Feb 18

EL本棚紹介(29) Locke & Key: Volumes 2 & 3, by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez

[Welcome to the EL Book Introductions series. These posts are all short (<180 words) introductions/reviews of books in the EL library. They focus on telling you what we think will be interesting for you, a college student and English learner, so use them to help you find the right book for you. You can also use the tags to find books about topics you might be interested in.]

_______

These two volumes continue the story begun in Volume 1, “Welcome to Lovecraft,” so you should read them in order. As a reminder, Locke & Key is about a family living in a haunted mansion and struggling with the trauma caused by the violent murder of the father, as well as many mysterious secrets and supernatural happenings.

In vol. 2, “Head Games,” the family discovers a new magical key. This key can be used to open up your head so that you can add and remove memories. While this starts out as fun and games—using it to cheat on school tests—things take a darker turn when the sister uses it to remove her paralyzing fear. This volume contains some time travel and changing identities, and while it is a very interesting read, it is intended to be confusing even for a native speaker. It will be a challenge, but a worthwhile one, I think.

In vol. 3, “Crown of Shadows,” the mother’s reaction to her trauma is brought center stage as her children confront her about her alcoholism and deteriorating parenting skills. The sister pursues clues to learn about her late father, endangering her life and the lives of her friends. The series villain attacks the house directly, searching for another mysterious key and attacking the children with shadow monsters. Compared with vol. 2, this is a much more straightforward story with no time travel. It is much easier to read but relies on knowledge from the previous issue.

My two cents: If you really liked vol. 1, these two books are well worth reading. It’s okay to be confused, too: just enjoy the atmosphere and the mystery.

Feb 18

EL本棚紹介(28) Stray Bullets Volume One, by David Lapham

[Welcome to the EL Book Introductions series. These posts are all short (<180 words) introductions/reviews of books in the EL library. They focus on telling you what we think will be interesting for you, a college student and English learner, so use them to help you find the right book for you. You can also use the tags to find books about topics you might be interested in.]

_______

Sometimes stories can leave us with lots of questions. We might think about why the characters did what they did. We might think about what will happen next. Stray Bullets offers a series of connected short stories that you will not only read, but keep thinking about after you are done.

These stories are all tragedies. They involve drugs, crime, and violence. Some of the characters are scary psychopaths—they will hurt others for fun. But other characters are driven to violence by strange circumstances. Or, circumstances not so strange—a family with an absent father, a girl being bullied at school, a mother frustrated with her children.

My two cents: If you don’t mind a bit of violence, I think these stories offer a quick and compelling read.

Feb 18

EL本棚紹介(27) Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, by Alison Bechdel

[Welcome to the EL Book Introductions series. These posts are all short (<180 words) introductions/reviews of books in the EL library. They focus on telling you what we think will be interesting for you, a college student and English learner, so use them to help you find the right book for you. You can also use the tags to find books about topics you might be interested in.]

_______

Fun Home is Alison Bechdel’s epic memoire. It is the story of her growing from child to young adult, her relationship with her family, and her father’s apparent suicide. It is the story of the crazy old farmhouse she grew up in and the “fun home” (funeral home) her family owns. It is also the story of her discovering her identity as a lesbian.

Bechdel writes with a lot of humor, and the story goes by quickly. On the other hand, both she and her father both describe their lives through literature. Much of the wit and humor of this book leans on readers knowing a bit of writers like James Joyce, Marcel Proust, and Henry James. Bechdel’s vocabulary is also sophisticated, meaning that at times it may be a difficult read.

Warning: Although there are no scenes of violence, suicide is a major theme in this story.

My two cents: In the beginning, it seemed like the father was simply a villain. As I read, however, I was intrigued as he morphed from a plain villain into Oscar Wilde, then into Nixon and something with greater secrets.

Feb 18

EL本棚紹介(26) All-Star Superman, by Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely, and Jamie Grant

[Welcome to the EL Book Introductions series. These posts are all short (<180 words) introductions/reviews of books in the EL library. They focus on telling you what we think will be interesting for you, a college student and English learner, so use them to help you find the right book for you. You can also use the tags to find books about topics you might be interested in.]

