Lucille

Title: Lucille

Author: Ludovic Debeurme           

Pages: 544

Pub: 2011

Genre: Top Shelf

Etc: received via NetGalley

The Short of It

Can we escape from family dysfunction?

The Long of It

This is the story of Lucille and Vlad; both near adults and nearly going crazy because of their family’s dysfunction. We meet them separately.  Lucille is trapped both physically and emotionally.  Since the loss of her father, Lucille’s mother is overprotective and overbearing.  Lucille has since isolated herself questioning her self worth.  She struggles with her body image and battles anorexia.  Possibly only a town away, Vlad fights battles with his father, both physically and mentally.  Upon his father’s death, Vlad his mother tells him the secret his father had been hiding leading him to desperately want to escape.  Lucille and Vlad eventually meet and they leave Paris going on a journey that will test their personal boundaries and beliefs.

The Thoughts about It

Here’s the true facts all.  I don’t know a damn thing about comics.  I am ignorant on line structure, shading, composition, and any other word that might be used to describe the artsy aspect of a graphic novel.  Instead, the only way I know how to determine if one is “good” is merely through my visceral reaction to it.  And by that standard, I have not loved a comic THIS much since Blankets a couple of years ago. 

*le sigh* 

Lucille left me breathless and torn.  I began reading it right before bed and couldn’t put it down.  And then, after I finished it, I started it all over again. 

Let me talk briefly about the illustrations.  They were stark and free, slipping in and out of the pages.  Some of the drawings were imaginative, often bordering on a surrealistic affect.  But most were minimalistic, revealing, and haunting.  I can still vividly picture Lucille while she is at her worst fighting against (giving into?) anorexia.

The storytelling – oh color me captivated.  As I mentioned in the summary, the story is of both Lucille and Vlad, told alternatively until they eventually come together.  Debeurme did a phenomenal job exposing both characters’ psychological issues, visually and yet still sparsely using images and dialogue.  They’re vulnerable is exposed and their attempt at finding control in uncontrollable situations is ultimately SO human. 

And that’s perhaps why I adore this graphic novel.  It’s the same reason why I raved about Blanekts.  And definitely the reason why this piece will end up on my BEST OF list for 2011.  Lucille is human; this is the ultimate piece of art.  It combines the visual with the written and exposes the desperation that can be found in any human experience.

Side Note: I image googled Lucille and stumbled upon other illustrative works by Debeurme and my jaw dropped.  There are some pieces that I wish I could frame and hang in my home.

The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth - May 3

Title: The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth

Author: Alexandra Robbins

Pages: 436

Pub: May 3, 2011; Hyperion

Genre: Non Fiction: Sociology, Psychology, Education

Etc: ARC mailed to me from Hyperion

The Short of It

Unique teens make for interesting adults.

The Long of It

Alexandra Robbins looks at the not-so-key players in high school and suggests that their creativity, introspection, and ability to deal with conflict makes them future innovators in society. In other words, she coins a new psycho-socio term, quirk theory.

Quirk Theory: Many of the differences that cause a student to be excluded in school are the identical traits or real-world skills that others will value, love, respect, or find compelling about that person in adulthood and outside of the school setting. (p 8).

Robbins introduces readers to seven high school students and their stereotypes.  Through a case study approach of each student alongside data, The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth covers a range of topics and asks readers tough questions on individual and perceived roles.

The Thoughts about It

I literally must have squealed in delight when I opened my mailbox and found this book.  The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth is SO up my alley.  It manages to combine both my interest as an educator and as a therapist.  Needless to say, I hopped, skipped, and jumped my way back home, curled up on the couch and dove right in.

And here’s the thing.  I dig me some nonfiction, but I generally have to be in the mood, ya know.  Like, it RARELY happens when I see NF and immediately go for it.  I baby step up to it.  Not here and man it DID NOT disappoint. 

