Image: HarperCollins Publishers
Almost American Girl: an illustrated memoir by Robin Ha. 240 p. Balzer + Bray/ HarperCollins Publishers, January, 2020. 9780062685094. (Review of finished copy borrowed from public library.)
Fact Friday features Almost American Girl: an illustrated memoir by Robin Ha. This graphic novel memoir movingly depicts the author's experience from the time her single-mother took fourteen-year-old Chuna to America for "vacation" in the middle of the school year to visit friends in Huntsville, Alabama through college. She liked her host family well enough but when Chuna's mom announced that she was getting married and Chuna would begin school, she's devastated. She speaks almost no English. While her now step-family is kind enough, the eldest daughter, who is supposed to be helping Chuna at school, isn't. Her bond with her mom is still strong despite the upheaval and her mom reminds Chuna how much she loves to draw. She enrolls her in a cartooning class, where Chuna finds friendship at class and solace in her art.
The palette of this graphic novel is mostly muted blues. Chuna's memories of her life in Korea and the different bullying she received there because of her mother's unmarried status, are depicted in browns. The art is enthralling.
Though the abrupt changes in Chuna's life are crushing, Ms. Ha's memoir is not bitter. There are plenty of moments of hilarity mixed with the disruptions and tension. Fans of graphic novel memoirs will love this one.
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