_______

Everyone knows Superman. If you want to know about American culture, you have to know a little about Superman. He was born on the planet Krypton, came to Earth as a baby, and grew up to protect the innocent from evil villains. He can fly, shoot heat lasers from his eyes, is super strong, and cannot be hurt by almost anything. Everyone on Earth loves Superman because he is a symbol of what how great humans can be.

So, what happens when Superman gets cancer? What happens when he only has 12 months to live? That is the basic idea behind All-Star Superman. These 12 short stories each tell about a different adventure Superman has before a special disease(?) takes over his body. It is a famous comic book, and there are some really nice stories in it. However, I think some of the stories might be confusing because they are full of characters you are expected to know from other comics already.

My two cents: I recommend just finding one “chapter” that looks interesting and reading it first. Most chapters are full stories in themselves, and they are not very long. If you like it, you can always read more.

Jan 27

EL本棚紹介(25) The world of Edena, by Moebius

[Welcome to the EL Book Introductions series. These posts are all short (<180 words) introductions/reviews of books in the EL library. They focus on telling you what we think will be interesting for you, a college student and English learner, so use them to help you find the right book for you. You can also use the tags to find books about topics you might be interested in.]

_______

This book is the story of Stel and Atan, two space travelers who discover a mysterious pyramid. The pyramid transports them to Edena, a paradise world. They have many adventures there as they give up technology and adapt to living in nature. There are connections to the story of Adam and Eve in Eden (楽園), but instead of Paradise Lost, it’s more like Paradise Rediscovered. And there are lots of weird aliens, monsters, and future human civilizations.

Edena is a beautiful book. It may take you a little time to get used to the art style. But after a few pages, you will be sucked into its weird, beautiful world. It may even seem familiar: Miyazaki Hayao calls this book a strong influence on Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. You should definitely take a look at it!

Note: The first full chapter and the beginning of the last chapter have a lot of fake fantasy/science fiction words. Don’t get scared: keep reading, and the story becomes much easier to understand.

My two cents: You would never believe that this story started out as a card advertisement! It’s an amazing journey, and I highly recommend it.

Jan 27

EL本棚紹介(24) The Contract with God Trilogy: Life on Dropsie Avenie, by Will Eisner

[Welcome to the EL Book Introductions series. These posts are all short (<180 words) introductions/reviews of books in the EL library. They focus on telling you what we think will be interesting for you, a college student and English learner, so use them to help you find the right book for you. You can also use the tags to find books about topics you might be interested in.]

_______

Most stories are about people. This is a book about a place: Dropsie Avenue in the Bronx, New York, mostly in the 1930s during the Great Depression (大恐慌). Eisner has written three heartfelt “graphic novels” about the communities and changing face of the place where he grew up. The writing is also full of “world Englishes,” reflecting the diverse cast of characters.

“The Contract with God” is a series of short stories about a Jewish immigrant and his neighborhood. “A Life Force” is one long story about a carpenter trying to find the meaning of life by asking: How am I different from a cockroach? Finally, “Dropsie Avenue” is a history of the neighborhood. It tracks the waves immigrants and their conflicts with each other: from Dutch to English, Irish, German, Italian, Spanish, Jewish, and African American. Many of the details are fiction, but heart of all of these stories rings true.

My two cents: Don’t be scared by this thick book. You don’t have to read it all! I suggest skipping the introduction and reading a few of “The Contract with God” short stories, but all three novels are excellent!

Jan 27

EL本棚紹介(23) My Brother’s Husband, by Gengoroh Tagame

[Welcome to the EL Book Introductions series. These posts are all short (<180 words) introductions/reviews of books in the EL library. They focus on telling you what we think will be interesting for you, a college student and English learner, so use them to help you find the right book for you. You can also use the tags to find books about topics you might be interested in.]

_______

Yaichi is a single parent living with his daughter Kana. His twin brother moved to Canada and married a man there, Mike. Now, the brother is dead, and Mike is coming to visit Yaichi for the first time. The story plays out how you might expect: at first, Yaichi is uncomfortable with Mike’s sexuality and how he reminds him of his brother. Kana accepts Mike without a second thought. Mike is caring and quickly becomes part of the family. And because this is a Japanese manga, each chapter is a short story that you can read easily on its own.