I loved Robbins format.  By combining both the case studies as well as the data I felt I had real life applications to theories that might have seemed unimportant.  In this sense, I’m looking right at all of the readers out there who may not be in the educational or psychological field. If you have an inkling of an interest in high school roles or sociological curiosities, this book is for you.  It will not make you feel dumb while reading it NOR does it dumb itself down. 

There were a couple of individuals that I bonded with more than others.  And interestingly, they’d probably be on the opposite spectrum had they been in the same high school together.  Whitney is the “Popular Bitch” and she exposes how tough it is to be a mean girl and insecurities that go along with it.  There were moments actually when Whitney reminded me of Veronica from the movie Heathers.  Sure Whitney is popular but she feels conflicted about her popularity, oftentimes implying that she is compromising her own authenticity.  The other girl that I really grew attached to was Regan, the Weird Girl.  Regan toes that line of punker/thespian/literary nerd.  Ummm, LOVE HER. 

I marked up this book like there was no tomorrow.  It’s flagged and highlighted and notes are written in the margins.  Oh, and also, I read it in two days.  Which is obscene for me and non fiction. 

This is an important book for parents, teachers, and hell, even students to read.  Robbins exposes secrets of school hierarchies that exist but are normally not TALKED about.  She points out why middle school years, especially 7^th grade, is the most difficult. (Um, holla! I’m with them more than their parents.  These kids don’t know if they’re coming and going).  And then, sheesh, we consider the technology that is second nature in their lives and it makes the whole experience scarier.  Consider, if a rumor starts in 1^st period, it’s already facebooked, tweeted, and texted by 3^rd.  Pictures?  Oh yeah, that’s proof that you really DID wear that outfit, got THAT tanked, kissed WHO and went to WHICH party!  There’s no running away from your mistakes or choices in middle/high school.

*sigh*

I could continue on and on about this book.  But I won’t.  Because there’s so much about it that’s a process and I want each and EVERY one of you to process it yourself.  Hell, I think that you might even be able to find out aspects about yourself that you overlooked.  Have your own aha moments.

Bottom line is I wish I could make all of my colleagues read this book.  I wish that professors would make it required reading in secondary education courses AS WELL AS group theory, psychology, AND sociology classes.  

Quirkology

Title: Quirkology - How We Discover the Big Truths in Small Things
Author: Richard Wiseman, Ph.D
Pub Date: Sept. 2008
Pages: 306
Genre: Non Fiction; Psychology

Brief Summary? Quirkology opens with Wiseman explaining that he had "long been fascinated by the quirky side of human behavior." While earning his degree in psychology, he began paying attention specifically to these behaviors and random tests. (If participating in psych tests are something that interest you, check out their website ). The book is divided into many chapters that cover chronopsychology (does the time of birth, astrological sign, weather really play a part in your personality?), the psychology of lying and deception, the role of humor in psychology, how we make decisions, psychic and paranormal psychology, and why we help or hinder others. *Whew*

My thoughts? This book was just plain fun. At times it grew to be tedious because you're just reading test and study, one after another. So yah, it blurs in together. But, really, I want to focus in on the fun. There were handful of times I would stop what I was reading and find someone to share an interesting anecdote. (Like his research in finding the funniest joke in the world!)

Wanna know how to spot a liar?

"The most reliable signs of lying are in people's voices and in their unconscious choices of language: the lack of key details in their descriptions; the increase in pauses and hesitations; the way liars distance themselves from their deceit by avoiding self-reference such as "I"; the failure to describe their feelings; and the way liars seem to remember minute information that truth-tellers forget" (64)

Yay, Nay, or Eh? Yay. This was a -what's-the-word- OH YEAH --> FUN(!) book and not something that you necessarily need to read over a short period of time. Read a chapter, set it aside for a couple of months, and read another if you like. Or, you can devour it like I did. :))

**I'm really doing a disservice in this review. I read Quirkology weeks (?) months (?) ago and should have immediately written the review while still smitten. I marked up this book. It's highlighted, annotated, tagged. I just don't have the energy to go back and re-read through all of my notes and make a stronger post.

