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Passport
An unforgettable graphic memoir by debut talent Sophia Glock reveals her discovery as a teenager that her parents are agents working for the CIA
Young Sophia has lived in so many different countries, she can barely keep count. Stationed now with her family in Central America because of her parents' work, Sophia feels displaced as an American living abroad, when she has hardly spent any of her life in America.
Everything changes when she reads a letter she was never meant to see and uncovers her parents' secret. They are not who they say they are. They are working for the CIA. As Sophia tries to make sense of this news, and the web of lies surrounding her, she begins to question everything. The impact that this has on Sophia's emerging sense of self and understanding of the world makes for a page-turning exploration of lies and double lives.
In the hands of this extraordinary graphic storyteller, this astonishing true story bursts to life.
Young Sophia has lived in so many different countries, she can barely keep count. Stationed now with her family in Central America because of her parents' work, Sophia feels displaced as an American living abroad, when she has hardly spent any of her life in America.
Everything changes when she reads a letter she was never meant to see and uncovers her parents' secret. They are not who they say they are. They are working for the CIA. As Sophia tries to make sense of this news, and the web of lies surrounding her, she begins to question everything. The impact that this has on Sophia's emerging sense of self and understanding of the world makes for a page-turning exploration of lies and double lives.
In the hands of this extraordinary graphic storyteller, this astonishing true story bursts to life.
First published November 30, 2021
About the author
Sophia Glock
2 books22 followersSophia Glock is a cartoonist who lives and draws in Austin, Texas. She attended the College of William & Mary and the School of Visual Arts. Her work has been featured in the New Yorker, Buzzfeed, and Time Out New York. She talks to her sister every day.
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April 25, 2022This is not great, but it is good, and I think it will appeal to readers who also like Persepolis, which similarly deals with being a young person in the midst of political upheaval they only somewhat understand, and during which they are just trying to live their youth without all that adult-caused nonsense. I had a (really nice quality!! glossy-paged!! very expensive!!) print ARC, so it could be that there are some nuances of color and layout that are missing or incomplete because it's not final, but the biggest problem in this book is that it shifts temporal setting a lot, and you don't necessarily know something is a flashback until it ends. The tense shifts are almost imperceptible in the codex, both literally because they're hard to find in the art and figuratively in that the exposition is never much more than a single sentence.
I also found that a lot of the supporting characters looked far too similar for me to keep track of who was who, especially since all of those other shifts I mentioned were hard to keep track of. Maybe it's just because all white people look the same and the art is grayscale with spot color? (lol now you know what that feels like, wypipo!)
Far be it from me to determine what Glock was and wasn't allowed to be forthright about per CIA rules, so maybe she was vague-but-not-actually-vague-if-you-pay-attention about things on purpose (like how anybody can google a hurricane when the actual official rule about hurricanes is you don't reuse the name of anything that causes profoundly devastating casualties and destruction and how everybody has heard of mariachi music and knows its provenance and general regional and cultural location, I hope?), but sometimes I was a little like "why don't you just put the fucking year so we can keep track of what's a flashback and what's the 'present'?", especially because at one point when she gets a college(? it's kind of blurry on purpose) acceptance letter, the year 2000 is plainly visible.
As for the emotional impact and teen angst, it is spot on, which is to say people may think it's hard to follow or doesn't have a narrative arc, but teen angst doesn't have a fucking fluid narrative arc, it has a lot of, as Glock herself describes, wanting to both please and repulse people at the same time; wanting to fit in and stand out at the same time; wanting to be forced to do things you don't want to because you do sort of want to do them but need a little push; and every other paradox you can think of. I so appreciate (or identify with?) how Book Sophia never quite gets what she wants, because that is so very real. That is really what saved the book so far, as it was hard to stay interested in the book's official hook--"my parents were spooks and didn't tell me"--because it pretty much stopped appearing after the first third of the book, and at least from where I'm standing, the only thing that's interesting (and defensible?) about espionage, PARTICULARLY AMERICAN ESPIONAGE AND POLITICAL INTERFERENCE IN LATIN AMERICA IN THE 1990S, is the sociopolitical context, and since there were some moments where details were semi-revealed, I wonder why the Adult Narrator Sophia didn't feel moved to try to get some of that across? Again, I don't know (but as a publishing professional who works in the ghostwriting space I am desperately interested in knowing!) at what point in the creative and publishing process, and with how much power and oversight, the CIA got to look at this book and interfere in it, but I was disappointed that the promise in the marketing didn't quite manifest in the story.
Anyway, it's unique enough and the emotional anguish is well rendered enough that I think readers will be drawn to this book and will enjoy it, so I'm glad to recommend it, but there's just far too much about it, both textually and metatextually, that goes unexplored or unexplained, for me to fully invest in it as a reader on a personal level.
I also found that a lot of the supporting characters looked far too similar for me to keep track of who was who, especially since all of those other shifts I mentioned were hard to keep track of. Maybe it's just because all white people look the same and the art is grayscale with spot color? (lol now you know what that feels like, wypipo!)
