Graphic Medicine Collection
a guide to the graphic medicine books and resources through UMass Amherst Libraries
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Graphic Medicine Titles about Sepcific Conditions (like Cancer, Epilepsy, ASD, etc.)
A Chance by
A Chance is the engrossing, heartwarming story of afamily's struggles and triumphs. The narrativefollows Cristina Durán and Miguel Giner Bou as they rebuild and reinventthemselves after their daughter Laia is born with cerebral palsy. Hospitals,rehabilitation centers, and doctors become part of their daily routine. There isone chance in a thousand that Laia will pull throughï¿9;and theyhold on to that chance with tremendous strength and indomitablejoy. Years later, with the same courage anddetermination, Cristina and Miguel embark on the arduous process of adoptingtheir second daughter, Selam, from Ethiopia. This time, they face a long periodof training, psychological tests, interviews, and formalities before they caneven pack their bags. And when they return with Selam, the challenge ofreinvention awaits them yet again.
Call Number: RJ496.C4 D87 2021ISBN: 9781637790038Publication Date: 2021-11-30
A Thousand Coloured Castles by
Mild-mannered Myriam is diagnosed with macular degeneration in her right eye, but that doesn't explain the strange things she's been seeing: children in bright red helmets dancing on the doctor's ceiling, exotic vines growing from her television set, and thousands of colored castles forming patterns on her kitchen walls. Her husband Fred is certain that Myriam's visions are a bunch of nonsense, and her family dismisses her odd observations as the results of old age and an addled mind. So when Myriam begins to notice something "off" about the house next door, she has only her own instincts to trust: can she tell the difference between a trick of the eyes and a real crime? The surreal lives side by side with the everyday in this graphic novel about life with Charles Bonnet syndrome, a condition in which a person with partial or severe blindness has complex, often bizarre hallucinations. Gareth Brookes's rich, artistic crayon drawings pull the reader into Myriam's vibrant and unnerving world, showing the frustration and fear that arise as a result of this unique condition--and the moments of unexpected beauty.
Call Number: PN6737.B755 T46 2017ISBN: 9780271079271Publication Date: 2017-08-01
Aliceheimer's by
"Alice was always beautiful--Armenian immigrant beautiful, with thick, curly black hair, olive skin, and big dark eyes," writes Dana Walrath. Alice also has Alzheimer's, and while she can remember all the songs from The Music Man, she can no longer attend to the basics of caring for herself. Alice moves to live with her daughter, Dana, in Vermont, and the story begins. Aliceheimer's is a series of illustrated vignettes, daily glimpses into their world with Alzheimer's. Walrath's time with her mother was marked by humor and clarity: "With a community of help that included pirates, good neighbors, a cast of characters from space-time travel, and my dead father hovering in the branches of the maple trees that surround our Vermont farmhouse, Aliceheimer's let us write our own story daily--a story that, in turn, helps rewrite the dominant medical narrative of aging." In drawing Alice, Walrath literally enrobes her with cut-up pages from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. She weaves elements from Lewis Carroll's classic throughout her text, using evocative phrases from the novel to introduce the vignettes, such as "Disappearing Alice," "Missing Pieces," "Falling Slowly," "Curiouser and Curiouser," and "A Mad Tea Party." Walrath writes that creating this book allowed her not only to process her grief over her mother's dementia, but also "to remember the magic laughter of that time." Graphic medicine, she writes, "lets us better understand those who are hurting, feel their stories, and redraw and renegotiate those social boundaries. Most of all, it gives us a way to heal and to fly over the world as Alice does." In the end, Aliceheimer's is indeed strangely and utterly uplifting.
Call Number: RC523 .W355 2016ISBN: 9780271074689Publication Date: 2016-04-15
Brittle Joints by
New York Public Library Top 10 Graphic Novels of 2024 Starred Review from Publishers Weekly. "It's a revealing visualization of a rare, 'depersonalizing' condition and how Sweeney finds 'drops of disabled joy whenever I can.' Sweeney's subtle and elegant art reflects the nuance of her moment-to-moment struggle." An evocative and heartfelt graphic memoir about the challenges of living with a progressive disability. When Maria Sweeney was young, she kept count of her broken bones. As she grew older, she stopped. Living with Bruck syndrome, a rare progressive condition that gives her very brittle bones and joint abnormalities, meant that those numbers climbed and climbed. Today, she struggles every day, living in an often-inaccessible world. As an ambulatory wheelchair user, ordinary actions like entering a building, sitting at a café, or holding a cup of tea can be drastically different for her than for others. With lush illustrations, Maria tells the story of her lifelong struggle to obtain care in an increasingly complicated and disinterested US healthcare system. But for every step that presents a struggle, there's also beauty, friendship, art, and growth. She documents the relief she's found in alternative therapies, particularly medical marijuana; in loving community and chosen family; and in nature and her creative practice. A powerfully understated critique of our modern world, Brittle Joints offers a generous, expansive look at how to live and love amidst the challenges of survival.
Call Number: RC931.O68 S98 2024ISBN: 9781951491260Publication Date: 2024-06-25
Cancer Made Me a Shallower Person by
A cartoonist examines her experience with breast cancer in an irreverent and humorous graphic memoir.
