Brontosaurus Illustrated

by Leanne Grabel, Genna Rivieccio (Foreword)

Brontosaurus Illustrated is the story of a rape, now fifty years old, and its effects over five decades. Nina Gold was a 19-year-old Stanford sophomore riding a full math scholarship to the American dream. But her avid quest was trampled one spring break-like an ant by a boot-when she was kidnapped and raped at gunpoint on a Baja beach, a trauma the size of a brontosaurus. It began when two armed men in ski masks slithered out of the shrubbery as Nina and her friends were enjoying a joint and the sunset. They were tied up and stowed in the back of their own van, then raped on the sand. Of course, everything was different after that. Or was it? How could she know?
Brontosaurus Illustrated is a graphic rendition of this story and Nina's consequent spin-out that lasted for decades as she searched for reasons, meanings, antidotes. And a way forward. Is Nina Gold a lucky victim, rife with muscular resilience, because she created a seemingly "normal" life? Or is she warped and ruined forever? Is she a better person for having been raped? Stronger? Tougher? Brighter? More empathetic? More poetic? Kinder? Or is she worse? Meaner? Colder? And much more detached? There is no way to know. But with a rape occurring every second of every day, there are millions of stories that need to be told. Brontosaurus Illustrated is one of them... with drawings. And jokes.

208 pages, Paperback

Published June 30, 2022

Reviews

[Jackie]

I had the honor or reading an advanced copy of this book and of blurbing it. I am a huge fan of Leanne Grabel's work and in Brontosaurus Illustrated her writing and artistic talents have a synergistic effect in elevating her story telling to a new level both showing and telling a story of rape and the long thread of its impact. Brontosaurus reveals the intimate details of how fear expresses itself in the body. As Grabel takes the reader forward past those initial hours you are in good hands, she does not make her wounds your wounds but you will understand and recognize your own self in these pages.

Though this is a personal story, Grabel uses pop culture and voices of other thinkers and creatives, transcending to the universal. This is a story that ultimately celebrates the strength of our wounds and Leanne Grabel is exactly the memoirist to tell it. With her wild and delightful art, you will keep looking. With her surprising and often humorous prose you will want to read each word again for the discovery of all they contain.

All this to say, Brontosaurus is important and timely, and as a survivor of rape I felt seen and grateful for this story. I am a forever fan of Leanne Grabel, and also a little bit jealous of the way she can put words together and leave me with laughter or tears or that stunned feeling of having been shown exactly what I needed to know.

[Ann Straight]

This book is about rape. I cannot summarize this book.

I can only give my impression. Victims spend their lives healing from rape. Victims hope to survive the horror and then struggle to rewrite their identities. Rapists are nothing more than animals, and often less. We will never know how much influence this trauma has on the lives of survivors. I can forgive those who felt that they made a mistake while drunk or just mistaken of the situation. (We are all stupid when it comes to sex.) It is the repetitious rapist, who preplan their actions, who abuse another person with intent... those individuals must be societies' concern. One rape per minute... These criminals are ill and should be put away because of it. I can see chemical neutering, certainly.

No person should be fucked against their will.

[Priscilla]

Leanne Grabel's writing is a treat. That's an understatement. I didn't want the book to end because I wanted to know it was there in the dark for me to read more when I wake at 1 a.m. If I taught writing I would use this book. If you know anyone who appreciates a great read, give them this book. It's not just for people who have experienced trauma. It is for anyone who relishes irresistible writing, the perfect metaphor. A hearty laugh. For anyone who's lived.

p.s. If you have trouble with graphic memoirs or novels because they visually perplex you, don't worry about that with Brontosaurus Illustrated. You don't have to fight to find the words.

p.p.s. Read this book.

[Curiouscathy]

POWERFUL

There is nothing entertaining about rape. Here, though, Leanne Grabel uses such muscular and precise words to describe a young woman's experience during and after rape that the reader becomes engaged immediately. Grabel's art (on every page!) lets us get up close to tangled feelings and experience an intimacy that words alone couldn't convey. Some passages are absolutely hilarious in their honesty. This is a gorgeous book -- gorgeously told and designed. What a gift!

[Janice Jimenez]

This book is so special! The size, the feel, the cover … and then you open it and Ms Grabel’s talents greet you and hold you captive immediately. When the words grab you the illustrations draw you in and there’s so much to see ! I found myself going back and forth between written word and artistic rendering and being completely engrossed. This is a book you’ll think about long after you’re done