Far be it from me to determine what Glock was and wasn't allowed to be forthright about per CIA rules, so maybe she was vague-but-not-actually-vague-if-you-pay-attention about things on purpose (like how anybody can google a hurricane when the actual official rule about hurricanes is you don't reuse the name of anything that causes profoundly devastating casualties and destruction and how everybody has heard of mariachi music and knows its provenance and general regional and cultural location, I hope?), but sometimes I was a little like "why don't you just put the fucking year so we can keep track of what's a flashback and what's the 'present'?", especially because at one point when she gets a college(? it's kind of blurry on purpose) acceptance letter, the year 2000 is plainly visible.
As for the emotional impact and teen angst, it is spot on, which is to say people may think it's hard to follow or doesn't have a narrative arc, but teen angst doesn't have a fucking fluid narrative arc, it has a lot of, as Glock herself describes, wanting to both please and repulse people at the same time; wanting to fit in and stand out at the same time; wanting to be forced to do things you don't want to because you do sort of want to do them but need a little push; and every other paradox you can think of. I so appreciate (or identify with?) how Book Sophia never quite gets what she wants, because that is so very real. That is really what saved the book so far, as it was hard to stay interested in the book's official hook--"my parents were spooks and didn't tell me"--because it pretty much stopped appearing after the first third of the book, and at least from where I'm standing, the only thing that's interesting (and defensible?) about espionage, PARTICULARLY AMERICAN ESPIONAGE AND POLITICAL INTERFERENCE IN LATIN AMERICA IN THE 1990S, is the sociopolitical context, and since there were some moments where details were semi-revealed, I wonder why the Adult Narrator Sophia didn't feel moved to try to get some of that across? Again, I don't know (but as a publishing professional who works in the ghostwriting space I am desperately interested in knowing!) at what point in the creative and publishing process, and with how much power and oversight, the CIA got to look at this book and interfere in it, but I was disappointed that the promise in the marketing didn't quite manifest in the story.
Anyway, it's unique enough and the emotional anguish is well rendered enough that I think readers will be drawn to this book and will enjoy it, so I'm glad to recommend it, but there's just far too much about it, both textually and metatextually, that goes unexplored or unexplained, for me to fully invest in it as a reader on a personal level.
May 3, 2022
The hook here, the supposedly Big Reveal, is that Sophia grew up traveling all over the world because her parents worked in different countries for the CIA. But we don't learn much about that, I suppose of course, because it is Top Secret. but still, the set up is to confirm what she guesses early on, that he parents are SPIES! But 3/4 of the book is about Glock coming of age, sneaking out, underage, to bars, mildly rebellious. I did read it all in one sitting, I liked the art pretty well, but was disappointed in the takeaway.
January 2, 2022
Actual rating: 2.5 stars
Hm.. this is a weird one to rate. This is a memoir of Glock's experiences growing up with parents who were CIA intelligence officers, but the focus of the narrative is largely on her coming-of-age, trying to fit in with her peers, and assert her independence amidst the strange rules being imposed on her unknowingly due to her parents' job.
You can tell a lot had to be omitted to protect the identity and nature of Glock's parents' work. This is totally understandable, but it still affected the reading experience and thus my enjoyment of this. Not Glock's fault and her story of navigating crushes and toxic friendships amid unusual circumstances wasn't bad, but I couldn't help but be a bit disappointed.
The art was middling for me too. It's a nice palette of pastel pinks and purples, but the art style wasn't totally up my alley. Again, there wasn't anything actually wrong with it -- just a matter of personal preference.
I would recommend this to readers looking for a comic memoir that's a bit different from the usual fare, but make sure to adjust your expectations if you're expecting it to focus on Glock's parents.
Hm.. this is a weird one to rate. This is a memoir of Glock's experiences growing up with parents who were CIA intelligence officers, but the focus of the narrative is largely on her coming-of-age, trying to fit in with her peers, and assert her independence amidst the strange rules being imposed on her unknowingly due to her parents' job.
You can tell a lot had to be omitted to protect the identity and nature of Glock's parents' work. This is totally understandable, but it still affected the reading experience and thus my enjoyment of this. Not Glock's fault and her story of navigating crushes and toxic friendships amid unusual circumstances wasn't bad, but I couldn't help but be a bit disappointed.
The art was middling for me too. It's a nice palette of pastel pinks and purples, but the art style wasn't totally up my alley. Again, there wasn't anything actually wrong with it -- just a matter of personal preference.
I would recommend this to readers looking for a comic memoir that's a bit different from the usual fare, but make sure to adjust your expectations if you're expecting it to focus on Glock's parents.
November 25, 2021
This was unexpected and I feel kind of bad rating a true story but here we are. The trigger warnings were absolutely necessary and though the storyline was unexpected, I enjoyed reading about Sophia all the same.
Passport is Sophia Glock’s coming-of-age story. We follow her tumultuous teenage thoughts and feelings as she comes of age in a foreign country, surrounded by people she’s not sure are really her friends and parents who are secretive and distant.
I greatly appreciate that the book talked about colonization and poverty in Central America and that it touched on activism and consent. I loved the portrayal of Sophia's friends, her family's worries and nonchalance regarding their constant migration by her siblings and the protagonist's genuine emotions.
Overall, this was a very interesting read that emphasize on many things we tend to miss.
Passport is Sophia Glock’s coming-of-age story. We follow her tumultuous teenage thoughts and feelings as she comes of age in a foreign country, surrounded by people she’s not sure are really her friends and parents who are secretive and distant.
