2月 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.]

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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.

2月 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.]

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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.

1月 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.]

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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.

1月 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.]

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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!

1月 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.]

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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!

12月 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.]

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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.

12月 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.]

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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.

11月 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.]

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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.

11月 12

協力者募集（認知心理学実験）

If you are interested in participating in some research about exercise, memory, and learning phrasal verbs – click the below link to find out more about this research!

Click here for the PDF announcement

11月 12

EL本棚紹介(19)The Sandman: The Dream Hunters, by Neil Gaiman, adapted by P. Craig Russel

[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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The Sandman is a long and difficult series of comics that changed the comics industry, BUT…The Dream Hunters is NOT that. It is short and easy to read. The Dream Hunters is like a fairy tale or mukashi banashi. It is set in Japan and tells the story of a fox, a monk, and an Onmyōji. It starts with a tanuki and fox trying to trick the monk. Later, the fox falls in love with the monk, and must battle the Onmyōji to save his life.

When a comic is about dreams and magical foxes, sometimes it can get a little confusing (read The Sandman if you want to read about some crazy weird dreams!) There are some small parts of this story that may be hard to follow, but it is mostly not too difficult.

My two cents: Pick this up if you want to read a mukashi banashi written by a British person and drawn in a comic-book style.