Blankets : an Illustrated Novel

Locations
Call Number: Adult Graphic Novel / Thompson, Craig
On Shelf At: Downtown Library

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 1st Floor 4-week checkout	Adult Graphic Novel / Thompson, Craig	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Downtown 1st Floor 4-week checkout	Adult Graphic Novel / Thompson, Craig	4-week checkout	In transit

Cubby hole -- Stirring furnace -- Blank sheet -- Static -- I don't wanna grow up -- Teen spirit -- Just like heaven -- Vanishing cave -- Foot notes.
Loosely based on the author's life, chronicling his journey from childhood to adulthood, exploring the people, experiences, and beliefs that he encountered along the way.

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Growing up... Christian in an Unchristian world submitted by irenzero on June 27, 2008, 5:05pm There are some things that I really liked about this book, and some stuff that I really didn't. Over all it's a worthwhile read, it deals with issues that I don't often see in print let alone comics... young adults who have grown up in a world that's sheltered in a way that reality won't acknowledge. I also feel like this addresses the issue of young people how grow up in religious families, and fall away from those values, in large part because they are not the values of the generation, or the society that they are trying to navigate. This falling away isn’t in that pyrotechnic blow out with lots of screaming and yelling, as much as it’s a slow passage of missing church here, stop praying there, seeing rated R movies, drinking a few beers… and once your at college, all bets are off. .. that said I think that Thompson's previous work, Good bye Chunky Rice has a much more emotional core, and while as a reader I don’t really look for a rehash of the previous work, I am still looking for something that touches me in the same way, that give me that same connection, and I really didn’t feel that Blankets did that…

Beautiful, dull, and sad submitted by eknapp on November 9, 2011, 2:50pm A Top Shelf graphic novel about a boy's transition to manhood. It focuses on his relationship with his little brother, his first love, and his hyper-conservative Christian upbringing. It was by turns fascinating (the family relationships especially, for me--I'm the oldest of four kids myself), dull, and heartbreaking.

Spoiler: This book seems to think that Christians are pretty much universally bigoted, simple-minded morons or hypocrites.

Loved It submitted by jasonarosboggs on January 19, 2014, 7:02am To quote Time Magazine's review "Achingly beautiful." This one struck a few chords for me. I really identified with it.

Heartwarming and heart wrenching submitted by sushai on July 30, 2017, 8:37pm The narrator allows himself to be vulnerable and show some of the toughest parts about growing up, especially in a fundamentalist family who forces religious devotion he tries to embrace. Ages 12 and up would like this coming-of-age story.

Fascinating submitted by timdufresne on July 22, 2018, 11:30pm Beautiful graphic novel with a personal and emotional story.

Great as a Comic and a Memoir submitted by molubird on July 16, 2019, 8:27pm The style and artwork of this memoir are gorgeously done and emotionally enticing - look out for details if you check this out. It's beautiful to read if you're at all familiar with comic books and graphic novels, but great as a stand-alone work, too. Manages to capture both the emotionally intensity and utter dullness of childhood and growing up, and handles its difficult subjects well.

Beautiful artwork submitted by bcartm01 on June 21, 2022, 8:24pm I loved the story and the art. It felt very honest and true to me. I would recommend this novel for sure.