I greatly appreciate that the book talked about colonization and poverty in Central America and that it touched on activism and consent. I loved the portrayal of Sophia's friends, her family's worries and nonchalance regarding their constant migration by her siblings and the protagonist's genuine emotions.
Overall, this was a very interesting read that emphasize on many things we tend to miss.
April 11, 2022
Basically, Mallory Keaton of Family Ties stars in a remake of The Quiet American, as a teenage girl obsessed with boys and her teenage friends, spares a couple brain cells to figure out that her parents who drag her around the world, including their current Central American home, may not be "who they say they are."
It's an interesting hook, but the author really doesn't do much with it, getting bogged down in the high school social scene and fairly typical teen antics and acts of rebellion. She does veer a bit into Ugly American territory, as her family resides in a fairly comfortable bubble as the people who actually live in the countries where they are stationed suffer from a coup and a devastating hurricane.
Disappointing end result, but I liked the art at least.
It's an interesting hook, but the author really doesn't do much with it, getting bogged down in the high school social scene and fairly typical teen antics and acts of rebellion. She does veer a bit into Ugly American territory, as her family resides in a fairly comfortable bubble as the people who actually live in the countries where they are stationed suffer from a coup and a devastating hurricane.
Disappointing end result, but I liked the art at least.
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December 6, 2021This YA nonfiction comic is a look at being a girl who grows up amidst a lot of secrets, a lot of upheaval, and a lot of rules she doesn't understand (but breaks anyway). When your parents are intelligence officers for the US, there's only so much you can know or hear.
Which, I think, is what makes this memoir comic both strong and weak. Sophia's story is a lot about partying and going out to break her parent's rules and the hold they have over her -- as well as a means of bring a DIFFERENT kind of child than her sister, a way of asserting her own independence, even though it's entirely coming from peer pressure -- but it's also missing a lot of essential information and context BECAUSE it has to miss a lot of that due to the secrecy around her mom and dad's jobs.
I got more out of the author's note, honestly, but I enjoyed the comic itself. It's a lovely palate of light blues/lavenders and purples, slightly sketchy and dreamy. Perhaps the bit of the story that most engaged me was the relationship between Sophia and Beth: it's a toxic, destructive friendship Sophia falls into amid her desire to fit in, and Beth 100% takes advantage of it through and through.
A solid read, though not one where you're going to necessarily pick up what you'd expect to.
Which, I think, is what makes this memoir comic both strong and weak. Sophia's story is a lot about partying and going out to break her parent's rules and the hold they have over her -- as well as a means of bring a DIFFERENT kind of child than her sister, a way of asserting her own independence, even though it's entirely coming from peer pressure -- but it's also missing a lot of essential information and context BECAUSE it has to miss a lot of that due to the secrecy around her mom and dad's jobs.
I got more out of the author's note, honestly, but I enjoyed the comic itself. It's a lovely palate of light blues/lavenders and purples, slightly sketchy and dreamy. Perhaps the bit of the story that most engaged me was the relationship between Sophia and Beth: it's a toxic, destructive friendship Sophia falls into amid her desire to fit in, and Beth 100% takes advantage of it through and through.
A solid read, though not one where you're going to necessarily pick up what you'd expect to.
January 5, 2023
The blurb of this one had me expecting a lot more spy stuff 🤷♂️ Other than the lack of that it was a decent coming of age story.
February 17, 2022
I guess I was expecting something else when I read the synopsis - girl's coming of age in a foreign country unknowingly the daughter of American spies. Really it's the story of a confused teenager navigating life while feeling out of place. It didn't feel fleshed out, but maybe that is because it's a graphic novel and not a novel. Overall disappointing.
March 28, 2022
I am trying to read more graphic novels, and this memoir of a young girl in an unnamed South American country questioning her sexuality and discovering her parents are CIA operatives is a really interesting combination.
In general, I liked the tricolour art style, and there are some evocative sections in which the words and images really work together (the section about the father being a man of secrets I found really powerful). Sophia is also an engaging narrator, although I found myself with more questions than answers. The imperialism of the residency of CIA operatives in a South American country was sort of skated over, but not really dealt with in any real sense. Parallels were drawn between Sophia sneaking out with boys, drinking underage and realising her queerness which I find interesting, if a bit disturbing. Necking with boys and having intense, homosocial friendships isn't quite the same as destablising South American democracies.
As well, I found myself very curious about Sophia's role in her family -- she seems to treated differently to her siblings in a lot of ways -- being sent to a Spanish immersion school for two years for example while her older siblings are sent to American boarding schools, and her younger siblings are sent to local international schools. Families I have known who have raised children as ex-pats have been very keen to replicate the conditions of home (combined with the upsides of cheap labour and international schooling set, of course) as much as possible.
Sophia seems to reconcile her parents' occupation by deciding that everyone has secrets. Consequently, I don't think that the impact of her parents' work was ever sort of digested. I would be curious if this is how Glock feels now. This memoir was also approved by the CIA (!) like all the best YA literature, which is also interesting, so it's hard not to view this as having a propaganda element to it. In any case, certainly worth a read.
