MAI: A Graphic Novel

by Sriram Jagannathan

“My daughter’s hands! They’re gone!!”, screamed her Mother.

A freak accident left thirteen-year-old Malvika Iyer battling for her life. She survived. But it changed her life, and her family’s, forever.

A tale of unflagging courage in the face of tremendous difficulties, this true story is an inspiration and a celebration of life and love.

Genres: Nonfiction, Graphic Novels

104 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2018

Reviews

[Jaanaki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Malvika Iyer survived a grenade blast in 2006 when she was just 13 years old.The blast left her literally hanging on to life.This book describes how she survived the blast and the agony ,grief and trauma the family went through after the accident.It also tells us how her mother never gave up until she made sure that her girl walked again .Ultimately, after multiple surgeries and several botched attempts ,she was able to walk with crutches and fitted with prostetic hands .
This beautiful lady now has a Phd ,is a national awardee and is an international motivational speaker and advocate for rights for the disabled and an inclusive society .She has also given TedX talks which I feel everyone should listen to at least once.The book describes her surgeries and leaves you with a lump at the throat .
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The book is very well illustrated and written .I will recommend it to everyone .This is a book you should buy and keep on your shelves to share it with your children so that they realise how powerful and indomitable the human spirit is when faced with adversity.

[Vikas · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all the thing to know this was a self published graphic novel so kudos to the author for continuing to push his dream forward. This is the story of Malviya "Mai" Iyer a 13 years old girl who is living in a small town in Rajasthan with her family. Mai was a super active kid who was excellent in her studies and extracurricular activities too but she unfortunately lost her hands and almost lost her life in a grenade blast. This is the book which shows her happiness, this is a book which shows her pain, this is a book which shows her struggle and her family's struggles especially her mother. This was a wonderful read and I wish that more and more people know about this great true tale.

I have always loved comics, and I hope that I will always love them. Even though I grew up reading local Indian comics like Raj Comics or Diamond Comics or even Manoj Comics, now's the time to catch up on the international and classic comics and Graphic novels. I am on my quest to read as many comics as I can. I Love comics to bit, may comics never leave my side. I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just Keep on Reading.

[Anshuman Swain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, crisp yet extremely touching illustrated (true) story of a girl, who lost her hands and legs in a blast, and how she persevered through the pain and obstacles to achieve her dream.
The illustrations were nice and had an indie feel to it.

[Vinayak Hegde · Rating 3 out of 5]

A stray unexploded grenade changed the life of Malvika Iyer, blasting through her hands. Luckily she survived to tell the tale. The book chronicle her fight to get up and stand up on her two feet through the pains and the judgement of society. The artwork is decent and the story is paced well.