Author: Marguerite Abouet and Clement Oubrerie
Genre: YA, graphic novel
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
FTC Disclosure: I borrowed this book from my school's library
Challenges: POC (#13), Graphic Novel (#11)
Summary (from the back of the book): Secrets and desires cast long shadows it the third volume of Abouet and Oubrerie's warmly acclaimed series about life in the Ivory Coast of the 1970s. It's a world of shifting values, where issues like arranged marriage and gay love have Aya and her friends yearning to break out of the confies of hteir community, while the ties of freindship and suport draw them back into its familiariaty. Distinctly African and brilliantly universal, the Aya series offers a playful and unflinching take on human strengths, foibles, and the comic capriciousness of our natures.
Review: I am totally hooked on these books; it's like reading the latest gossip from my favorite Ivorian neighborhood. By reading all three I've gotten to know the characters, their families, their weaknesses, and theri strengths. Abouet does a good job of bringing in Ivory Coast culture (with recipes and extras in the back after the story) along with a universal storyline. Now I just have to wait for installment number four....
The Glyph Awards (comics by, for, and about people of color) nominations have come out and Aya has been nominated for best female character. Cool!
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