Reading Recommendations Please.
April 3, 2011 8:45 PM Subscribe
Help me find good non-fiction graphic novels for an ESL reader.
My husband speaks english well, but needs to practice his reading and has identified graphic novels as something that interests him. He prefers reading non-fiction, but Perseopolis, Palestine and the People's History book are the only ones I really know and internet searches turn up mostly works of fiction and superheroes.
In a nut shell, I'm looking for interesting, possibly historical, non-fiction works of a graphical nature that are portable (no 1,000 page tomes please) and suitable for a male audience.
Any suggestions are appreciated!
My husband speaks english well, but needs to practice his reading and has identified graphic novels as something that interests him. He prefers reading non-fiction, but Perseopolis, Palestine and the People's History book are the only ones I really know and internet searches turn up mostly works of fiction and superheroes.
In a nut shell, I'm looking for interesting, possibly historical, non-fiction works of a graphical nature that are portable (no 1,000 page tomes please) and suitable for a male audience.
Any suggestions are appreciated!
I'm not much of a comic book guy, but the last non-fiction graphic 'novel' I read was Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth, about Bertrand Russell, Gödel, Gödel, Wittgenstein - that whole gang.
posted by AsYouKnow Bob at 8:53 PM on April 3, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by AsYouKnow Bob at 8:53 PM on April 3, 2011 [2 favorites]
I just read Martin Lemelman's Two Cents Plain and couldn't put it down. Caveat: some very dark parts, if that matters. But very good overall.
posted by corey flood at 8:56 PM on April 3, 2011
posted by corey flood at 8:56 PM on April 3, 2011
(...uh, make that just the ONE Gödel (Kurt) - though I don't recall if Mrs. Gödel appears, so maybe there ARE two Gödels....)
posted by AsYouKnow Bob at 8:59 PM on April 3, 2011
posted by AsYouKnow Bob at 8:59 PM on April 3, 2011
Maus is nonfiction, except for the part about everybody looking like anthropomorphic animals.
posted by contraption at 9:00 PM on April 3, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by contraption at 9:00 PM on April 3, 2011 [3 favorites]
What kind of non-fiction? Historical? Memoirs? Somewhere in between?
But based on the list you offered, Guy Delisle's Pyongyang might be a good call (he also has Shenzhen, but I couldn't get into it). And it's a little bit different (a mix of World War II history from a soldier's perspective and more modern family drama), but C. Tyler's You'll Never Know is pretty amazing.
posted by darksong at 9:16 PM on April 3, 2011
But based on the list you offered, Guy Delisle's Pyongyang might be a good call (he also has Shenzhen, but I couldn't get into it). And it's a little bit different (a mix of World War II history from a soldier's perspective and more modern family drama), but C. Tyler's You'll Never Know is pretty amazing.
posted by darksong at 9:16 PM on April 3, 2011
Understanding Comics.
It's a comic book about comics, but its really about art in general. I love it.
posted by empath at 9:18 PM on April 3, 2011 [3 favorites]
It's a comic book about comics, but its really about art in general. I love it.
posted by empath at 9:18 PM on April 3, 2011 [3 favorites]
Studs Terkel's Working was adapted was adapted to graphic/comic format a few years back.
posted by mollymayhem at 9:21 PM on April 3, 2011
posted by mollymayhem at 9:21 PM on April 3, 2011
(Oh, and seeing as you are, I believe, in Canada, it's worth pointing out that Guy Delisle is Canadian and originally wrote in French, but there are English-language versions of his books available. I don't know if that changes the answer for you or not.)
posted by darksong at 9:30 PM on April 3, 2011
posted by darksong at 9:30 PM on April 3, 2011
If he's interested in silkscreening, Do It Yourself Screenprinting is written in comic format. It's a pretty interesting read, even if you don't intend to become a screenprinter.
posted by mollymayhem at 9:36 PM on April 3, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by mollymayhem at 9:36 PM on April 3, 2011 [1 favorite]
Joe Sacco does some really great work.
Drawn and Quarterly has some really great stuff. I see here they have released something by Mizuki Shigeru, which is just fantastic news. Drawn and Quarterly has also published works by Yoshihiro Tatsumi. A Drifting Life is a really fascinating look at the development of manga in post-war Japan.
posted by KokuRyu at 9:38 PM on April 3, 2011
Drawn and Quarterly has some really great stuff. I see here they have released something by Mizuki Shigeru, which is just fantastic news. Drawn and Quarterly has also published works by Yoshihiro Tatsumi. A Drifting Life is a really fascinating look at the development of manga in post-war Japan.
posted by KokuRyu at 9:38 PM on April 3, 2011
Seconding Guy Delisle's Pyongyang and Shenzhen. They are both about the time he spent in those cities while overseeing a cartoon's illustrating. He also wrote Burma Chronicles; but I haven't got around to reading it yet, so I don't know how it is.
posted by Silly Ashles at 9:51 PM on April 3, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Silly Ashles at 9:51 PM on April 3, 2011 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Historical that I've liked:
Louis Riel, by Chester Brown.
