Two-Week Wait: An IVF Story (Book Review)
Two-Week Wait: An IVF Story
Written by Luke Jackson and Kelly Jackson
Illustrated by Mara Wild
Two-Week Wait combines the experiences of the authors and couples around the world as they struggle with infertility and the many pressures, stresses, and disappointments that often accompany the condition. I found myself relating with Conrad and Joanne, as my wife and I and many of our friends and family have experienced very similar circumstances and found the portrayal of Conrad and Joanne honest and compelling.
Though the ending is abrupt and somewhat unresolved in important ways for the reader, the journey is a series of dashed hopes, emotional blows, as well as high-points and optimism, all written and illustrated in a casual, accessible style.
I imagine the book will resonate with many readers as a solace, a balm, and—above all else—a kindred spirit.
Having spent the past 2+ years in bed and 3+ years without a diagnosis for my debilitating pain (despite having visited 48 medical professionals, most of them multiple times), the following page put me in tears for its expression of exhaustion, confusion, and frustration.
Health and medical issues can be incredibly taxing mentally, physically, emotionally, and financially. Though I have an unbeatable team of loving and supportive family and friends, I often feel like a burden to others—reduced to a problem to be solved, rather than a person who wants to live. (I know this isn’t actually the case, but the feeling can be overwhelming and difficult to ignore.)
If you’re interesting in learning how to write and draw your own comics, check out my book Let’s Make Comics! An Activity Book to Create, Write, and Draw Your Own Cartoons.
A light-hearted interactive guide to comics and cartoon-making that uses an activity book format and creatively stimulating prompts to teach the fundamentals of cartooning in a fun and easy-to-follow fashion.
From a working cartoonist and comic book making instructor, this all-ages activity book uses humorous and informative one-page comics and exercise prompts to guide young readers (and readers who are young at heart) through easy-to-master lessons on the skills needed to make comics. The activities cover a range of essential comics-making tasks from creating expressions for characters to filling in blank panels to creating original characters and placing them in adventures of their own. Each exercise can stand on its own or work together with others in the book to stimulate creativity via the comics medium.
In the end, readers who complete the activities inside the book itself will have created several comics of their own, and will have generated many ideas for more sequential art creations.
If you’d like to read my next graphic novel for FREE and before it’s published, sign up for my First Readers Club here.