Maybe you will be surprised by Yaichi’s rejection of Mike. But what makes this story effective, I think, is how realistic it feels. Yaichi is not a bigot. He is not openly homophobic. However, when the abstract idea of “a gay person” becomes concrete when he meets Mike, he is forced to really think about what that means. By explaining Mike to Kana, he is really learning for himself.

My two cents: Gengoroh Tagame is a prominent gay manga artist, and he does not draw from a stereotypical “heteronormative” perspective. It is quite different and maybe surprising to read a manga where male bodies are drawn in the way women often are!

Dec 17

EL本棚紹介(21)This One Summer, by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki

[Welcome to the EL Book Introductions series. These posts are all short (<180 words) introductions/reviews of books in the EL library. They focus on telling you what we think will be interesting for you, a college student and English learner, so use them to help you find the right book for you. You can also use the tags to find books about topics you might be interested in.]

_______

Every year, Rose and her family go to Awago Beach for the summer. Every year it is a fun escape from school, work, and responsibility. But this year is different.

This One Summer follows several storylines from Rose’s perspective. One is about her mother’s recent miscarriage and the strain it puts on her parents’ relationship. Another is about the local teenagers and the drama that occurs when one of them accidentally gets pregnant. Another is the relationship between Rose and her summer friend Windy as they with grow up and grow together and apart. This involves experimenting with rated-R scary movies, talking about sex, and trying out adult language together. Filling in the details that Rose cannot see—about her parents, the teenagers, and especially Rose—is one of the things that drew me back to this book.

My two cents: Although this is a thicker book, there are very few words per page. Reading it is like a long summer vacation: you can slowly enjoy the pictures of the beach in between bursts of action and conversation.

Dec 11

EL本棚紹介(22)Blankets, by Craig Thompson

[Welcome to the EL Book Introductions series. These posts are all short (<180 words) introductions/reviews of books in the EL library. They focus on telling you what we think will be interesting for you, a college student and English learner, so use them to help you find the right book for you. You can also use the tags to find books about topics you might be interested in.]

_______

Students often ask me about American culture. I always say that the US is full of many different cultures. I did not grow up in a religious family, so I cannot tell students about what it is like to be a Christian in the US. Blankets is not just a story about religion, but the characters’ home and social environments are all thick with Christian influence. This is a kind of “American culture” that is very different from what you probably know in Japan.

Blankets is about a high-school student named Craig and his romance with Raina, a girl he meets at a Christian ski camp. Both families are deeply religious. Craig’s father’s religion leads him to abuse his two sons. On the other hand, Raina’s parents’ religion leads them to care for children in need. Craig is an artist and Raina, a poet. Their relationship has ups and downs, and Craig rethinks his relationship with God.

My two cents: You’ve seen Blankets on the bookshelf, because it is the thickest comic book we have (and we have two copies)! However, I read it in two afternoons: the story goes quickly, and the language is not too difficult.

Nov 19

EL本棚紹介(20)Kill a Man, by Steve Orlando, Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Al Morgan, and Jim Campbell

[Welcome to the EL Book Introductions series. These posts are all short (<180 words) introductions/reviews of books in the EL library. They focus on telling you what we think will be interesting for you, a college student and English learner, so use them to help you find the right book for you. You can also use the tags to find books about topics you might be interested in.]

_______

20 years ago, Xaviar Mayne killed a man in the mixed martial arts (MMA) ring. Today, the dead man’s son, James Bellyi, is getting ready for his own championship match. What do these two men have in common? They are both shunned by the MMA community and even their families because they are gay. Now, they are forced to work together to train for the final fight.

The story is about prejudice and bigotry. The reactions to Bellyi’s sexuality may seem unbelievable to you, but even in 2020, when this book was written, there were very few openly gay MMA fighters (for examples, see: Being gay in MMA – This MMA Life. UFC & MMA Lifestyle and Community). Bellyi’s mother bans him from her home, and Bellyi himself says that his father would have killed him for being gay. On the other hand, Mayne’s relationship with his husband is a positive example of a loving family, even though they are haunted by the ghosts of Mayne’s past.

My two cents: We often think of prejudice as a very abstract thing affecting “weak” people. This book helps us see how even the most masculine and physically strong people can suffer from it.