Call Number: RC280.B8 E57 2006ISBN: 9780060789732Publication Date: 2006-04-25
Cancer Vixen by
"What happens when a shoe-crazy, lipstick-obsessed, wine-swilling, pasta-slurping, fashion-fanatic, single-forever, about-to-get-married big-city girl cartoonist with a fabulous life finds . . . a lump in her breast?" That's the question that sets this powerful, funny, and poignant graphic memoir in motion. In vivid color and with a taboo-breaking sense of humor, Marisa Acocella Marchetto tells the story of her eleven-month, ultimately triumphant bout with breast cancer--from diagnosis to cure, and every challenging step in between. But Cancer Vixen is about more than surviving an illness. It is a portrait of one woman's supercharged life in Manhattan, and a wonderful love story. Marisa, self-described "terminal bachelorette," meets her Prince Charming in Silvano, owner of the chic downtown restaurant Da Silvano. Three weeks before their wedding, she receives her diagnosis. She wonders: How will he react to this news? How will my world change? Will I even survive? And . . . what about my hair? From raucous New Yorker staff lunches and the star-studded crowd at Silvano's restaurant to the rainbow pumps Marisa wears to chemotherapy, Cancer Vixen is a total original. Marisa's wit and courage are an inspiration--she's a cancer vixen, not its victim.
Call Number: RC280 .B8 M343 2006ISBN: 0307263576Publication Date: 2006-09-26
Cells at Work! by
A BLOOD-PUMPING JOB Strep throat! Hay fever! Influenza! The world is a dangerous place for a red blood cell just trying to get her deliveries finished. Fortunately, she's not alone... she's got a whole human body's worth of cells ready to help out! The mysterious white blood cell, the buff and brash killer T cell, the nerdy neuron, even the cute little platelets -- everyone's got to come together if they want to keep you healthy!
Call Number: PN6790.J33 S55613 2021ISBN: 9781632363565Publication Date: 2016-11-01
COVID Chronicles by
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to itsknees. When we weren't sheltering in place, we were advised to wear masks, washour hands, and practice social distancing. We watched in horror as medicalpersonnel worked around the clock to care for the sick and dying. Businesseswere shuttered, travel stopped, workers were furloughed, and markets dropped.And people continued to die. Amid all thisuncertainty, writers and artists from around the world continued to createcomics, commenting directly on how individuals, societies, governments, andmarkets reacted to the worldwide crisis. COVID Chronicles: A Comics Anthologycollects more than sixty such short comics from a diverse set of creators,including indie powerhouses, mainstream artists, Ignatz and Eisner Awardwinners, and media cartoonists. In narrative styles ranging from realistic tofantastic, they tell stories about adjusting to working from home, homeschoolingtheir kids, missing birthdays and weddings, and being afraid just to leave thehouse. They probe the failures of government leaders and the social safety net.They dig into the racial bias and systemic inequities that this pandemic helpedbring to light. We see what it's like to get the virus and live to tell aboutit, or to stand by helplessly as a loved onepasses. At times heartbreaking and at othershopeful and humorous, these comics express the anger, anxiety, fear, andbewilderment we feel in the era of COVID-19. Above all, they highlight the powerof art and community to help us make sense of a world in crisis, reminding usthat we are truly all in this together. The comicsin this collection have been generously donated by their creators. A portion ofthe the proceeds from the sale of this volume are being donated by the publisherto the Book Industry Charitable Foundation (Binc) in support of comics shops,bookstores, and their employees who have been adversely affected by thepandemic.
Call Number: RA644.C67 C668 2021ISBN: 9780271090146Publication Date: 2022-03-22
The Death of Captain Marvel Gallery Edition by
Celebrate the life and honour the death of one of the Marvel Universe's greatest heroes, as a classic tale is presented in the full cosmic scale of a Gallery Edition! The Kree warrior Mar-Vell has triumphed over foes large and small. But when he is diagnosed with cancer, Mar-Vell finds himself face-to-face with an enemy that even his vast might can't defeat - and both he, and a universe that loves him, must rally together to accept the inevitable. The industry-changing graphic novel is presented alongside Mar-Vell's formative adventures, a portentous battle with Nitro, and Mar-Vell's budding romance with his true love Elysius! Guest-starring the Avengers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four and more! Collecting: Marvel Super-Heroes (1967) 12-13; Captain Marvel (1968) 1, 34; Marvel Spotlight (1979) 1-2; Marvel Graphic Novel (1982) 1: The Death of Captain Marvel
Call Number: PN6728.C37 L44 2021ISBN: 9781302931322Publication Date: 2021-11-09
Dying for Attention by
When Susan MacLeod accompanied her 90-year-old mother through a labyrinthine long-term care system, it was a nine-year journey navigating a government within a heart in a system without compassion. Her family, much like the system, erected walls rather than opening arms. She found herself involuntarily placed at the pivot point between her frail, elderly mother's need for love and companionship, the system's inability to deliver, and her brother's indifference. She had also spent three years as a government spokesperson enthusiastically defending the very system she now experienced as brutally cold. MacLeod's tone is defined by a gentle, self-effacing humour touched by exasperation for the absurdities and the newfound wisdom around expectations. Dying for Attention is the latest memoir in the graphic medicine field, shelved alongside My Begging Chart by Keiler Roberts and Tangles by Sarah Leavitt. MacLeod includes helpful tips for communicating with nursing homes, as well as background research, to provide a larger context for this under-discussed experience.
