Books

Blankets by Craig Thompson

I had seen reviews for this book in an old edition of SPIN and people were raving about it. So I thought about checking it out for myself. Last week a package came in the mail in Mike's name. I figured it was a textbook for school, but he had gotten this book for me as a surprise! I couldn't find it at Barnes & Noble (it was either misplaced or sold out) and the library didn't have a copy. I wasn't sure if I wanted to spend 30 bucks on something I couldn't see firsthand, but before I even had a chance to look at it, my sweet husband already purchased it (secondhand, luckily!)

I wouldn't call myself a comic book junkie or anything. I have a few comics and I don't mind reading them. But anything with lots of artwork and illustrations usually wins me over. This graphic novel is a whopping 582 pages, but it only took me a couple of days to get through it (reading on and off, and really taking in the artwork.) The book is based on the author's personal experiences ranging from childhood to adulthood. Mostly the book focuses on his adolescence with flashbacks of childhood memories. The subject matter is all about Craig's upbringing in a strict Christian home. Throughout the pages you get to see how he tosses Christian ideas and beliefs around in his head (heaven, God, the Bible, etc.) and tries to figure things out for himself. The book follows him through experiences of first "love" and heartache of knowing it's not going to last. Basically, the story isn't anything that hasn't been done before, but it was still a good read. I don't know what it was, but I felt like crying after I finished the last page. I think I must've just been really emotional or something. I think I was just sad to see the changes take place in Craig's life. And I had different expectations for him and Raina (his girlfriend) and different expectations for his religious pursuits. The title "Blankets" seems fitting as he reminisces about sharing a bed with his brother, the blanket that Raina makes him, the blanket of religion, the blanket covering his youthful eyes, etc. etc. Overall I thought the book was okay. Not spectacular, but worth reading. The only problem I had was regarding some of the language and a few inappropriate sketches. I'm not a big fan of those things, so I give it just an "OK." But it seemed to be a true and sincere representation of the author's life, so I can't really expect him to convey it any differently than he did. A good book if you're into comics or graphic novels. To read parts of Craig's book, click here. Or go to amazon.com to see some pages as well.