By Lucie Arnoux Publisher: Jonathan Cape ISBN: 9781787333598 At first glance, there’s something immediately captivating about Je Ne Sais Quoi. Lucie Arnoux’s beautifully coloured, heavily detailed cover gets your attention from the get-go. What’s more, despite being in English, it’s presented in the European album format, hinting at the theme of duality that so infuses […]
Tag Archives | biography
The English GI
By Jonathan Sandler and Brian Bicknell, adapted from Bernard Sandler’s autobiographyPublisher: Graphic MemoirISBN: 9798793377874 Ever so occasionally I’m sent a book that is a genuine surprise. This is one of those books. Using the 1995 autobiography of Bernard Sandler, Bernard’s grandson, Jonathan, has adapted the work, along with illustrator Brian Bicknell. Together they’ve created an […]
Cyberman
By Veronika Muchitsch Publisher: Myriad Editions ISBN: 9781838386023 Cyberman is, I think, the most unusual and, perhaps, the most challenging book I’ve reviewed to date. It’s based on the real experience of Veronika Muchitsch as she dips in and out of Finnish resident Ari Kivikanga’s 24-hour online streaming of his life. Ari never leaves his […]
Putin’s Russia: The Rise Of A Dictator
By Darryl Cunningham Publisher: Myriad Editions ISBN: 9781912408917 As I type this, Russia’s action against the Ukrainian territories it claims to recognise have begun. Putin has not long given a fiery speech, rewriting history to help justify his actions. He’s an indomitable figure, and looks as if he’ll once again get what he wants with […]
The Roles We Play
By Sabba Khan Publisher: Myriad Editions ISBN: 9781912408306 If I’m honest, I approached this book with some trepidation. A biographical tale about a British Pakistani woman’s struggle with identity didn’t intrigue me enough for me to dive straight in. For quite a while I put off starting it. Quite frankly, I wasn’t even sure what […]
Black
By Tobias Taitt & Anthony Smith Publisher: Soaring Penguin Press ISBN: 9781908030498 Adapted from Tobias Taitt’s autobiography, this is the story of a young boy failed by his mother and then the care system. Ultimately this would lead to a life of crime, violence and prison, but Anthony Smith’s adaptation shows us the events that […]