Call Number: RA998.C3 M33 2021ISBN: 9781772620610Publication Date: 2021-10-05
Epileptic by
Hailed by The Comics Journal as one of Europe’s most important and innovative comics artists, David B. has created a masterpiece in Epileptic, his stunning and emotionally resonant autobiography about growing up with an epileptic brother. Epileptic gathers together and makes available in English for the first time all six volumes of the internationally acclaimed graphic work. David B. was born Pierre-François Beauchard in a small town near Orléans, France. He spent an idyllic early childhood playing with the neighborhood kids and, along with his older brother, Jean-Christophe, ganging up on his little sister, Florence. But their lives changed abruptly when Jean-Christophe was struck with epilepsy at age eleven. In search of a cure, their parents dragged the family to acupuncturists and magnetic therapists, to mediums and macrobiotic communes. But every new cure ended in disappointment as Jean-Christophe, after brief periods of remission, would only get worse. Angry at his brother for abandoning him and at all the quacks who offered them false hope, Pierre-François learned to cope by drawing fantastically elaborate battle scenes, creating images that provide a fascinating window into his interior life. An honest and horrifying portrait of the disease and of the pain and fear it sowed in the family, Epileptic is also a moving depiction of one family’s intricate history. Through flashbacks, we are introduced to the stories of Pierre-François’s grandparents and we relive his grandfathers’ experiences in both World Wars. We follow Pierre-François through his childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, all the while charting his complicated relationship with his brother and Jean-Christophe”s losing battle with epilepsy. Illustrated with beautiful and striking black-and-white images, Epileptic is as astonishing, intimate, and heartbreaking as the best literary memoir.
Call Number: PN6747.B2213 2005ISBN: 9780375423185Publication Date: 2005-01-04
Funny Misshapen Body by
Funny Misshapen Body is the story of Jeffrey Brown's evolution as a cartoonist, from his youthful obsession with superhero comics to his disillusionment with fine art at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Drawn with Brown's scratchy, spare, trademark style, Funny Misshapen Body resonates with true-to-life observations on love, fear, and ambition. Through his bare bones graphic style, he reveals his most embarrassing personal moments in raw, intimate detail -- including how he survived high school, binge drinking, mild drug experimentation, doomed friendships, and being diagnosed with Crohn's disease. Ultimately coming to terms with his art and identity, Brown describes the ups and downs of his adolescence with understated simplicity, dark humor, and charm.
Call Number: PN6728 .F86 2009ISBN: 9781416549475Publication Date: 2009-04-07
Hey, Kiddo: a Graphic Novel by
The powerful, unforgettable graphic memoir from Jarrett Krosoczka, about growing up with a drug-addicted mother, a missing father, and two unforgettably opinionated grandparents.In kindergarten, Jarrett Krosoczka's teacher asks him to draw his family, with a mommy and a daddy. But Jarrett's family is much more complicated than that. His mom is an addict, in and out of rehab, and in and out of Jarrett's life. His father is a mystery -- Jarrett doesn't know where to find him, or even what his name is. Jarrett lives with his grandparents -- two very loud, very loving, very opinionated people who had thought they were through with raising children until Jarrett came along.Jarrett goes through his childhood trying to make his non-normal life as normal as possible, finding a way to express himself through drawing even as so little is being said to him about what's going on. Only as a teenager can Jarrett begin to piece together the truth of his family, reckoning with his mother and tracking down his father. Hey, Kiddo is a profoundly important memoir about growing up in a family grappling with addiction, and finding the art that helps you survive.
Call Number: PZ7.7.K76 He 2018ISBN: 9780545902472Publication Date: 2018-10-09
In by
A poignant and witty graphic novel by a leading New Yorker cartoonist, following a millennial's journey from performing his life to truly connecting with people Nick, a young illustrator, can't shake the feeling that there is some hidden realm of human interaction beyond his reach. He haunts lookalike fussy, silly, coffee shops, listens to old Joni Mitchell albums too loudly, and stares at his navel in the hope that he will find it in there. But it isn't until he learns to speak from the heart that he begins to find authentic human connections and is let in--to the worlds of the people he meets. Nick's journey occurs alongside the beginnings of a relationship with Wren, a wry, spirited oncologist at a nearby hospital, whose work and life becomes painfully tangled with Nick's. Illustrated in both color and black-and-white in McPhail's instantly recognizable style, In elevates the graphic novel genre; it captures his trademark humor and compassion with a semi-autobiographical tale that is equal parts hilarious and heart-wrenching--uncannily appropriate for our isolated times.
Call Number: PN6727.M297 I5 2021ISBN: 9780358345541Publication Date: 2021-06-08
Invisible Differences by
2020 ALA TOP GRAPHIC NOVELS FOR ADULTS Translated for the very first time in English, Invisible Differences is the deeply moving and intimate story of what it's like to live day to day with Asperger Syndrome. "This soulful and serious look at Asperger's syndrome brings an informed and optimistic perspective to the fore." -- Publishers Weekly Marguerite feels awkward, struggling every day to stay productive at work and keep up appearances with friends. She's sensitive, irritable at times. She makes her environment a fluffy, comforting cocoon, alienating her boyfriend. The everyday noise and stimuli assaults her senses, the constant chatter of her coworkers working her last nerve. Then, when one big fight with her boyfriend finds her frustrated and dejected, Marguerite finally investigates the root of her discomfor: after a journey of tough conversations with her loved ones, doctors, and the internet, she discovers that she has Aspergers. Her life is profoundly changed - for the better.
