Journey into Graphic Novels
By Booka Bookshop
By Booka Bookshop
Graphic Novels have always been a home for creative outsiders, non-traditional storytelling and authors who want to push the boundaries of the conventional novel. Here is a space to think outside the box and tell stories in a new way, weaving together words and art. Graphic Novels have a unique power to tell stories from the margins and give a voice to those on the edges. They are accessible and richly varied, with something for everyone's tastes.
Here we have gathered together some Booka favorites, classics and hidden gems, as a jumping off point for you to begin to explore the wonderful world of Graphic novels.
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic
Alison Bechdel
£14.99 £14.24This is an undisputed classic, as both a powerful graphic novel, and a deeply moving LGBT memoir. Both darkly funny and devastating.
The Complete MAUS
Art Spiegelman
£16.99 £16.14A haunting masterpiece, detailing personal experiences of the Holocaust, through a story within a story. This Pulitzer prize-winning piece is the essential addition to any graphic novel collection.
Sensible Footwear: A Girl's Guide: A graphic guide to lesbian and queer history 1950-2020
Kate Charlesworth
£17.99 £17.09Sensible Footwear is a fabulous combined graphic-history and memoir about the experience of being a lesbian in the twentieth century. Kate Charlesworth interweaves historical landmarks and milestones in amongst her own personal stories of love and loss as a queer woman navigating the world. It is funny, moving and powerful.
Persepolis I & II
Marjane Satrapi
£10.99 £10.44A beautiful personal story of growing up in Iran as a young woman and the feeling of being pulled in different directions as she comes of age.
Glass Town
Isabel Greenberg
£22.00 £20.90In Glass Town you are invited to step inside the imaginary world of the Bronte siblings. This twisting tale is brought alive by Isabel Greenberg's haunting and beautiful illustrations, as you walk the line between fiction and reality. Greenberg's graphic novels are always a treat to immerse yourself in.
White Bird: A graphic novel from the world of WONDER - soon to be a major film
R J Palacio
£12.99 £12.34This is a new story from the world of the internationally bestselling Wonder. In White Bird, the character Julian explores his Jewish heritage and the experiences of his grandmother during the Second World War. This is a deeply moving, gorgeous book.
They Called Us Enemy
Justin Eisinger, George Takei, et al.
£17.99 £17.09George Takei recalls his childhood experiences in Japanese internment camps in this impactful graphic memoir that tells an important part of twentieth century history.
The Times I Knew I Was Gay: A Graphic Memoir 'for everyone. Candid, authentic and utterly charming' Sarah Waters
Eleanor Crewes
£14.99 £14.24This is a charming, funny memoir about the awkward, ridiculous experiences of a young lesbian, coming to terms with what that means. Eleanor Crewes gives an intimate look into LGBT coming of age, both the joyful and painful elements, in this book which is full of heart.
Ethel & Ernest
Raymond Briggs
£12.99 £12.34Ethel and Ernest is the personal story of Raymond Briggs' recollections of his parents, from their very first meeting, to their deaths. Briggs brings to life hundreds of small everyday moments, which tied together, tell the story of twentieth century England. The characters of Ethel and Ernest feel deeply familiar, and you feel true connection and heartache as you read both their joys and their tragedies.
Paying the Land
Joe Sacco
£20.00 £19.00Joe Sacco has a unique masterful style of graphic journalism, that is unlike anything else. His latest book, Paying The Land, explores indigenous North America, Canada's colonial legacy, and the devastating impact this has on it's land and indigenous peoples.
The Sad Ghost Club Volume 1
Lize Meddings
£10.99 £10.44This is a beautiful gentle story, with gorgeous monochromatic artwork and quiet thoughtful words. The Sad Ghost Club is a story with the important message that we are not as alone as we may think we are. A book for anyone who has ever felt invisible.
Heartstopper Volume 1: The bestselling graphic novel, now on Netflix!
Alice Oseman
£10.99 £10.44Heartstopper is a joyful LGBT teen romance about love and friendship. Sweet and funny, this graphic novel is a pleasure to read.