Very nice article by Jennifer Lee of The Examiner:
A love letter to family, the Philippines and the music of the 80s
Category: Book Reviews
Review in the Philippine Daily Inquirer
A glowing review by noted columnist Rina Jimenez-David can be found here:
Review on the CBC’s “The Next Chapter”
http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thenextchapter/rupi-kaur-eliza-robertson-jen-sookfong-lee-1.4342103/the-powerful-stories-jen-sookfong-lee-found-in-writing-from-immigrant-women-1.4342216
Review in the Hamilton Review of Books
Here’s a review by the writer and artist Joe Ollmann, for the Hamilton Review of Books, which I particularly liked because I felt he really got the essence of my book, which is that it is for the most part light-hearted, silly and tongue-in-cheek, with some dramatic bits thrown in. It’s basically an Asian version of a 1980s John Hughes film complete with a new wave soundtrack.
“Duran Duran, Imelda Marcos and Me, is a really nicely-drawn, sad and funny book full of honesty and heart. Mapa’s book is cool because she doesn’t try to be cool, she just speaks from her heart and maybe sincerity is the new irony.”
Full review here:
http://hamiltonreviewofbooks.com/joes-graphic-novel-roundup/
I’m also reviewed alongside Jillian Tamaki and Emil Ferris (who created the sensation “My Favorite Thing is Monsters”). I mean, talk about excellent company!
Publisher Weekly’s Review
“In her debut graphic novel, Mapa returns to Manila, her childhood home, for her father’s funeral. Her past rushes back to her, not at the taste of a madeleine but with the rhythms of the ’80s pop songs she grew up with. Her memoir of life in the Philippines is both touching and joyous, with vivid recollections of food, matriarchy, family, and politics told in an Hergé-inspired style that’s deceptively simple but apt for its subject. As she assembles the jigsaw puzzle of her Filipino life, Mapa recollects both pop culture touchstones and her upbringing against the turbulent background of the 1986 Fernando Marcos/Corazon Aquino “Snap Election” and its resultant People Power Revolution. As with Sonny Liew’s more complex The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye, Mapa uses the directness of comics to introduce a history and culture most Americans are unfamiliar with.”
Review in the Montreal Gazette
http://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/off-island-gazette/young-hudson-residents-new-book-will-steal-your-heart
Bill Young has written an article about “Duran Duran, Imelda Marcos and Me” in the April 12, 2017 edition of the Montreal Gazette. I hope the book lives up to his glowing praise!
Here is an excerpt:
It is (an) unforeseen accident which shapes the story, and largely defines her life going forward. When she attends her father’s funeral, this return to roots releases a host of memories, both of her early days in the Philippines, and of more recent times.
The result is an extraordinary odyssey, but one I leave for the reader to discover. It is enough to underscore the degree to which her striking illustrations throughout fit impeccably the many tones of the narrative, from the boldest strokes to the most delicate of touches.”
Write-Up in Montreal Review of Books
“A vivid revisitation of the recent past and a harrowing omen of days that many young people…may soon face”.
Book Review by the London Free Press
Here’s a review by Dan Brown (a writer, but not that one) of the London Free Press.
“This energetic, enjoyable, easy-to-read tale vibrates with youthful passion as Mapa tells the story of growing up in the Philippines of the 1980s.”
Read more for the full review.
http://www.lfpress.com/2017/03/08/graphic-novel-political-drama-pop-culture-woven-in-memoir