Call Number: RC553.A88 D3313 2020ISBN: 9781620107669Publication Date: 2020-10-20
Kimiko Does Cancer by
A graphic memoir that upends the traditional cancer narrative from a young woman's perspective, confronting issues such as dating while in menopause, navigating work and treatment, and talking to well-meaning friends, health care professionals, and other cancer survivors with viewpoints different from her own. Not one for pink ribbons or runs for the cure, Kimiko seeks connection within the cancer community while also critiquing the mainstream cancer experience. Honest and poignant, Kimiko Does Cancer is about finding one's own way out of a health crisis.
Call Number: RC280.B8 T63 2020ISBN: 9781551528199Publication Date: 2020-10-06
Lighter Than My Shadow by
"A gripping graphic novel about a woman's battle with eating disorders." -- The Guardian Like most kids, Katie was a picky eater. She'd sit at the table in silent protest, hide uneaten toast in her bedroom, listen to parental threats that she'd have to eat it for breakfast. But in any life, a set of circumstances can collide, and normal behavior can soon shade into something sinister, something deadly. Lighter Than My Shadow is a hand-drawn story of struggle and recovery, a trip into the black heart of a taboo illness, an exposure of those who are so weak that they prey on the weak, and an inspiration to anybody who believes in the human power to endure and to eventually find happiness.
Call Number: RC552.E18 G737 2017ISBN: 9781941302415Publication Date: 2017-10-03
Lisa's Story by
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of Lisa's Story go towards cancer research and education. Visit Lisa's Legacy Fund to learn more or to make a direct donation. A story from the comic strips that will make you laugh and cry Tom Batiuk spent several years as a middle school art teacher before creating the comic strip Funky Winkerbean in 1972. Originally a "gag-a-day" comic strip that portrayed life in high school, Funky has evolved into a mature series of real-life stories examining such social issues as teen dating abuse, teen pregnancy, teen suicide, violence in schools, the war in the Middle East, alcoholism, divorce, and cancer. In 1999, Lisa Moore, one of Funky's friends and a main character, discovered she had breast cancer. Batiuk, unsure about dealing with such a serious subject on the funny pages, decided to go ahead with the story line. He approached the topic with the idea that mixing humor with serious and real themes heightens the reader's interest. Lisa and husband Les faced the same physical, psychological, and social issues as anyone else dealing with the disease. After a mastectomy and chemotherapy, Lisa was cancer free. She finished her law degree, opened a practice, and had a baby daughter, Summer. Then, in the spring of 2006, the cancer returned and metastasized. Lisa's Story: The Other Shoe is a collection of both the 1999 comic strips on Lisa's initial battle with cancer and the current series examining her struggle with the disease and its outcome. Additionally, it contains resource material on breast cancer, including early detection, information sources, support systems, and health care.
Call Number: RC280.B8 B375 2007ISBN: 9780873389242Publication Date: 2007-09-21
Little Victories: Autism Through a Father's Eyes (Graphic Novel) by
THE AWARD WINNING GRAPHIC NOVEL AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A FATHER, AND THE CHALLENGES HE FACES RAISING HIS AUTISTIC SON. A beautiful visual exploration of the highs and lows experienced by a parent learning how to adapt to his son's autism. Faced with a challenging road ahead, the author uses creative flair and ingenuity in order to connect with his son, enabling him to reach his fullest potential and prepare him for the transition into adulthood. This stunning insight into the nature of autism and the daily struggles of a parent uses humor and compassion to convey its message. This is the perfect creative outlet for anyone - from parent to teacher - looking for detailed information on the subject with a more personal touch. Yvon Roy won the Best Biography Award from the Disability Fund and Society, as well receiving the INSPIREO High School Students Award for the most inspiring youth book, and the Literary Award for Citizenship from the Maine Teachers' League.
Call Number: PN6733.R697 P4813 2020ISBN: 9781787732308Publication Date: 2021-05-25
The Minamata Story by
2022 Skipping Stones Honor Awards Recipient | 2021 NCTAsia Freeman Award Honorable Mention The true story of how one Japanese village suffered and survived the mercury poisoning of its waters. A powerful graphic novel/manga that tells the story of "Minamata disease," a debilitating and sometimes fatal condition caused by the Chisso chemical factory's careless release of methylmercury into the waters of the coastal community of Minamata in southern Japan. First identified in 1956, it became a hot topic in Japan in the 1970s and 80s, growing into an iconic struggle between people versus corporations and government agencies. This struggle is relevant today, not simply because many people are still living with the disease but also because, in this time of growing concern over the safety of our environment--viz. Flint, Michigan--Minamata gives us as a very moving example of such human-caused environmental disasters and what we can do about them. The event is also the subject of the 2020 Andrew Levitas directed Johnny Depp film, Minamata.
