Read up through vol 27 and ch 149 (but only listing one volume for simplicity). Really got swept up by this even though it’s not what I normally read.Read up through vol 27 and ch 149 (but only listing one volume for simplicity). Really got swept up by this even though it’s not what I normally read. Pretty realistic portrayal of PTSD. Wish asthma was used less like a plot device (better integrated into the whole story)....more
I’ve been reading a lot of manga lately, because I’ve missed reading so much over the past four years (due to my constant hea(Review of Volumes 1 & 2)
I’ve been reading a lot of manga lately, because I’ve missed reading so much over the past four years (due to my constant headache), and the advantage of graphic media is there’s less text (and thus less eye strain), yet I can still enjoy stories. I’ve fallen in love with manga in particular because it’s long enough to tell a meaty story and it’s serialized, and I hate having to say good-bye to my favorite characters.
I was pleasantly surprised when I stumbled across Perfect World, a manga about a young woman (Tsugumi Kawana) who runs into her high-school crush (Itsuki Ayukawa) and is surprised to find out they not only work in the same industry (he’s an architect and she’s an interior designer), but that he’s now a paraplegic.
The two become friends and eventually enter into a romantic relationship, despite Ayukawa’s initial reluctance.
While volume one in particular has a lot of cliches (including the PWD who swears off romance because of what happened to his relationship after he got injured), what surprised me was how realistically Ayukawa’s disability is portrayed. I was particularly impressed that Ayukawa’s character is inspired by a real person (Kazuo Abe), who consults on the manga.
For one, Ayukawa’s wheelchair(s) are illustrated the most accurately of any I’ve ever seen in graphic media before, and Ms. Aruga doesn’t hold back from showing even the most “taboo” reality of spinal cord injury, including hospitalizations, UTIs, pressure sores, etc. While on one hand I was glad to see the author didn’t shy away from these details, on the other it felt like too much all at once, almost as if the reader was being hit over the head with it.
However, I soon learned that the first volume was actually intended originally as a one-shot (meaning it wasn’t going to be serialized), which explained a bit why it felt this way. Fortunately for us, the story was so popular that it was picked up and is now up to volume 8 in Japan with a live-action film planned for this fall.
Many people who experience a manic episode report feeling special, powerful, invincible. But what if those feelings weren't delusions? What if, during a manic episode, an individual really became a superhero?
That's the conceit behind Polarity, a short graphic novel about a 20-something artist with bipolar disorder. He's fairly recently diagnosed and feeling disillusioned with his life, longing for the freedom and creativity that comes with mania, so he decides to flush his pills and go off them. Shortly after, he unintentionally discovers he has super strength and can read people's minds.
I love the idea of this comic so much. First of all, bipolar disorder is not something we see handled in most media in a legitimate way (yes, I realize how ironic that sounds considering I'm reviewing a kind of superhero comic). There's so much misconception about what bipolar disorder is, what it means, and what life is like for someone who has it that I'm always eager to see someone try to approach it from a "realistic" approach (again, I'm aware of the irony).
Timothy's original ascent into mania is realistically catalogued--how he thinks, feels, behaves, and the metaphor--however heavy handed at times--of his mania making him a superhero of sorts (albeit not a very good one) is creative and interesting. I also really enjoyed the parodying of the superhero comic genre that goes on here. I'm not a huge fan of hardcore superhero comics because they are so ridiculous, and this one is no exception, though of course, it's ridiculous partially because that's the whole point. There's also the endless jabs at the whole Brooklyn hipster esthetic, so social commentary is thrown in, too. The only problem is I felt like it was missing something, like it was a little underdeveloped. Like it should have been a five- or six-issue volume instead of four.
That's what really kept me from loving it as much as I love the idea of it.
For example, things get increasingly crazy: turns out Tim's paranoia isn't a symptom of his mental illness but there really are people out to get him, and while I appreciated how that whole aspect of the story was playing off superhero genre tropes, I kept expecting that more that I never real got. Yes, Tim is ultimately able to come to terms with his mental illness and accept (maybe) why he takes his medication, which is great and all that, but it felt like a lot of silly that didn't lead up to a whole lot.
