Before I start, I'd like to point out that Tomboy is featured in the 2014 Goodreads nominations for Best Graphic Novels & Comics of 2014! Congratulations to the author, Liz Prince!
Tomboy: A Graphic Memoir
by Liz Prince
Published by Zest Books
Distributed by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
256 Pages & Ages 14+
Growing up, Liz Prince wasn’t a girly girl, dressing in pink tutus or playing pretty princess like the other girls in her neighborhood. But she wasn’t exactly one of the guys either (as she learned when her little league baseball coach exiled her to the distant outfield). She was somewhere in between. But with the forces of middle school, high school, parents, friendship, and romance pulling her this way and that, the middle wasn’t exactly an easy place to be. Tomboy follows Ignatz Award-winning author and artist Liz Prince through her early years and explores—with humor, honesty, and poignancy—what it means to “be a girl.”
From staunchly refuting ”girliness” and finding the perfect outfit, to discovering through the punk community that your identity is whatever you make of it, Tomboy offers a sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking account of self-discovery in modern America.
Purchase Links
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/9781936976553
IndieBound: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781936976553
The Book Depository: http://www.bookdepository.com/Tomboy-Liz-Prince/9781936976553
Zest Books: http://zestbooks.net/tomboy/
ADVANCE CRITICAL PRAISE FOR TOMBOY
"Prince explores what it means to be a tomboy in a magnificently evocative graphic memoir…. Simple, line-based art provides a perfect complement to her keen narration, giving this an indie, intimate feel and leaving readers feeling like they really know her. Liz's story, captured with wry humor and a deft, visceral eye, is a must-read for fans who fell for Raina Telgemeier's work in middle school. Spectacular; a book to make anyone think seriously about society's preordained gender roles." – ★ Kirkus Reviews [Starred Review]
"The heroine of this charming, gently subversive graphic memoir loves Little League and hates dresses, so what does she grow up to be? Gloriously herself." - People Magazine
I would like to thank the publisher for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book. This does not sway my review in any way.
Reading this, I could identify with Liz on so many levels. Myself, I was a tomboy. I was the girl hanging with the boys during recess, playing baseball with them or playing with cars in the dirt. I was the one shunned by the girls from about mid-first grade, through 8th grade. I can still remember the hurt I felt, coming back from summer vacation and the boys treating me differently because I was a girl and the girls being complete witches because I wasn't into all that girl stuff. I remember being called a boy, innocently, on a few occasions.
This book represents even more to me though. I have a daughter, who is 16. The last time she wore a dress was to a funeral in first grade. As soon as we got home, she promptly took it off and gave it to her sister. As a baby, she was the one with the sturdy squared off shoulders. As a small child, she was the girl who I shopped in the boy section for. Her sister would get a Barbie for a gift and she would get the equivalent in a Ken doll. Pokemon, Avatar, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, etc, were her go to items. As a teenager, her dress style is very boyish, she likes to wear "tails" on her jeans and she has crushes on boys. When looking at the authors picture, she could definitely be mistaken as sisters with my daughter.
Parts of this book have helped me understand my own daughter even more. The author comes across very personable with her drawings and real life happenings. So many boyish girls are assumed to be lesbians that it's so hard for them to accept their own identities and feel good about themselves. I feel that this book should be required reading for all genders and starting in middle school. It's an educational novel that doesn't feel quite like it since there are drawings, but the reader can relate because either they have been in that situation or know of someone who has been.
The memoir runs the gamut of feelings. There are funny parts, scary parts, sibling issues, crushes, sexuality and so much more. The author comes deals with everything in such a great way. The graphics are spot on and you can imagine yourself there, in that moment. An easy read, which is great for the demographic age the book is primarily focused on, that of a teenage girl finding her own identity, embracing it and understanding it. I enjoyed the Epilogue too. Parents, this is not a book to be afraid of when I speak of sexuality. The author gives the reader a true sense on how there are pressures, but that you must be true to yourself and not give in to that.
I really can't say enough good things about this book, it was a wonderful read and it hit on all the points of being a tomboy throughout life so well. Tomorrow, I'm giving the book to my daughter and I know she will appreciate it and the author will have a new friend from it. Liz Prince, thank you for showing the world the life and feelings of a true tomboy.
I would like to welcome Liz to the blog and thank her for answering my many questions!
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
I've always wanted to tell stories, and when I saw my first comic book in 3rd grade, I knew that was the way I wanted to tell stories.
Tomboy is your first full-length book after creating several shorter autobio stories. How long did it take you to you to write (and ink!) this book?
Tomboy was written and drawn in a little under a year, which is very fast for a 256 page graphic novel!
You are a really wonderful storyteller. What do you think makes a great story?
