[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.]
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One of the reasons why comic books and graphic novels have become popular in the United States recently is that they are a creative “medium.” Instead of writing only with words, artists combine words and pictures to show how they feel. When the boy in Stitches feels lonely and retreats into his drawing, he literally falls into his coloring book. When adults are angry and difficult to understand, they start looking a little less human, and more like monsters.
Stitches is an autobiographical story by David Small. He writes about a horrible experience he had growing up in 1950s America surrounded by homophobia (anti-LGBTQ hate), angry parents, and a life-threatening disease: cancer. David’s story is a sad one, and he suffers neglect from both of his parents, who hide both his cancer from him and the terrible reason he got it. It’s a mystery, it’s a little weird, and it’s strangely beautiful.
My two cents: I read this book in one sitting. It’s not a happy, “fun” story, but it really captured me.
