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SYNOPSIS:
When Nicole Georges was two years old, her family told her that her father was dead. When she was twenty-three, a psychic told her he was alive. Her sister, saddled with guilt, admits that the psychic is right and that the whole family has conspired to keep him a secret. Sent into a tailspin about her identity, Nicole turns to radio talk-show host Dr. Laura Schlessinger for advice.
Packed cover-to-cover with heartfelt and disarming black-and-white illustrations, Calling Dr. Laura tells the story of what happens to you when you are raised in a family of secrets, and what happens to your brain (and heart) when you learn the truth from an unlikely source. Part coming-of-age and part coming-out story, Calling Dr. Laura marks the arrival of an exciting and winning new voice in graphic literature.
REVIEW:
This being a non-fiction graphic novel about the author's life I found a lot in this read that I could relate to and I bet you can too. I think a large group of readers can identify with the dysfunctional family dynamics that Nicole has endured throughout her life. This is a remarkably written no-holds-barred look at the effects physically and mentally a self-centered parent can have directly to a person's childhood and also the long-term effects on their later life. Also therefore how it influences each individual in the family differently. The book is ideally put together going back and forth between Nicole's childhood to her as an adult showing how childhood experiences have tremendous consequences on her adult life and decisions. For example, seeing a loved one in a controlling relationship you then follow in the person's footsteps.
Now there are the graphics to discuss which are not the greatest that I have seen. Unless the person in the drawing had on glasses or blond hair, they all looked alike to me. Nonetheless, the drawings portrayed the story exceptionally along with the book's dialogue. Therefore, complimenting each other well. The author has a great sense of humor. So by telling her memoir in the manner of a graphic novel I think it made the story twice as funny due to the fact that you get not only a laugh out loud blurb but also a hilarious picture that goes along with it. Finally, I would like to mention that though this is technically in the LGBT genre since she is a lesbian this actually is a book for everyone. It is just a part of her coming of age story. There are no sexually suggestive pictures except for a kiss. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys graphic novels or who likes a good book.
About this author:
Nicole J. Georges is an award-winning writer, and illustrator from Portland, Oregon. Nicole has been publishing the autobiographical comic Invincible Summer since 2000, and has toured the country extensively, including two month-long appearances on Michelle Tea’s Sister Spit: Next Generation. Her work has been featured in many publications, including Tin House, Vanity Fair, and Slate.com.Her graphic memoir, Calling Dr. Laura, was called “engrossing, lovable, smart and ultimately poignant” by Rachel Maddow, and “disarming and haunting, hip and sweet, all at once” by Alison Bechdel, author of Fun Home. In her spare time, Nicole volunteers with senior citizens in North Portland, chronicling their experiences through comics and writing in a zine called Tell It Like It Tiz’.
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