In general, I liked the tricolour art style, and there are some evocative sections in which the words and images really work together (the section about the father being a man of secrets I found really powerful). Sophia is also an engaging narrator, although I found myself with more questions than answers. The imperialism of the residency of CIA operatives in a South American country was sort of skated over, but not really dealt with in any real sense. Parallels were drawn between Sophia sneaking out with boys, drinking underage and realising her queerness which I find interesting, if a bit disturbing. Necking with boys and having intense, homosocial friendships isn't quite the same as destablising South American democracies.
As well, I found myself very curious about Sophia's role in her family -- she seems to treated differently to her siblings in a lot of ways -- being sent to a Spanish immersion school for two years for example while her older siblings are sent to American boarding schools, and her younger siblings are sent to local international schools. Families I have known who have raised children as ex-pats have been very keen to replicate the conditions of home (combined with the upsides of cheap labour and international schooling set, of course) as much as possible.
Sophia seems to reconcile her parents' occupation by deciding that everyone has secrets. Consequently, I don't think that the impact of her parents' work was ever sort of digested. I would be curious if this is how Glock feels now. This memoir was also approved by the CIA (!) like all the best YA literature, which is also interesting, so it's hard not to view this as having a propaganda element to it. In any case, certainly worth a read.
January 18, 2022
This is a really interesting memoir of an undeniably interesting childhood--raised by American spies living in Central America. (She's not allowed to say what countries or what her parents did, but like honestly...probably her parents did not do anything good. Which was a little bit of a damper on the travelogue. But OK.) Her art style is really expressive and I think there's a universal kind of coming of age narrative in here despite the unusual trappings of aggressive imperialism.
Ultimately IDK...that it's a memoir is cool and personal but I almost wish she'd fictionalized her story just so she could add a little bit more detail instead of having to write around big chunks of confidential info?
But this is a debut and I look forward to whatever Sophia Glock writes next.
Ultimately IDK...that it's a memoir is cool and personal but I almost wish she'd fictionalized her story just so she could add a little bit more detail instead of having to write around big chunks of confidential info?
But this is a debut and I look forward to whatever Sophia Glock writes next.
February 5, 2022
A book about how to fit in when you’re a daughter of an intelligent agent. Well, even though Sophia didn’t tell us exactly who her parents are and where they live.
For me this book isn’t bad, nor good either. Not really special for me. Also the graphic :(( I don’t like it, it’s like I’m seeing a drawing of ghosts. Sorry.
For me this book isn’t bad, nor good either. Not really special for me. Also the graphic :(( I don’t like it, it’s like I’m seeing a drawing of ghosts. Sorry.
April 30, 2023
Color scheme is ogle worthy. I love it.
Story is…not…cohesive? Not complete. Not anything more than a brief glimpse of an angsty teen with hints of why that aren’t really actually explored the way the blurb would make you think.
It was a let down. Which feels so terrible to say about a memoir, however there seems to be more excluded than included.
Story is…not…cohesive? Not complete. Not anything more than a brief glimpse of an angsty teen with hints of why that aren’t really actually explored the way the blurb would make you think.
It was a let down. Which feels so terrible to say about a memoir, however there seems to be more excluded than included.
November 19, 2021
Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Passport
Author: Sophia Glock
Book Series: Standalone
Diversity: Bisexual mc
Latinx side characters
Rating: 5/5
Recommended For...: Young adult readers, biography, graphic novel
Genre: YA Biography Graphic Novel
Publication Date: November 30, 2021
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 320
Recommended Age: 16+ (Sexual harassment, Rape mentioned, Being Outed, Kidnapping mentioned, Bullying, Drug use mentioned, Death mentioned, Gore mentioned, Suicide
mentioned, Sex mentioned, Alcohol consumption by minors, Language, Romance, Child abuse mentioned, Pedophilia hinted at, Sexual assualt)
Explanation of CWs: There is sexual harassment and sexual assault in the book. Rape and kidnapping are mentioned, with rape and/or consent being discussed about 3 times. There are two instances of the main character being outed. Bullying is shown. Drug use is mentioned a handful of times. Death is mentioned and a dead body is shown in a casket at a funeral. Gore is mentioned and suicide is discussed. Sex is mentioned and alcohol consumption is shown. While the age of consent is 18 where the MC is, I don't believe she herself is 18. There are a couple of curse words. Child abuse is mentioned and there is one instance where a character says a bartender caters to her because he likes little girls and both are very young, if not minor, children. There is also some romance scenes shown.
Synopsis: Young Sophia has lived in so many different countries, she can barely keep count. Stationed now with her family in Central America because of her parents' work, Sophia feels displaced as an American living abroad, when she has hardly spent any of her life in America.
Everything changes when she reads a letter she was never meant to see and uncovers her parents' secret. They are not who they say they are. They are working for the CIA. As Sophia tries to make sense of this news, and the web of lies surrounding her, she begins to question everything. The impact that this has on Sophia's emerging sense of self and understanding of the world makes for a page-turning exploration of lies and double lives.
In the hands of this extraordinary graphic storyteller, this astonishing true story bursts to life.
Review: I really enjoyed this graphic novel. I didn't expect the graphic novel to go where it went, but it was a really fun read that focused a lot on the teenage trials and tribulations outside of having parents that are spies LOL. I also appreciate that the book talked about colonization and poverty in Central America. I also liked that the book touched on activism and consent. The character development was really well done and I absolutely love the illustrations. I also thought The world building was fairly well done and the story is well written.