Call Number: RA1231.M5 W55 2021ISBN: 9781611720563Publication Date: 2021-06-15
Mis(h)adra by
An Arab-American college student struggles to live with epilepsy in this starkly colored and deeply-cutting graphic novel. Isaac wants nothing more than to be a functional college student--but managing his epilepsy is an exhausting battle to survive. He attempts to maintain a balancing act between his seizure triggers and his day-to-day schedule, but he finds that nothing--not even his medication--seems to work. The doctors won't listen, the schoolwork keeps piling up, his family is in denial about his condition, and his social life falls apart as he feels more and more isolated by his illness. Even with an unexpected new friend by his side, so much is up against him that Isaac is starting to think his epilepsy might be unbeatable. Based on the author's own experiences as an epileptic, Mis(h)adra is a boldly visual depiction of the daily struggles of living with a misunderstood condition in today's hectic and uninformed world.
Call Number: PN6727.A83 M57 2017ISBN: 9781501162107Publication Date: 2017-10-03
Mom's Cancer by
An honest, unflinching, and sometimes humorous look at the practical and emotional effect that serious illness can have on patients and their families, Mom's Cancer is a story of hope--uniquely told in words and illustrations. "This grave and courageous account reaches beyond one individual and one family to become a support story for others living with cancer, and a real classic." (Library Journal) Each year, approximately 1.5 million people in the United States and Canada are diagnosed with cancer. This is one family's story. Brian Fies is a freelance journalist whose mother was diagnosed with lung cancer. As he and his two sisters struggled with the effects of her illness and her ongoing recovery from treatment, Brian processed the experience in his journal, which took the form of words and pictures. The story that came to be known as "Mom's Cancer" first gained notice on the internet. It was posted anonymously, with the intention of sharing information and insights gained from Brian's family's experience, and it won the comics industry's Eisner Award for Best Digital Comic, the Harvey Award. As Brian notes: I'm very gratified by the reviews and recognition the book has received, and happy that my family's story is being used by medical professionals and reaching people I wouldn't have thought possible when I began writing it.
Call Number: PN6727.F53 M65 2006ISBN: 9780810971073Publication Date: 2009-01-01
Moving Along by
«A brilliant, touching and thought-provoking book. Moving Alongmerges academic research with personal narrative and beautifully rendered drawings to create a one-of-a-kind book that contributes fresh and compelling perspectives. This life-affirming graphic novel is essential reading for anyone interested in Parkinson's and the power of art and community to sustain and nurture the human spirit.» (David Leventhal, Program Director and Founding Teacher, Dance for PD®, Mark Morris Dance Group, Brooklyn, NY USA) «This is a wonderfully accessible book that has been co-created by people living with Parkinson's, researchers and artists. In the true-to-life stories, the anxieties and challenges of living with Parkinson's are explored in evocative cartoons. Yet , as well as talking about the challenges, the book has the joy of dancing at its heart. Dance has proved to be an exceptionally good catalyst for living well with Parkinson's and this graphic novel illustrates individual journeys through Parkinson's and into dance. For anyone curious about dancing who now lives with Parkinson's, or knows someone who does, this book is for you. For anyone interested in graphic medicine, dance for wellbeing, or arts in healthcare, this book is an important addition to the literature. » (Professor Sara Houston, author of Dancing with Parkinson's) Meet Hugo, Karen, Alma, Helene, Anne-Marie, Poul, Lone, and Eskild, who go to Parkinson's dance class together. They are characters in this graphic novel, which is based on many stories about Parkinson's. The stories come from participants in Parkinson's dance who have talked about how dance involves bodily, aesthetic experiences, including the feeling of bubbles in their bodies and flying together. Dancing brings joy, energy, and community, and thereby strengthens the will to live, all important when a chronic illness turns your world upside down. This book, a co-produced research-based graphic novel, is designed for use in the fields of arts and health, medical humanities, graphic medicine, and narrative medicine. It is also written for people with Parkinson's, or other chronic diseases, and their families. The book invites dialogue about the existential dimensions of chronic illness, especially Parkinson's, and long-term caregiving.
Call Number: RC382 .F75713 2023ISBN: 9781800799349Publication Date: 2023-03-24
My Degeneration by
How does one deal with a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease at the age of forty-three? My Degeneration, by former Anchorage Daily News staff cartoonist Peter Dunlap-Shohl, answers the question with humor and passion, recounting the author's attempt to come to grips with the "malicious whimsy" of this chronic, progressive, and disabling disease. This graphic novel tracks Dunlap-Shohl's journey through depression, the worsening symptoms of the disease, the juggling of medications and their side effects, the impact on relations with family and community, and the raft of mental and physical changes wrought by the malady. My Degeneration examines the current state of Parkinson's care, including doctor/patient relations and the repercussions of a disease that, among other things, impairs movement, can rob patients of their ability to speak or write, degrades sufferers' ability to deal with complexity, and interferes with the sense of balance. Readers learn what it's like to undergo a dramatic, demanding, and audacious bit of high-tech brain surgery that can mysteriously restore much of a patient's control over symptoms. But My Degeneration is more than a Parkinson's memoir. Dunlap-Shohl gives the person newly diagnosed with Parkinson's disease the information necessary to cope with it on a day-to-day basis. He chronicles the changes that life with the disease can bring to the way one sees the world and the way one is seen by the wider community. Dunlap-Shohl imparts a realistic basis for hope--hope not only to carry on, but to enjoy a decent quality of life.
