10 Reasons to Try (and Love) Graphic Nonfiction Books

Author

Description

"A History of Japan in Manga tells the action-packed saga of Japan from its misty origins up to the present day. Epic battles, noble Samurai and duplicitous leaders are all portrayed in modern manga fashion!"-- Provided by publisher.

3) Pinball: a graphic history of the silver ball

Author

Chad, Jon

Description

Click to view

"In 1976, champion player Roger C. Sharpe stepped up to a pinball machine in a Manhattan courtroom. The New York City Council had convened to consider lifting the city's ban on pinball -- a game that had been outlawed since 1942 for its supposed connections to gambling and organized crime. Sharpe was there to prove that, unlike a slot machine, pinball was a game of skill that required a measure of patience, coordination, and control. To make his case,...

4) The song of the machine: from disco to DJs to techno, a graphic novel of electronic music

Author

Blot, Dave

5) Brief histories of everyday objects

Author

Warner, Andy

Description

Click to view

A collection of illustrated histories behind some of life's most common and underappreciated objects--from the paper clip and toothbrush to the sports bra and roller skates.

6) They Called Us Enemy

Author

Takei, George

Formats:

eBook, Kindle

Description

Click to view

The New York Times bestselling graphic memoir from actor/author/activist George Takei returns in a deluxe edition with 16 pages of bonus material! Experience the forces that shaped an American icon — and America itself — in this gripping tale of courage, country, loyalty, and love. George Takei has captured hearts and minds worldwide with his magnetic performances, sharp wit, and outspoken commitment to equal rights. But long before

...

7) Making comics

Author

Barry, Lynda

Description

Click to view

"For more than five years the cartoonist Lynda Barry has been an associate professor in the University of Wisconsin-Madison art department and at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, teaching students from all majors, both graduate and undergraduate, how to make comics, how to be creative, how to not think. There is no academic lecture in this classroom. Doodling is enthusiastically encouraged. Making Comics is the follow-up to Barry's bestselling...

8) The talk

Author

Bell, Darrin

Formats:

eComic, Graphic Novel, Kindle

Description

Click to view

"This graphic memoir by a winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning offers a deeply personal meditation on the "the talk" parents must have with Black children about racism and the brutality that often accompanies it, a ritual attempt to keep kids safe and prepare them for a world that-to paraphrase Toni Morrison-does not love them. Darrin Bell was six years old when his mother told him he couldn't play with a white friend's realistic...

9) The times I knew I was gay

Author

Crewes, Eleanor

Description

Click to view

"Ellie always had questions about who she was and how she fit in. As a girl, she wore black, obsessed over Willow in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and found dating boys much more confusing than many of her friends did. As she grew older, so did her fears and a deep sense of unbelonging. From her first communion to her first girlfriend via a swathe of self-denial, awkward encounters, and everyday courage, Ellie tells her story through gorgeous illustrations--a...

10) Anne Frank's diary: the graphic adaptation

Author

Polonsky, David

Description

Click to view

"The only graphic biography of Anne Frank's diary that has been authorized by the Anne Frank Foundation and that uses text from the diary--it will introduce a new generation of young readers to this classic of Holocaust literature. This adaptation of Anne Frank's Diary of a Young Girl into a graphic version for a young readership, maintains the integrity and power of the original work. With stunning, expressive illustrations and ample direct quotation...

11) Bowie: an illustrated life

Author

Hesse, María

Formats:

Book, eBook

Description

Click to view

David Bowie was a master of artifice and reinvention. In that same spirit, illustrator María Hesse and writer Fran Ruiz have created a vivid retelling of the life of David Robert Jones, from his working-class childhood to glam rock success to superstardom, concluding with the final recording sessions after his cancer diagnosis.Narrated from the rock star's point of view, Bowie colorfully renders both the personal and the professional turning points...