My only issue with the book is that from the synopsis it sounds like the story is going to go one way I e with our main character finding out that her parents are spiced and having to deal with that, but that was barely a blip on this teenagers radar in the book. The book mainly focused on this teenage girl figuring out life and her parents being spies was in a side to it. I really hope that there is a sequel because I really enjoyed the story overall, but I would like to see more of an emphasis on having to maintain the secret in living this lifestyle.
Verdict: Highly recommend!
Book: Passport
Author: Sophia Glock
Book Series: Standalone
Diversity: Bisexual mc
Latinx side characters
Rating: 5/5
Recommended For...: Young adult readers, biography, graphic novel
Genre: YA Biography Graphic Novel
Publication Date: November 30, 2021
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 320
Recommended Age: 16+ (Sexual harassment, Rape mentioned, Being Outed, Kidnapping mentioned, Bullying, Drug use mentioned, Death mentioned, Gore mentioned, Suicide
mentioned, Sex mentioned, Alcohol consumption by minors, Language, Romance, Child abuse mentioned, Pedophilia hinted at, Sexual assualt)
Explanation of CWs: There is sexual harassment and sexual assault in the book. Rape and kidnapping are mentioned, with rape and/or consent being discussed about 3 times. There are two instances of the main character being outed. Bullying is shown. Drug use is mentioned a handful of times. Death is mentioned and a dead body is shown in a casket at a funeral. Gore is mentioned and suicide is discussed. Sex is mentioned and alcohol consumption is shown. While the age of consent is 18 where the MC is, I don't believe she herself is 18. There are a couple of curse words. Child abuse is mentioned and there is one instance where a character says a bartender caters to her because he likes little girls and both are very young, if not minor, children. There is also some romance scenes shown.
Synopsis: Young Sophia has lived in so many different countries, she can barely keep count. Stationed now with her family in Central America because of her parents' work, Sophia feels displaced as an American living abroad, when she has hardly spent any of her life in America.
Everything changes when she reads a letter she was never meant to see and uncovers her parents' secret. They are not who they say they are. They are working for the CIA. As Sophia tries to make sense of this news, and the web of lies surrounding her, she begins to question everything. The impact that this has on Sophia's emerging sense of self and understanding of the world makes for a page-turning exploration of lies and double lives.
In the hands of this extraordinary graphic storyteller, this astonishing true story bursts to life.
Review: I really enjoyed this graphic novel. I didn't expect the graphic novel to go where it went, but it was a really fun read that focused a lot on the teenage trials and tribulations outside of having parents that are spies LOL. I also appreciate that the book talked about colonization and poverty in Central America. I also liked that the book touched on activism and consent. The character development was really well done and I absolutely love the illustrations. I also thought The world building was fairly well done and the story is well written.
My only issue with the book is that from the synopsis it sounds like the story is going to go one way I e with our main character finding out that her parents are spiced and having to deal with that, but that was barely a blip on this teenagers radar in the book. The book mainly focused on this teenage girl figuring out life and her parents being spies was in a side to it. I really hope that there is a sequel because I really enjoyed the story overall, but I would like to see more of an emphasis on having to maintain the secret in living this lifestyle.
Verdict: Highly recommend!
April 21, 2023
Honestly not a super deep of emotionally resonant novel for me, but it was enjoyable to read. The art style was nice but not particularly to my liking.
November 22, 2021
I kind of feel weird rating someone’s memoir since it’s so personal and obviously real but I think I was expecting something a little different to what we got. Passport is Sophia Glock’s coming-of-age story. We follow her tumultuous teenage thoughts and feelings as she comes of age in a foreign country, surrounded by people she’s not sure are really her friends and parents who are secretive and distant. There were things that I found relatable as someone who had a similar(ish) upbringing and I thought this was an interesting memoir!
Things I enjoyed:
- As someone who grew up in a somewhat similar situation (minus the secret agent parents), I related to her teen experiences. I really related to the author’s feeling of not belonging where she grew up but also not belonging where she was born because yes, it’s such a stark and confusing feeling, and it sticks with you!
- The art style perfectly complemented the story! The characters all seem to blend with the same/similar physical features with minor differences between them, which seems to indicate how the author has distanced herself or feels unattached towards the people around her. The only people who seem to have distinctive features are her family, especially her parents and sister, and I think that's a great way to show who were the significant players in her life. I also loved how certain items were suddenly in a different colour which to me indicated how important or impactful it was to her (like that red dress)!
- One of the main reasons I requested to read this was because I had a somewhat similar upbringing minus the secret agent parents. However, growing up as a Third Culture Kid is such a unique experience and has such a lasting impact on all of us and I always love to see how others experienced it. I definitely related to some of the author's restlessness and the air of anticipation and expectation for something to happen. I also related to a lot of the sneaking out to the dodgiest places in foreign countries with that air of danger but also feeling invincible and anonymous enough to get away with it and have nothing happen to me (which is honestly ridiculous lol)! 😂
- I absolutely loved the ending of this graphic novel and it really hit home for me. Just the idea of believing you're finally going back to the place where you "belong" but then realising that it's actually not all it cracked up to be and how that sucks but it's just a part of life and it's okay.