Call Number: RC382 .D86 2015ISBN: 9780271071022Publication Date: 2015-11-15
My New York Diary by
THE CLASSIC GRAPHIC NOVEL, BACK IN PRINT Back in print is the classic graphic novel by the acclaimed (though no longer working in comics) iconic artist Julie Doucet. In My New York Diary - one of the first contemporary graphic novels - Doucet abruptly packs her bags and moves to New York. Trouble follows her in the form of a jealous boyfriend, insecurity about her talent, her worsening epilepsy, and a tendency to self-medicate with booze and drugs.
Call Number: PN6733.D68 M9 2004ISBN: 9781896597836Publication Date: 2010-12-21
Our Cancer Year by
It was they year of Desert Storm that Harvey Pekar and his wife, Joyce Brabner, discovered Harvey had cancer. Pekar, a man who has made a profession of chronicling the Kafkaesque absurdities of an ordinary life (if any life is ordinary) suddenly found himself incapacitated. But he had a better-than-average chance to beat cancer and he took it -- kicking, screaming, and complaining all the way. Pekar and Brabner draw on this and other trials to paint a portrait of a man beset with fearsreal and imagined -- who survives.
Call Number: RC265.6.P45 B73 1994ISBN: 9781568580111Publication Date: 1994-10-13
Ronan and the Endless Sea of Stars by
In this graphic novel memoir, Rick Louis recounts his journey through grief after his infant son is diagnosed with Tay-SachsWhen Rick and Emily's infant son Ronan is diagnosed with Tay-Sachs, an incurable neurological disorder, they are faced with the practical and emotional hurdles of parenting and loving their son--despite the shadow of inevitable loss. Rick Louis narrates this original graphic memoir, with illustrator Lara Antal translating the space that Ronan occupies before, during, and after his life, using flights of fancy and imagination to express the bizarre, heartbreaking, and the sometimes even silly reality of human beings suddenly trapped in an impossible situation. Ronan and the Endless Sea of Stars is a graphic memoir for fans of Liana Finck's Passing for Human and Tom Hart's Rosalie Lightning, which was a Goodreads Choice Award semi-finalist, Amazon Best Book of 2016, on the Washington Post's Best Graphic Novels of 2016 list, and one of Publishers Weekly's 100 Best Books of 2016. Ronan and the Endless Sea of Stars is a story of warmth and of heartbreak--about finding joy in life, no matter how long or short that life might be.
Call Number: RJ399.T36 L68 2022ISBN: 9781419751080Publication Date: 2022-11-15
Roses in December by
Laughter and pain, love and loss "Stories told in comic strips aren't generally intended to be book-length narratives, but, on occasion, a story rises above the rest of the work and marks itself as something special. [Roses in December] is one of those stories." - from the Preface Since its debut in 1987, Crankshaft has engendered reader loyalty and affection with its wry wit, engaging storylines, and identifiable characters. Created by Tom Batiuk and drawn by Chuck Ayers, the strip offers plenty of humor but also tackles serious issues like adult literacy, school violence, and the challenges of aging. Roses in December is a touching collection of two Crankshaft storylines of characters who find themselves dealing with the incurable condition of Alzheimer's disease. First, Ed Crankshaft's best friend Ralph is confronted with the trauma of his wife Helen's worsening Alzheimer's. He never knows if the love of his life will recognize him on those days that he visits her at Sunny Days Nursing Home. Ralph and Helen's love story unfolds with humor and heartbreak. In the second story arc, Crankshaft's neighbor Lucy McKenzie also exhibits symptoms of Alzheimer's and eventually is moved to Sunny Days Nursing Home by her sister Lillian. The fourteen-year struggles of Lucy, Helen, and their loved ones are elegantly told, preserving their dignity and reminding us that sometimes a sense of humor can be our greatest possession during life's trials. Through the deceptively simple medium of the daily comic strip, Tom Batiuk and Chuck Ayers address the profound effects of Alzheimer's disease in a thoughtful and occasionally humorous way. Roses in December includes a resource guide for caregivers, patients, and practitioners.
Call Number: PN6728.C69 B4 2015ISBN: 9781606352342Publication Date: 2015-06-01
Second Avenue Caper by
Winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Best LGBT Graphic Novel A Village Voice Best Graphic Novel A triumphant memoir of grassroots activism and change in New York City from renowned graphic novelist Joyce Brabner. Second Avenue Caper is the true story of a tight-knit group of artists and activists living in New York City in the early 1980s who found themselves on the front lines in the fight against AIDS. Struggling to understand the disease and how they could help, they made a deal with a bona fide goodfella, donned masterful disguises, piled into an "A-Team" van, and set off for the border, determined to save their bedridden friends by smuggling an experimental drug into the United States from Mexico. With their community in crisis and the world turned against them, this impassioned gang of misfits never gave up hope as they searched for ways to raise awareness and beat the plague. Fast-paced, poignant, and beautifully illustrated by the award-winning illustrator Mark Zingarelli, Second Avenue Caper is a heartfelt tribute to the generation that faced down AIDS.