I'm not saying I wanted the ending to be something like "it was all in his head after all," but I just found myself disappointed, feeling like some of the metaphors were a little heavy handed.
The art is great, though. I'll admit it didn't impress me at first, but it really fit, especially Tim's character design. He's gaunt and has this long, sad Jesusy face that really fits his character.
Overall, this book is worth a read if you're looking for something different in the superhero genre or if you want to get some insight into mania/bipolar disorder, but it falls short of being great....more
The subject of devoteeism–people who have a sexual attraction to disability–isn’t tackled often in the media. Ruth Madison’s novel (W)hole, (second edition reviewed here) is in some ways a pioneer in the genre, and a couple films have also touched on the subject, but usually not so much from the perspective of the devotees themselves. To Each Her Own, for better or worse, makes devoteeism a central conflict, as it continually drives the two love birds, Jay and Erin, apart and together, apart and together, like metallic pendulum balls in those desktop “executive toys.”
The story is told in third person, giving us both Jay and Erin’s point of view, unlike (W)hole or my own novel, UnConventional, which limit themselves to the female protagonist’s perspective. This gives the reader immediate insight into both characters’ brains and motivations as they struggle through their attraction to one another, and wrestle with the topic of what it means to be (or be with) a devotee.
The story begins with Erin, who happens to overhear a very unflattering conversation between Jay and his boss (and friend), Luis, who happens to be a quadraplegic. Jay, who is a paraplegic himself, is disgusted by devotees, and since Luis had been dating Erin, includes her in his rant. He calls her a “bottom feeder” and “subhuman,” among other things. So, yeah, the two of them really get off to a great start.
Erin is so distraught by these words (she’s already felt unsure about her sexual attractions) that she attempts suicide by crashing her car. The result of this is a badly broken ankle which means she won’t be able to go on tour with her twin brother Zac’s band, as originally planned. So Erin wakes up, groggy from pain medications, to find out her brother has rented the house to none other than Jay! Despite Erin’s protestations, and partially because Jay is paying double what Zac had been asking, Jay stays. (Erin is ashamed to admit the reason she hates Jay.) What follows is an “enemies to lovers” story with numerous ups and downs along the way to the ultimate HEA.
I’ll preface this review by saying I’m not a fan of that sub-genre as a general rule (although How To Lose a Guy in Ten Days is a phenomenal example of it), so I don’t read a lot of books with this angle, so let me make that clear from the beginning. Honestly, I didn’t even know To Each Her Own was structured that way when I bought it. I simply happened to talk to the author and also a friend who brought the book to my attention, and since there are so few books that feature disability in a sex-positive light, I decided to buy it then and there.
However, I did really struggle with Jay for about the first third of the book, if not a little longer. Let’s put it this way: I couldn’t stand him. Part of this might be that I really liked Erin, and he was her enemy in this “enemies to lovers” scenario, so I was definitely seeing things more through her eyes than his despite getting his POV as well. Honestly, everything he did pissed me off in the beginning of the book, from the way he called Erin “darlin’” to some of his machinations to try to get to her. Partially because of this, I struggled through the first chunk of the novel. And although it was interesting to see another take on a woman dealing with her struggle with her sexual identity (her devness)–this book is very, very different from (W)hole despite that–at first it felt almost a little overdone, like I was being hit over the head with the conflict. I honestly didn’t find Erin’s suicide attempt so . . . “believable” isn’t quite the right word, but it seemed to be a little melodramatic at first, and then later I found it hard to believe that this was the same woman who’d tried to take her own life because she was so frustrated by this element of her sexuality she wished she wanted to die. I wanted a little more depth of character from Erin, especially in the beginning, and this is probably another reason that it was slow for me to get into at first. (Don’t get me wrong, I think the frustrations Erin experiences are very real, and I really appreciated how later in the book she gets a kind of denial/suppression situation that mirrored a lot of experiences some homosexual individuals struggle through, including the hope that if she wants to be “normal,” she can be.)
However, there’s a point about 40-50% into the book where Erin reluctantly asked Jay to take her grocery shopping (since she can’t drive because of her ankle, and her car was totaled anyway) and someone tries to rob her. Jay intervenes (unsuccessfully), but that was when my opinion of him began to change. I still hated him for the “darlin’” and some of his behavior, but the book began working its way along more smoothly for me after that point, and I found myself reading more in one sitting than I’d planned.
