![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYtrbJEw0FTtYikxF2KTkrIMW_ZijHPRq7QY2tWH_mPrXFYcsm8mSzDnPttcDnZBnnh4IJDrdzFfwKwdEtMn8n62QSjXn5diPteANr2ZgdlA4fbN1D-z67s4h1e-_7t1ogPYCEbIshh-U/s637/ghost-world-hard-back.jpg)
Have you guys ever read graphic novels? They're full-length comic strips for grown-ups that often tell hilarious and touching stories. They're entertaining and compelling--it's almost like reading a movie. And you'll notice clever little things in the pictures that add to the story (like a flirty sideways glance or a suspicious bead of sweat). Here are my five favorites...
1.
Ghost World, above, follows the adventures of two moody teenage girls, Enid and Becky, after high-school graduation, as they grow up and drift apart. (Did you see
the film?) I find it
mindblowing how a middle-aged male cartoonist--the hilarious Dan Clowes--managed to portray two listless young women so realistically. (He
nailed it.) Ghost World won approximately one million awards for being the best graphic novel ever.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEcUadyd2TEoyyi51uHvlfh3ILiaoR6LNCLPqjKAgunRmnJ2mVkhlGEvRGnV_tpVINFxB9tSVTln8-TcRMrm27PNSi1L1_zY5WCNaXPa9KiDtK9BjVZVpnKYJThQfpDbA2VgPpOFEbrMk/s508/french-milk.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBIssdDNcdm2KSYdRPMVlYQ3lNG8FyipKkW2EgYHdmQAPULrQUl8pWFMLDV-qAt91NXSpqLHYaEhmg_Z966WCwJ1zNQcyGuWeULWOm9FJoO7RFHbIPLX7vBP8R8OHoKxX0aXBK2mBUzF0/s400/french-milk-graphic-novel-memoir-lucy-knisley.jpg)
2.
French Milk is a funny memoir of a 22-year-old's six-week stay in Paris with her mother--complete with drawings of croissants, striped shirts, the Eiffel Towel and some crankiness (which just makes her more charming). Really sweet to see the mother-daughter relationship.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMV145RZTqOvt1f2AUC5wdDXwYA3IL83L7lt-RPx1gPewiy3DqrLCfU2VFrYaWuwXrvw0iOPHMbtV2Te21VkfJanJskx_1nu_xjuh_g82N8Fs8IqWw1ok_BJAruQ_qnAsqXH4QADMMxd0/s400/persepolis4.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnYAtc9VgKDUu4CpMG-svHiBqffn07L_oJPnN8qfoVCD3jMkL61O_al2YbgzzCOGhZ0A3ElmHfJXqJkE6JTwxBYYT0FJptSsm6bFGs4gzaXLep_CAve1WtpMFSgL3koDEsOny7JQERq-k/s400/persepolis-1.jpg)
3.
Persepolis tells the story of the author's childhood under the Islamic Revolution. Her neighbors' homes are bombed, and her once-wealthy parents now struggle to educate her. Her father considers fleeing to America, but then asks to his wife, "I can become a taxi driver and you a cleaning lady?" As she grows up, the girl's rebellious streak puts her in danger. Touching that the story is told through a child's eyes.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXbNit-mbcDmSP3nN7nNQjIzm053MwXWv3cbwZai168eIJVZqioSvN3Es1RyliF0SduPEWh0toSRkMKu0zTLaAhJgnK759lyfd7ij48_qG8IzdutCf3Wzl5Hpdo2KzilNMYzkrRxGkGRY/s428/shortcomings.jpg)
4.
Shortcomings follows Ben, a cynical Japanese-American guy in his twenties, on his search for contentment--and the perfect girl. He's kind of a jerk but you grow to love him, or, at least, understand him. Fascinating insight into a certain type of male mind. (The genius author
Adrian Tomine also illustrates for the
New Yorker; I once spotted him in a record store! I creepily trailed him around but was too shy to say hello.)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEQcDb1M7Jzun8VTH_F_XkxkOXddOQn6mBiT50blk8F8nEkJFTy1HycKHZSJmset6uHZbpUNBG2ZxOoIzjWSL8XHZNQgS1JhCR1fX_2k1KiCdecHkPrtVv1bkhiJaSU6RlRT_3qvFTgAU/s427/CancerVixen.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigUo2rkmRchZhyphenhyphenTivBgMfaZky0fZkDbPHsPeeu97IphXQvTz7HAPIYdWjTijOcTub-XNoZIpA8sLBJFExfn85gHfmBHWWIOkltaWbCUZQ2vVetP67CmF1N7_BHAVmA4yKIi8Egg6V3VBE/s400/cancer-vixen-graphic-memoir.jpg)
5.
Cancer Vixen has a scary cover, but I promise you, this book is a-maz-ing. (Even my manly brother-in-law was obsessed with it.) Written by a
New Yorker and
Glamour cartoonist, the novel tells Marisa's true story of finding a lump in her breast right after meeting the love of her life. This book made me laugh out loud and shed tears, and I couldn't put it town.
Have you ever read graphic novels? Do you have any favorites?P.S.
Ten best documentaries and my
favorite book of all time.
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