Sarah (like her sister) was adopted from Korea as a baby. She grew up in lily-white Baltimore County (well outside of the city of Baltimore) and was teased and bullied. She also was easily hurt and emotional, which lead to even more bullying. The one exception was her drawing and artwork, which was admired by her peers and teachers. In a way, it saved her, as she wasn't 100% ostracized but did have a tiny window of not just acceptance, but admiration.
She kept struggling with her identity, her place in the world, her lack of control. She often didn't understand exactly why things went askew, and she continued to have a real lack of emotional regulation. Her parents tried very hard to help (her seemingly perfect sister did not.) And eventually, in the long run, Sarah does find acceptance and also starts to accept herself.
This book is heartfelt and heart wrenching. Anyone who has themselves experienced the scars that bullying leaves will feel all the feels with this graphic memoir. At times I wished I could reach through the page and give Sarah a hug and tell her it will get better. But like all of us, she has to figure that out for herself. And I'm so glad that drawing is one of the ways that she does!
This book is published by First Second, a division of Macmillan, my employer.
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