Things I was on the fence about:
- I kind of wish that the reveal of her parents as secret agents got more of a focus. I mean, I can totally understand why it wasn’t because maybe it wasn’t allowed in the end, but I thought that aspect of the story would get more attention and the actual reveal felt a little anticlimactic. But the more I think about it perhaps that was also how the author felt in the end?
Things I enjoyed:
- As someone who grew up in a somewhat similar situation (minus the secret agent parents), I related to her teen experiences. I really related to the author’s feeling of not belonging where she grew up but also not belonging where she was born because yes, it’s such a stark and confusing feeling, and it sticks with you!
- The art style perfectly complemented the story! The characters all seem to blend with the same/similar physical features with minor differences between them, which seems to indicate how the author has distanced herself or feels unattached towards the people around her. The only people who seem to have distinctive features are her family, especially her parents and sister, and I think that's a great way to show who were the significant players in her life. I also loved how certain items were suddenly in a different colour which to me indicated how important or impactful it was to her (like that red dress)!
- One of the main reasons I requested to read this was because I had a somewhat similar upbringing minus the secret agent parents. However, growing up as a Third Culture Kid is such a unique experience and has such a lasting impact on all of us and I always love to see how others experienced it. I definitely related to some of the author's restlessness and the air of anticipation and expectation for something to happen. I also related to a lot of the sneaking out to the dodgiest places in foreign countries with that air of danger but also feeling invincible and anonymous enough to get away with it and have nothing happen to me (which is honestly ridiculous lol)! 😂
- I absolutely loved the ending of this graphic novel and it really hit home for me. Just the idea of believing you're finally going back to the place where you "belong" but then realising that it's actually not all it cracked up to be and how that sucks but it's just a part of life and it's okay.
Things I was on the fence about:
- I kind of wish that the reveal of her parents as secret agents got more of a focus. I mean, I can totally understand why it wasn’t because maybe it wasn’t allowed in the end, but I thought that aspect of the story would get more attention and the actual reveal felt a little anticlimactic. But the more I think about it perhaps that was also how the author felt in the end?
March 12, 2022
I read this graphic novel in about 90 minutes. And well… I have some things to say.
I’m going to feel bad leaving a harsh review on a memoir, but I need to get my thoughts about this book down somewhere
Let’s begin with the art style. I was not a fan of the art style in this graphic novel. I’m not sure what exactly it is about it, it just doesn’t feel very aesthetically pleasing. Also, I felt like the character designs just weren’t very memorable, and I found it very difficult to tell characters apart in some places, resorting to context clues to figure out who the heck was in each scene.
I came into this graphic novel not knowing it was a memoir. Unfortunately, this was very important to how the story worked out. The back of this novel was giving intrigue and mystery, like the protagonist’s whole life would be falling apart before her eyes or something. But instead, she just went, “Oh.” and then the plot just progressed normally, like that what she found out wasn’t even an important detail? Like, I understand that this was done reveal as few details about her parent’s jobs as possible, but I thought it would be a much larger plot element. It’s mentioned like, 2, maybe 3-ish? times throughout the novel. Instead, the novel was became kind of a coming of age story? Except it had no plot. It just seemed to be a collection of separate, but somewhat connected events. There was no tension or buildup- I don’t even think there was a climax.
Kind of nitpicky, but I felt like the way characters spoke in this graphic novel was really strange, and didn’t feel true to life. Idk just a thought
This novel might've actually been an interesting case study in trying to fit in as a teenager in places you might not belong, but to me as a reader, it was literally just a 15-16 year old girl getting into situations that made me bizzarely uncomfortable.
Overall, I didn’t aggressively *hate* this graphic novel, but I also have no positive feelings towards it whatsoever, and also feel like it wasn’t worth the 23 CAD I spent on it.
I’m going to feel bad leaving a harsh review on a memoir, but I need to get my thoughts about this book down somewhere
Let’s begin with the art style. I was not a fan of the art style in this graphic novel. I’m not sure what exactly it is about it, it just doesn’t feel very aesthetically pleasing. Also, I felt like the character designs just weren’t very memorable, and I found it very difficult to tell characters apart in some places, resorting to context clues to figure out who the heck was in each scene.
I came into this graphic novel not knowing it was a memoir. Unfortunately, this was very important to how the story worked out. The back of this novel was giving intrigue and mystery, like the protagonist’s whole life would be falling apart before her eyes or something. But instead, she just went, “Oh.” and then the plot just progressed normally, like that what she found out wasn’t even an important detail? Like, I understand that this was done reveal as few details about her parent’s jobs as possible, but I thought it would be a much larger plot element. It’s mentioned like, 2, maybe 3-ish? times throughout the novel. Instead, the novel was became kind of a coming of age story? Except it had no plot. It just seemed to be a collection of separate, but somewhat connected events. There was no tension or buildup- I don’t even think there was a climax.
Kind of nitpicky, but I felt like the way characters spoke in this graphic novel was really strange, and didn’t feel true to life. Idk just a thought
This novel might've actually been an interesting case study in trying to fit in as a teenager in places you might not belong, but to me as a reader, it was literally just a 15-16 year old girl getting into situations that made me bizzarely uncomfortable.
