though calling them “graphic novels” is awkward– novels are fictional– and calling them “graphic novels that aren’t novels” does not roll trippingly from the tongue. I don’t know what to call them, but I do know I like them…
Some biographies:
- Logicomix, by Apostolos Doxiadis, et al., about mathematical logician and anti-nuclear activist Bertrand Russell
- Vlad the Impaler, by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colón, a bio of the depraved Romanian ruler that puts the “graphic” in “graphic novel” (see what I mean here, if you have a strong stomach)
- Trotsky, by Rick Geary, about the Russian revolutionary
Some memoirs (all of which have won impressive literary awards):
- Fun Home, by Alison Bechdel, a depressing but brilliant story about a woman’s troubled father
- Stitches, by David Small, about a child whose radiologist father accidentally– whoopsie!– gives his son cancer
- Maus, by Art Spiegelman, the Holocaust memoir/bio that first introduced mainstream audiences to the literary potential of graphic novels
And some “Maybe this difficult topic will be more accessible with pictures” books:
- The Stuff of Life, by Mark Schultz, all about genetics and DNA
- Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, by Michael Keller: it’s the most controversial work of all time, now with speech bubbles!
- Understanding Comics, by Scott McCloud, a wonderfully entertaining work of art history
- A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge, by Josh Neufeld, the story of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath
Other favorites? Add them in the comments below!
My favorite nonfiction/memoir/really inspiring diet book is _The Big Skinny: How I Changed My Fattitude: A Memoir_ by Carol Lay. Check it out in the catalog: The Big Skinny
I suggest any of the real crime stories by Rick Geary.
Abby: thanks for the recommendation! I’ve just checked it out to myself.
Care: Say, don’t I recognize your name from the comments over at Citizen Reader? I think so. Anyway: I liked Geary’s Trotsky bio better than, what was it… The Beast of Chicago, that was it. But I’m going to try the Lizzie Borden book now.
Auschwitz by Pascal Croci — ISBN/ISSN 0810948311–
When I presented this to eightth graders studying the Holocaust, the book checked out nonstop for months afterward.
From School Library Journal
Adult/High School–Croci’s chilling effort focuses on the story of a Polish couple, Kazik and Cessnia, who lost their daughter at the infamous concentration camp. Auschwitz opens with the couple in old age, returning to the camp for the first time since gaining their freedom decades before. Using a series of alternating flashbacks, the author shows the family’s internment, enslavement, and torture, and the eventual death of their child. Although not stated outright, several hints suggest that this is the couple’s first conversation about the camp, giving the different perspectives a somber poignancy. The book closes with an interesting series of short interviews with Croci in which he details topics like artistic choice and the intensive research he conducted. Although Art Spiegelman explored similar terrain with his masterful Maus (Pantheon, 1986), Auschwitz is its own creation. Croci’s text and character development are considerably sparser, but the frighteningly realistic black-and-white illustrations make this book memorable. From the hauntingly desperate eyes of the inmates to the demonic features of the Nazi captors, the images evoke the terror and oppression those who experienced the death camps endured. The tortured expressions and emaciated bodies echo the 1930s prints of Käthe Kollwitz. Ultimately, Croci’s work stays with readers, its profound imagery serving as a haunting reminder of the persistence of violence and evil.–Matthew L. Moffett, Northern Virginia Community College, Annandale
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Cheryl– Yes, it’s a great book, and more accessible for middle-grades readers than Spiegelman’s Maus. Good for you for introducing it to the eighth graders.