My Lobotomy by Howard Dully

Title: My Lobotomy
Author: Howard Dully (and Charles Fleming)
Pub Date: 2007
Pages: 286
Genre: NonFiction, Memoir, Psychology
Rating: 4.5/5

Summary:

My Lobotomy is the heart wrenching story of a young boy who, at age 12, is loosely diagnosed with "schizophrenia" and assigned a frontal lobotomy as his treatment plan. But you see, the memoir is much more than Howard Dully's brain surgery under the ice pick held by the famous Dr. Freeman. It's a story of sickening proportions - a young boy who lost his mother at age five; a manipulative and cruel step-mother convinced that her stepson was a monster; an angry father who wipes his hands clean of the problem; and a group of brothers who fear for the safety of themselves and their brother. And yet, it's also a story of love and compassion; of overcoming obstacles; of growth and self discovery; and most importantly of perseverance.

Howard Dully at the age of 12 (to the right) could never have imagined that his visit to the hospital would change his life forever. In fact, as a young man, he felt a bit excited by the visit. He would be able to watch whatever he wanted on the TV, he would be doting on by the nurses, and he might even get jello for dessert. What was there to fear? He knew that he wasn't sick. Howard liked and trusted his doctor, Dr. Freeman. The hospital would be a break from school, his dad, and even better, his awful stepmom - Lou.

What he didn't realize was that Lou had been conspiring against him with Dr. Freeman. Howard had entered the hospital to have a frontal lobotomy performed on him. Was he crazy? Was he unstable? From all indications, it didn't appear so. Then why was he subjected to this horrifying surgery? My Lobotomy is Howard's quest to figure out that question.

My Thoughts:

Initially, I found that the memoir was difficult to get into. The first couple of chapters were filled with family lineage and background information. I found that my mind began to wander a bit. Still, I was interested in the premise of the book and decided the continue. I'm really glad that I did. The remaining 200 pages I read quickly and voraciously.

Dully shares his memories of living with his stepmom, Lou, and I am aghast at the behavior of this woman. For one reason or the next, she had it out for Howard Dully, her new stepson. She despised him, and spent countless hours seeking ways to get rid of him. The thing is, his behavior, although at times a bit troublesome, was never pathological. In actuality, he was a boy potentially acting out because the death of his mom at age five and then living in a volatile home environment. At the very most, I could see how a psychiatrist might have diagnosed Howard with H, but even that would be hard to determine based on the accounts shared in the memoir and his tumultuous life.

After hearing many doctors tell Lou that Howard wasn't the problem, and in fact, perhaps she needed to seek help, she finally found relief in Dr. Freeman. Now here's a man who has ulterior motives. After a few sessions, Dr. Freeman agrees to perform a lobotomy. The thing that is eerie about this is, I don't really think that Dr. Freeman was this evil experimenter; I truly believe that he believed in his own surgeries. Which sort of makes it scarier.

Howard Dully does a great job introducing Dr. Freeman in the memoir, devoting a whole chapter to his prior performances and the field in psychology and services that were offered in the 1950's. Scary crazy stuff. But it proves to question what we will think about our current treatment plans seeing as lobotomies were not held in basements out of the public eye. Nope, they were getting props in magazines that the public devoured.

While in graduate school, I was extremely interested in the field of neuropsychology. There were so many cool things coming into play as we began to understand more and more about the brain and what it's capable of. As a class we would get into heated discussions about the use of psychoactive drugs in children and teens since they're brains were still developing. We still don't know what the brain is capable of, how it heals itself, or how we can damage it. Sure we're smarter than we were 50 years ago (thankfully, scrambling someone's frontal lob with an ice pick is no longer considered 'smart practices') but how much smarter are we going to be 50 years from now?

Howard Dully is an incredibly generous man for sharing his story. I highly recommend this memoir.

Some links of interest:

Howard Dully on NPR Guardian Article Howard Dully's Blog