Call Number: RA643.84.N7 B73 2014ISBN: 9780809035533Publication Date: 2014-11-18
Sobriety by
Through rich illustration and narrative, Sobriety: A Graphic Novel offers an inside look to recovery from the perspectives of five Twelve Step group members, each with a unique set of addictions, philosophies, struggles, and successes while working the Steps. Gold Winner of the Midwest Book Award in the self-help category from the Midwest Independent Publishers Association!Through rich illustration and narrative, Sobriety: A Graphic Novel offers an inside look to recovery from the perspectives of five Twelve Step group members, each with a unique set of addictions, philosophies, struggles, and successes while working the Steps.Larry, an "old-timer" in recovery circles, believes in the powerful, rich traditions of the Big Book in helping people reinvent themselves. Alex is a Londoner of African descent, gay and an atheist who decided to go to treatment in the States when his Ecstasy and heroin addictions landed him in the hospital. Debby, a single mother in her twenties, is on her third round of treatment. A dreamer, she's finally owned up to being an addict and wants to live a sober life, but hasn't quite grasped how much work that's going to take. At nineteen, Matt is what some might call a "tough case" with meth his drug of choice. He's deeply lonely but has developed a tough outer shell for protection. Hannah was adopted as a baby and grew to be a smart, high-achiever. Now a college freshman, her rebellious side has taken over, her grades are suffering, and she also struggles with bulimia.The fact that they are all seeking help for addiction is the one thing that ties them together. But their approaches to recovery are as diverse as their backgrounds. As their stories unfold through their interactions as a Twelve Step group, we gain an intimate look at the challenges faced by those in recovery--and at the boundless power of working the Steps in helping people find strength in one another as they reach for a clean-and-sober life.
Call Number: HV5275 .M28 2014ISBN: 9781616495572Publication Date: 2014-10-16
Spot 12 by
A visually gripping graphic memoir, this book delivers the gritty details of a mother, a newborn, and a five-month stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). A routine prenatal exam reveals a dangerous problem and the first-time parents find themselves thrust into a world of close calls, sleepless nights, and psychological crisis. Surrounded by disagreements, deaths, extended family tensions, and questions of faith, the mother struggles to maintain a positive frame of mind. Against the antiseptic, mechanical reality of the NICU, the dedicated health professionals are drawn as sympathetic and wry animal characters. Doctor Eyes and Nurse Gentlehands are two of the care providers that do all they can to take care of Baby Asa. At times the parents battle feelings of helplessness but their determination, insight, bravery, and connection ultimately helps keep their little one alive.
Call Number: RJ253.5 .J34 2016ISBN: 9781941203118Publication Date: 2016-10-07
Sunshine: a Graphic Novel by
The extraordinary -- and extraordinarily powerful -- follow-up to Hey, Kiddo. When Jarrett J. Krosoczka was in high school, he was part of a program that sent students to be counselors at a camp for seriously ill kids and their families. Going into it, Jarrett was worried: Wouldn't it be depressing, to be around kids facing such a serious struggle? Wouldn't it be grim? But instead of the shadow of death, Jarrett found something else at Camp Sunshine: the hope and determination that gets people through the most troubled of times. Not only was he subject to some of the usual rituals that come with being a camp counselor (wilderness challenges, spooky campfire stories, an extremely stinky mascot costume), but he also got a chance to meet some extraordinary kids facing extraordinary circumstances. He learned about the captivity of illness, for sure but he also learned about the freedom a safe space can bring. Now, in his follow-up to the National Book Award finalist Hey, Kiddo, Jarrett brings readers back to Camp Sunshine so we can meet the campers and fellow counselors who changed the course of his life.
Call Number: PZ7.7.K76 Su 2023ISBN: 9781338356328Publication Date: 2023-04-18
Taking Turns by
In 1994, at the height of the AIDS epidemic in the United States, MK Czerwiec took her first nursing job, at Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago, as part of the caregiving staff of HIV/AIDS Care Unit 371. Taking Turns pulls back the curtain on life in the ward. A shining example of excellence in the treatment and care of patients, Unit 371 was a community for thousands of patients and families affected by HIV and AIDS and the people who cared for them. This graphic novel combines Czerwiec's memories with the oral histories of patients, family members, and staff. It depicts life and death in the ward, the ways the unit affected and informed those who passed through it, and how many look back on their time there today. Czerwiec joined Unit 371 at a pivotal time in the history of AIDS: deaths from the syndrome in the Midwest peaked in 1995 and then dropped drastically in the following years, with the release of antiretroviral protease inhibitors. This positive turn of events led to a decline in patient populations and, ultimately, to the closure of Unit 371. Czerwiec's restrained, inviting drawing style and carefully considered narrative examine individual, institutional, and community responses to the AIDS epidemic--as well as the role that art can play in the grieving process. Deeply personal yet made up of many voices, this history of daily life in a unique AIDS care unit is an open, honest look at suffering, grief, and hope among a community of medical professionals and patients at the heart of the epidemic.
Call Number: RC606.6 .C97 2017ISBN: 9780271078182Publication Date: 2017-03-15
Tangles by
In this powerful memoir the the LA Times calls "moving, rigorous, and heartbreaking," Sarah Leavitt reveals how Alzheimer's disease transformed her mother, Midge, and her family forever. In spare blackand- white drawings and clear, candid prose, Sarah shares her family's journey through a harrowing range of emotions--shock, denial, hope, anger, frustration--all the while learning to cope, and managing to find moments of happiness. Midge, a Harvard educated intellectual, struggles to comprehend the simplest words; Sarah's father, Rob, slowly adapts to his new role as full-time caretaker, but still finds time for wordplay and poetry with his wife; Sarah and her sister Hannah argue, laugh, and grieve together as they join forces to help Midge. Tangles confronts the complexity of Alzheimer's disease, and ultimately releases a knot of memories and dreams to reveal a bond between a mother and a daughter that will never come apart.