12) James Brown: black and proud

Author

Fauthoux, Xavier

Description

Click to view

"Born in the South during the height of segregation, James Brown went on to become a global sensation, using his immeasurable talent to grasp what he believed was the American Dream. Join the charismatic, hard working, and sometimes tyrannical bandleader on a journey down the roads of America with a group of talented musicians spreading the sound of funk and soul throughout the country. Told against the backdrop of a changing America during the Civil...

13) Alexander Hamilton: the graphic history of an American founding father

Author

Hennessey, Jonathan

Description

Click to view

"This complete graphic novel-style biography presents the life and legacy of one of the most influential figures in United States history. Alexander Hamilton was on hand for the Revolutionary War, the development of the Constitution, and the establishment of the Treasury and banking as we have come to know them today. Cut down by a bullet from political rival Aaron Burr, Hamilton may have faded into the background among other great American leaders...

14) Billie Holiday: the graphic novel

Author

Gilbert, Ebony

Description

Click to view

"Dive into the celebrated life of Lady Day with this fully-illustrated graphic novel that tells the story of Billie Holiday's rapid--and, at times, grueling--rise to become one of the best musicians who ever lived. From her days as a young entertainer performing for small jazz clubs in Harlem, to headlining sold-out shows at Carnegie Hall, every trouble and triumph of Billie Holiday's bold, influential career is featured in this graphic novel from...

15) Let's make dumplings!: a comic book cookbook

Author

Amano, Hugh

Description

Click to view

Includes dumpling history and lore, this comic book cookbook invites readers to explore the big little world of Asian dumplings and proves that intricate folding styles and flavorful fillings are achievable in the home kitchen.

16) On tyranny: twenty lessons from the twentieth century

Author

Snyder, Timothy

Description

Click to view

"Timothy Snyder's New York Times bestseller On Tyranny uses the darkest moments in twentieth-century history, from Nazism to Communism, to teach twenty lessons on resisting modern-day authoritarianism. Among the twenty include a warning to be aware of how symbols used today could affect tomorrow ('4: Take responsibility for the face of the world'), an urgent reminder to research everything for yourself and to the fullest extent ('11: Investigate'),...

17) In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers: The Seconds, Minutes, Hours, Days, Weeks, Months, and Years after the 9/11 Attacks: A Graphic Novel

Author

Brown, Don

Formats:

eBook, Kindle

Description

Click to view

Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Finalist

A graphic novel chronicling the immediate aftermath and rippling effects of one of the most impactful days in modern history: September 11, 2001. From the Sibert Honor– and YALSA Award–winning creator behind The Unwanted and Drowned City.

The consequences of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City, both political

...

18) Across the tracks: [remembering Greenwood, Black Wall Street, and the Tulsa Race Massacre]

Author

Ball, Alverne (Fiction writer)

Formats:

eComic, Graphic Novel

Description

Click to view

"In Across the Tracks: Remembering Greenwood, Black Wall Street, and the Tulsa Race Massacre, author Alverne Ball and illustrator Stacey Robinson have crafted a love letter to Greenwood, Oklahoma. Also known as Black Wall Street, Greenwood was a community whose importance is often overshadowed by the atrocious massacre that took place there in 1921. Across the Tracks introduces the reader to the businesses and townsfolk who flourished in this unprecedented...

19) Almost American Girl: A Graphic Memoir

Author

Ha, Robin

Formats:

eBook, Kindle

Description

Click to view

Harvey Award Nominee, Best Children or Young Adult Book

A powerful and moving teen graphic novel memoir about immigration, belonging, and how arts can save a life—perfect for fans of American Born Chinese and Hey, Kiddo.

For as long as she can remember, it's been Robin and her mom against the world. Growing up as the only child of a single mother in Seoul,

...

20) Change the game

Author

Kaepernick, Colin

Description

Click to view

High school star athlete Colin Kaepernick is at a crossroads in life. Heavily scouted by colleges and MLB as a baseball pitcher, he has a bright future ahead of him as a highly touted prospect. Everyone from his parents to his teachers and coaches are in agreement on his future. Colin feels differently. Colin isn't excited about baseball. In the words of five-time all-star MLB player Adam Jones, "Baseball is a white man's game." Colin looks up to...