Overall, I didn’t aggressively *hate* this graphic novel, but I also have no positive feelings towards it whatsoever, and also feel like it wasn’t worth the 23 CAD I spent on it.
December 6, 2021
Oh Sophia, I am in awe of the work you must have done to tell your story in such a lovely way. I felt akin to your experiences. Similar but different. I am thrilled that your book exists and speaks my language. I love it! 1000 Congratulations.
I agree with some of the reviewers that coming of age under unusual circumstances should be the selling point, and not building up the drama of Sophia’s parents’ secrets. Other than that, no complaints. Imagine?
I agree with some of the reviewers that coming of age under unusual circumstances should be the selling point, and not building up the drama of Sophia’s parents’ secrets. Other than that, no complaints. Imagine?
Shelved as 'read-comix'
February 1, 2022This wasn’t what I expected; I don't think the blurb accurately reflects the overall content of the book. The memoir is more of Sophia’s coming-of-age story during her last two years of high school and has very little has to do with her parents being in the CIA. I get that privacy prohibits much of that being shared, but the synopsis makes you think that is the plot. But I also understand that Sophia was in the position she was in because of her parents job. The story is all over the place, but that feels like her personality too.
I enjoyed the art style but at times it was hard to tell the characters apart.
Sophia mentions Hurricane Mitch and its effects. She helped out by packaging beans and rice in baggies to send to folks cut off from food. Mitch is the second-deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record, causing over 11,000 fatalities in Central America in 1998. And content warning, she has a nightmare and sees dead bodies piled up in mud.
She briefly mentions the poverty and the dangers of living in Central America, but I honestly would’ve loved to learn more. She acted so nonchalantly about all of this, and that came off very privileged.
Another content warning: Suicide is mentioned and depicted. Sophia attends a funeral for a classmate, and they had an open casket and was shown with a band-aid on their forehead.
The story ends with her coming back to America for college, and how she doesn’t fit in like she thinks she will. This is the story I want to hear.
CW: suicide, death, underage drinking, sexual harassment, toxic friendship
I enjoyed the art style but at times it was hard to tell the characters apart.
Sophia mentions Hurricane Mitch and its effects. She helped out by packaging beans and rice in baggies to send to folks cut off from food. Mitch is the second-deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record, causing over 11,000 fatalities in Central America in 1998. And content warning, she has a nightmare and sees dead bodies piled up in mud.
She briefly mentions the poverty and the dangers of living in Central America, but I honestly would’ve loved to learn more. She acted so nonchalantly about all of this, and that came off very privileged.
Another content warning: Suicide is mentioned and depicted. Sophia attends a funeral for a classmate, and they had an open casket and was shown with a band-aid on their forehead.
The story ends with her coming back to America for college, and how she doesn’t fit in like she thinks she will. This is the story I want to hear.
CW: suicide, death, underage drinking, sexual harassment, toxic friendship
January 2, 2022
To me as a military brat there were moments that very familiar to me. Such as not writing back friends or that they will not write back or not being sure where home is. Although I did know what my parents did unlike Sophia, moving around every few years not got easier. Even though the schools I went to were not outside of the US I did go to about 7 different schools just like Sophia did.
There is moment in this book that is utterly relatable for me because of the feeling that the scenes give off. Which when a suicide happens at the school and Sophia tells her friend "I'm so sorry" and her friend replies "I've known her since we were little kids. Do you know what that feels like?" To which Sophia says "No". That 'no' is a weird feeling because you having moved around so much will never know and never really understand the feeling of losing someone you have known since childhood. In a way that 'no' is a reminder and a punch to gut that no matter how much you want to seem normal like everyone else's family and friends you can't because well that's just life when you move around.
Even though I knew what my father did, there was still this feeling in the air when moving to somewhere new that well we shouldn't make friends because we'll move soon anyways. That's the feeling and thought I had throughout reading this book.
There is moment in this book that is utterly relatable for me because of the feeling that the scenes give off. Which when a suicide happens at the school and Sophia tells her friend "I'm so sorry" and her friend replies "I've known her since we were little kids. Do you know what that feels like?" To which Sophia says "No". That 'no' is a weird feeling because you having moved around so much will never know and never really understand the feeling of losing someone you have known since childhood. In a way that 'no' is a reminder and a punch to gut that no matter how much you want to seem normal like everyone else's family and friends you can't because well that's just life when you move around.
Even though I knew what my father did, there was still this feeling in the air when moving to somewhere new that well we shouldn't make friends because we'll move soon anyways. That's the feeling and thought I had throughout reading this book.
January 17, 2022
Teen memoir that reminded me of the great tv series The Americans only without the good parts!
The rebellious coming of age of Sophia could have been set anywhere, as the secretive parents story became secondary. Her parents’ conservative and protective natures overrode the spy thing- sneaking out to illicit clubs, dodging catty classmates, and wearing tube tops can be done in Kansas.
While the drawing was a sweet soft pencil, the teenaged characters were a bit tough to differentiate. But I do love graphic novel memoirs and the obviously sensitive and courageous effort Glock took to tell her story gets three stars from me.
The rebellious coming of age of Sophia could have been set anywhere, as the secretive parents story became secondary. Her parents’ conservative and protective natures overrode the spy thing- sneaking out to illicit clubs, dodging catty classmates, and wearing tube tops can be done in Kansas.