Call Number: RC523 .L43 2012ISBN: 9781616086398Publication Date: 2012-05-01
The Alcoholic by
Written by Jonathan Ames Art and cover by Dean Haspiel Jonathan A. is a boozed-up, coked-out, sexually confused, hopelessly romantic and, of course, entirely fictional novelist who bears only a coincidental resemblance to real-life writer Jonathan Ames, critically acclaimed author of Wake Up, Sir!, The Extra Man and What's Not to Love? For the fictional Jonathan, writing and drinking come easy. The hard parts of life are love and hope. From a touching relationship between Jonathan and his aging great aunt, to an inebriated evening with an amorous, octogenarian dwarf, to the devastating aftermath of 9/11, Ames's first original graphic novel, with gritty, poignant art by Dean Haspiel (THE QUITTER), tells a story at once hilarious, excruciating, bizarre and universal, about how our lives fall to pieces and the enduring human struggle to put things back together again.
Call Number: PN6727.A425 A44 2008ISBN: 9781401210564Publication Date: 2008-09-30
The Bad Doctor by
Meet Dr. Iwan James: cyclist, doctor, would-be lover, former heavy metal fan, and, above all, human being. Weighed down by his responsibilities--from diagnosing personality disorders to deciding who can hold a gun license--he doubts his ability to make decisions about the lives of others when he may need more than a little help himself. Cartoonist and doctor Ian Williams introduces us to Iwan's troubled life as all humanity, it seems, passes through his surgery doors.
Call Number: PN6737.W447 B33 2015ISBN: 9780271067544Publication Date: 2015-03-15
The Inflatable Woman by
A Guardian Best Graphic Book of 2015Iris (or balletgirl-42 as she's known on the internet dating circuit) is a zookeeper looking for love when she is diagnosed with breast cancer. Overnight, her life becomes populated with a carnival of daunting hospital characters. Despite the attempts of her friends - Maud, Granma Suggs, Larry the Monkey and a group of singing penguins - to comfort her, Iris's fears begin to encircle her until all she has to cling to is the attention of a lighthouse keeper called sailor_buoy_39. The Inflatable Woman combines magic realism with the grit of everyday life to create a poignant and surreal journey inside the human psyche.
Call Number: PN6738.B35 I54 2015ISBN: 9781408858073Publication Date: 2015-10-22
What's Wrong? by
"A humane and gripping work that illuminates how (and why) our treatments of chronic illness fail, and a devastating portrait of the ways our society fails to protect the bodies of its most vulnerable members." --Melissa Febos, author of Girlhood, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award "Erin Williams' What's Wrong? is an utterly riveting, deeply moving, absolutely molecule-rearranging exploration of pain--individual and collective--suffused with wit, wonder, and mourning; textured by compassion and curiosity, and vibrating with the humanity of its dynamic subjects. Williams' sharp, nimble, tender prose, and her searing art--humming with insight and imagination--speak to veins of human experience so difficult to articulate we often shy away from speaking them at all. But in these dark places, she finds vitality, collectivity, and hope. This book and its subjects will live inside me forever." Leslie Jamison, author The Empathy Exams What's Wrong? is author, illustrator, and scientific researcher Erin Williams's graphic exploration of how the American health-care system fails us. Focusing on four raw and complex firsthand accounts, plus Williams's own story, this book examines the consequences of living with interconnected illnesses and conditions like: immunodeficiency cancer endometriosis alcoholism severe depression PTSD Western medicine, which intends to cure illness and minimize pain, often causes more loss, abuse, and suffering for those Americans who don't fit within the narrow definition of who the system was built to serve--cis, white, heterosexual men. The book explores the many ways in which those receiving medical care are often overlooked, unseen, and doubted by the very clinicians who are supposed to heal them. What's Wrong? is also a beautiful celebration of nontraditional modes of healing, of how we become whole not because of health care but despite it.
Call Number: RA563.M56 W555 2024ISBN: 9781419747342Publication Date: 2024-01-23
When David Lost His Voice by
The doctor's report is final: David has cancer. Now the whole family is under the same terrible verdict. David's wife becomes progressively consumed by the looming shadow of death while his daughters struggle to be as helpful as possible. Meanwhile, David soldiers on, not wanting the tumor to rob him of everything, including the chance to see his granddaughter grow up. Vanistendael's extraordinary art and sensitive text provide a powerful portrayal of a family preparing for life after unimaginable loss. Praise for When David Lost His Voice: "Neither sentimental nor cynical, this narrative holds the most delicate aspects of family life gently and openly for readers to immerse themselves." -Booklist "Vanistendael's illustrations are gorgeous, dynamic, and deeply emotive, with a hint of sentimentality." -Publishers Weekly, starred review "The sensitive and compelling writing is enhanced by Vanistendael's color art, which is simple, impressionistic, and beautifully designed." -Library Journal "A poignant cancer drama" - The A.V. Club "Vanistendael's fine art is dazzling, breathtaking, and a visual tour de force, one of the best things I've seen in a graphic novel." -The Miami Herald "Vanistendael achieves that rare triumph of capturing in the end of a life the wonder of every day that led up to it." -Salon.com
Call Number: PN6790.B43 V4813 2012ISBN: 9781906838546Publication Date: 2013-03-19