Thanks! I really enjoy reading stories about people's real experiences: I like seeing a point of view that isn't exactly my own. I think that if you can articulate a new point of view in a way that isn't alienating to folks who may not have shared your experiences, you've got a really compelling story on your hands!
What is your work schedule like when you're writing?
When working on Tomboy, I didn't have a lot of time to second guess myself, I was really putting in 8, 9, 10, sometimes 14 hour days when writing and drawing this book. I like to try and get up between 7:00 and 8:00 am, work out for 45 minutes, then start writing. I try to wait to check email or use social media until I've gotten a few hours of writing in, because once I start engaging online it starts taking up more of my time and mental space.
What was one of the most surprising things you learned about yourself in creatingTomboy?
I learned that I still had a strong emotional reaction to remembering the experiences of bullying and alienation that I experienced in elementary school and junior high.
Do you have a favorite place you love to write?
I like to draw at coffee shops, Diesel in Davis Square is one of my favorite coffee shops on the planet. But when I'm writing, I need to be in a situation that has very little outside stimulation, so I do most of that at home. Once I have my pages thumb nailed, and the work that is left is redrawing and inking, that's when I work in front of the tv, or out with friends.
You have self-published and worked with small presses before. How hard was it for you to publish with a traditional publisher?
I've been working with indie comics publisher Top Shelf Productions for almost 10 years, but this was the first time that I had a lot of editorial involvement on a project. I had a great time working on the book with Dan Harmon, my editor at Zest Books, he made a lot of edits that made the story better, and he suggested some edits that I totally disagreed with, and ultimately, my artistic vision won out. I guess I'd have to say that it wasn't very hard at all, it was actually a really great experience!
What do you like to do when you are not writing or creating?
I like to cook, I've been getting into it more over the last few years; my boyfriend and I make dinner at home almost every night. One of our favorite hobbies is pinball, so we'll go out of our way to find pinball machines to play. I spend a lot of downtime with my cats, Wolfman & Dracula, because they make me really happy. I travel for conventions a lot, but they feel more like a vacation and less like work because I get to see my comic artist friends, and I choose conventions that are in cities where I have good friends that I can stay with.
Do you have any practical suggestions to help aspiring writers better themselves and improve their work? If so, what are they?
Keep writing, and in the case of comics, self publish! It's really awesome to have total control of a project, and it shows potential publishers that you have the dedication to follow through with your craft, even if you have to do it all yourself.
As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?
I wanted to draw comics! Lucky me! I also wanted to be a ghostbuster...
What are your favorite books and which authors and/or artists inspire you?
There are a lot of great autobio comic artists who have inspired me: Ariel Schrag, Jeffrey Brown, James Kochalka, Lynda Barry, Nicole Georges, Ramsey Beyer, Craig Thompson, Corinne Mucha, Raina Telgemeier. I love reading autobio comics.
What are you excited about working on now?
I have some new graphic novels that I'd like to work on, all autobio still, but I'm not ready to announce what my next project will be yet.
Five For Fun:
What is your favorite drink?
Lemon flavored seltzer is my favorite everyday drink, cucumber soda is my favorite drink that I don't come across that often.
What is your favorite cartoon character?
Mr. Burns on the Simpsons
What is your favorite movie of all time?
Wayne's World
What TV shows do you like to watch?
The Simpsons pre season 11 is my all time favorite show, when I work on comics, I like to watch teen dramas because they are fun background noise that I don't have to pay attention to. I watched all 6 seasons of Gossip Girl while drawing Tomboy.
What do you like to do for fun or just to relax?
I like to read, I get excited when a new issue of the New Yorker shows up in my mailbox. I like swimming in ponds and lakes as a New England summer activity, and I like taking walks in the snow in the winter.
Liz, thanks again and you sound like a lot of fun!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Liz Prince is an autobiographical cartoonist who currently lives outside of Boston, MA, with her two cats, Wolfman and Dracula. Her first book, Will You Still Love Me If I Wet the Bed?, won the Ignatz Award for Outstanding Debut in 2005. She has since published the comic strip collections Delayed Replays and Alone Forever. She has drawn comics for the wildly popular Adventure Time comic series, is a regular contributor to Razorcake magazine, and self-publishes her own comics and zines. She is still a tomboy, and can frequently be found shopping in the boys’ section at thrift stores.
Website: http://lizprincepower.com/
Tomboy Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/tomboymemoir
Twitter: @comicnrrd
ABOUT ZEST BOOKS: Zest Books is an award-winning publisher of smart and edgy nonfiction books and memoirs for young and new adults. Distributed by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, you can learn more about Zest Books at http://www.zestbooks.net
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