While the drawing was a sweet soft pencil, the teenaged characters were a bit tough to differentiate. But I do love graphic novel memoirs and the obviously sensitive and courageous effort Glock took to tell her story gets three stars from me.
January 7, 2022
This was really boring. Not much happened, particularly nothing of interest given that her parents were freaking spies. I expected her parents work to impact her more or for at least something of interest to happen, but it was just watching a boring girl have mediocre friendships while her boring parents deflected questions. The art wasn't bad, but again, given that the text was so boring, the choice to illustrate it in black and white with near emotionless faces just enhanced the boredom. There was nothing bad about it so it doesn't deserve 1 star, but it was like a fillingless pie.
March 8, 2022
I'm glad I went into this blind as the synopsis might (mis)lead readers into thinking that the book is centered on Sophia discovering her parents' secret. That's actually only a small aspect of this beautiful graphic memoir, which explores themes of identity, sexuality, belonging and more.
I love the minimal colour palette of peach and greyish-purple. The artwork is relatively simple and I had difficulty differentiating the female characters at times as they all looked similar. Overall, I enjoyed the minimalist art style and found it fitting for the book.
A rather poignant read, and I would recommend it for fans of This One Summer, Just So Happens and My Last Summer With Cass.
I love the minimal colour palette of peach and greyish-purple. The artwork is relatively simple and I had difficulty differentiating the female characters at times as they all looked similar. Overall, I enjoyed the minimalist art style and found it fitting for the book.
A rather poignant read, and I would recommend it for fans of This One Summer, Just So Happens and My Last Summer With Cass.
April 18, 2023
The art had a pretty color palette but lacked a lot of detail. The storytelling felt surface level and I think it would have been more interesting if she talked about how coming to the states for college made her feel less American than she thought she was. There was a lot of mentioning of themes such as being a woman living in a culture that emphasizes machismo, identity, and building quality relationships, but it wasn’t written to its full potential. The blurb is the most misleading because the reveal of the secret wasn’t even that big of a deal to the main character in the end. Great idea but poor execution.
July 16, 2022
1.5 stars. Not sure why I even continued to the end. The premise (parents as spies) was provocative, but the story itself was, well, boring. Never got to anything the parents DID, except hide the truth. The characters all looked very similar (Harry Bliss-style illustrations, although I prefer Bliss's content to Glock's), and even at the height of tragedy (death of a friend; I had to try to remember which friend as all the characters looked so alike), I felt nothing for any of them. Wish I could have that time back for something else.
October 13, 2022
This was an interesting g graphic novel that I found at my library and mentioned in Bookpage magazine. This is a memoir about a girl who grows up in another country and has to navigate many moves during her school years. Sophia finds out later that her parents are spies and understands that she has to navigate learning about herself wherever she lives. There are parts of the story that are a little vague related to the identity protection required by the CIA explained in the authors note. Loved the colors and drawings
February 14, 2022
I picked this one up mostly because of its beautiful cover, but it turned out to be quite a beautiful story, as well.
Sophia's life is in constant flux. Her family moves frequently, which means she's never anywhere long enough to form solid friendships. Her parents are secretive about their work and her siblings are living their own lives. Sophia wants to experience being a "normal" teen and decides to join drama, attend parties, and kiss boys.
A great balance of teen angst and family drama alongside simple-but-powerful illustrations.
Sophia's life is in constant flux. Her family moves frequently, which means she's never anywhere long enough to form solid friendships. Her parents are secretive about their work and her siblings are living their own lives. Sophia wants to experience being a "normal" teen and decides to join drama, attend parties, and kiss boys.
A great balance of teen angst and family drama alongside simple-but-powerful illustrations.
October 17, 2022
This was a quick read. It was a slice of life story, but there wasn't a through line so many moments felt disjointed when they could have lent themselves to a larger, more cohesive, storyline.
The most interesting fact was that the author's parents were CIA agents. But that was barely discussed. The story was more an exploration of the author's teen years and growing up in a place that isn't necessarily home.
The most interesting fact was that the author's parents were CIA agents. But that was barely discussed. The story was more an exploration of the author's teen years and growing up in a place that isn't necessarily home.
July 14, 2022
I love a good graphic novel and Passport was certainly a decent one. The plot was initially hooking however I think the main ideas of the story got lost in translation jumbled up through the complexities of school and love. The art was really pretty and had a stunning orange colour palette. A quick and easy read, about a Sophia a girl with a secret to hide.
June 14, 2022
Sophia tries to live her own life despite the restrictions and responsibilities placed upon her due to her unusual situation. It was interesting to read, and the author conveys this conflict well in the graphic medium.
There's this repeated line from Sophia about having to ask for permission from her mom.
There's this repeated line from Sophia about having to ask for permission from her mom.
February 25, 2022
I agree with some other reviews here that the synopsis makes you believe you will read a very different story, but I liked this one for what it is: a story of a teen discovering who she is alongside the discovery that her family has been keeping secrets of who they are.
While I wish there was more about the parents and the way Sophia processed their work, I also feel that by not talking much about it we are given a glimpse at how that distance impacted Sophia.
While I wish there was more about the parents and the way Sophia processed their work, I also feel that by not talking much about it we are given a glimpse at how that distance impacted Sophia.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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