Suspended In Language, a comic about Neils Bohr
posted by RobotHero at 9:56 PM on April 3, 2011
Louis Riel, by Chester Brown.
Suspended In Language, a comic about Neils Bohr
posted by RobotHero at 9:56 PM on April 3, 2011
Best answer: Houdini: The Handcuff King is one of my favorite non-fiction comics, from a series of books published by the Center for Cartoon Studies. Technically, they're designed for young people, but the reading level is fairly high and the narrative is really clear and engaging. There is an appendix at the back of each book with more detailed information, materials for use in the classroom or a book group to inspire further thought or interest, and bibliographies. Definitely check those out if he likes biographies.
Just last week a graphic novel about Roberto Clemente was released; I haven't read it all the way through, but I skimmed a review copy and the content was great (the art was b/w in the review & it's color in the final). If he likes baseball, try that and the Satchel Paige book from the Cartoon Studies series.
Rick Geary has made a bunch of graphic novels about historical crimes & criminals, which are great if he likes true crime or kind of spooky stories. They're a little campy, but that's a good thing! Most of them come in paperback and are just about pocket-sized, if the portability is a big deal.
Hope these are helpful suggestions! I may comment again when I get to work tomorrow and see things I've forgotten to mention on the shelves. Yay comics!
posted by Fui Non Sum at 10:18 PM on April 3, 2011
Just last week a graphic novel about Roberto Clemente was released; I haven't read it all the way through, but I skimmed a review copy and the content was great (the art was b/w in the review & it's color in the final). If he likes baseball, try that and the Satchel Paige book from the Cartoon Studies series.
Rick Geary has made a bunch of graphic novels about historical crimes & criminals, which are great if he likes true crime or kind of spooky stories. They're a little campy, but that's a good thing! Most of them come in paperback and are just about pocket-sized, if the portability is a big deal.
Hope these are helpful suggestions! I may comment again when I get to work tomorrow and see things I've forgotten to mention on the shelves. Yay comics!
posted by Fui Non Sum at 10:18 PM on April 3, 2011
I would highly recommend the non-fiction of Craig Thompson, notably his memoir Blankets and his travel diary Carnet de Voyage.
posted by jbickers at 4:09 AM on April 4, 2011
posted by jbickers at 4:09 AM on April 4, 2011
I came in to recommend Understanding Comics. Not only does it fit the bill, but it might inspire your husband to check out comics in other genres.
posted by Faint of Butt at 6:07 AM on April 4, 2011
posted by Faint of Butt at 6:07 AM on April 4, 2011
Reinhard Kleist's Johnny Cash: I See A Darkness seems almost tailored to meet the requirements.
posted by MarchHare at 6:38 AM on April 4, 2011
posted by MarchHare at 6:38 AM on April 4, 2011
Response by poster: These are great suggestions! As to what kind of history, he's not picky, he just likes to learn while he reads.
posted by scrute at 8:04 AM on April 4, 2011
posted by scrute at 8:04 AM on April 4, 2011
FWIW, back in the day I learned a lot of conversational and colloquial Japanese by reading manga, so I think this is a great ESL learning strategy.
posted by KokuRyu at 9:05 AM on April 4, 2011
posted by KokuRyu at 9:05 AM on April 4, 2011
Somewhat unrelated, but Korea Unmasked came to mind. It's written by a Korean author, translated into English (although some of the Korean is still around), and explains Korean history and culture in a way that's readable to twentysomethings like me. Amazon has it, I'm sure.
posted by chrisinseoul at 9:15 AM on April 4, 2011
posted by chrisinseoul at 9:15 AM on April 4, 2011
King, by Ho Che Anderson. MLK bio-comic.
If he's into memoirs, American Splendor by Harvey Pekar is as good a place to start as any.
posted by freem at 6:06 AM on April 5, 2011
If he's into memoirs, American Splendor by Harvey Pekar is as good a place to start as any.
posted by freem at 6:06 AM on April 5, 2011
The Burma Chronicles is Guy Delisle's best book yet.
Action Philosophers! is a series relating the lives and theses of famous philosophers, and is also hilarious.
Me and the Devil Blues by Akira Hiramoto is an outstanding manga about the blues singer Robert Johnson.
posted by nicebookrack at 9:46 AM on April 12, 2011
Action Philosophers! is a series relating the lives and theses of famous philosophers, and is also hilarious.
Me and the Devil Blues by Akira Hiramoto is an outstanding manga about the blues singer Robert Johnson.
posted by nicebookrack at 9:46 AM on April 12, 2011
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posted by fings at 8:49 PM on April 3, 2011 [1 favorite]