I do think the novel suffers from its length, a little–while I really liked the ups-and-downs that enable both of them (but especially Erin, in my opinion) to really reflect and grow as a person, ultimately coming to accept herself for who she is–it did become a little clunky at times. Some of the scenes seemed to go on a little longer than they should, and partially because the book involves IM conversations in addition to in-person conversations with various characters (plus the narrative from two points of view), there were times I felt that I was getting the same information two, sometimes three or four times, without really adding anything to the equation. For example, we probably get an explanation of what devness is, and what it means to Erin numerous times in the book, as she tells Jay, her online friend Panhead, the reader, and her brother. Though there are subtle differences, and I don’t disagree that some of these scenes were important, it made me wish that either some information had been withheld earlier, or the scenes could have been written slightly differently to keep it from feeling boring or repetitive. This isn’t a huge deal and it doesn’t harm the overall quality of the story, but they did make it drag in places and I think if some of these could have been streamlined, it would have improved the pace of the novel considerably.
One thing that I do applaud but that some readers may not like is the novel’s realistic, unapologetic portrayal of disability. Jay is a T-9 paraplegic, and as he points out at one point, “This isn’t some dev fairytale where the wheeler overcomes adversity, then gets healed, and everyone lives happily ever after. . . . Welcome to the land of SCI, Erin!” The book talks frankly (although it doesn’t actually occur in the story itself) about what life is like for someone with an injury like Jay’s, including bladder and bowel care, pressure sores, UTIs, and other issues. However, in some ways I would have preferred to have “seen” some of this first-hand (since we do get Jay’s point of view) rather than being simply “told” about it.
The novel is overall fairly tame by erotic standards, although it does feature one significant sex scene between Jay and Erin that is potentially one of the only realistic sex scenes I’ve seen in fiction involving a paraplegic. There were some really great moments in it, including a part in which Erin mimics the motion of her body on Jay’s cock by sucking on his thumb in her mouth. Most novels involving paraplegics shy away from sex, have sex that isn’t at all realistic for someone with that kind of injury, or “hide” the sex scene, and that’s the kind of barriers that writers like myself and others, such as Ms. Mirren, are trying to tear down. Why should someone like Erin be considered such a freak for seeing Jay–his entire self–as attractive? Why should Jay feel that his paralyzed legs are “disgusting”? And I’m willing to bet that this cultural belief is one reason so many books shy away from really having proper sex scenes such as this one.
All in all, To Each His Own is an affordable, worthwhile read if you’re at all interested in books featuring accurate portrayals of romance involving someone with a disability. It isn’t without its faults, but overall I think the strengths outweigh the weaknesses. ...more
The first book came off as audist, but I forgave it because it was a cute, enjoyable story that did get a lot right. This sequel, however, is horribleThe first book came off as audist, but I forgave it because it was a cute, enjoyable story that did get a lot right. This sequel, however, is horrible, though. It becomes glaringly obvious that the author has not interacted with deaf (let alone Deaf) people in real life, and Logan is apparently capable of superhero-level lipreading (including lipreading from the side or if someone has their mouth partially covered.)
Example (from page 90): "He's looking at the TV and not me, but I can still see his lips." Or, later in the book, when Logan miraculously can perfectly read Emily's father's lips even though Logan tells us "[h]e doesn't look up from his paperwork" (p 140). What?
No. It doesn't work that way.
But I could let that go, too, because there are times when the author does make an effort to get that aspect right (having light, facing each other, etc.).
But what really got me was the audism. It's really, really bad in this book despite the occasional line thrown in ala "Not to sound racist, but..."
For example, the book tells us repeatedly that it is "rude to sign in front of hearing people" and yet what about hearing people talking without signing in front of Logan? We also get far too much simcoming (signing while talking, which is really awkward) or straight up talking, which doesn't make sense. (Yes, I DO know some deaf who prefer to read lips/talk over signing, but Logan was never really presented that way, especially since he didn't even talk before he met Emily.) In fact, there's even a part where Logan complains that Emily is signing and talking and he wishes she would stop--not simcoming (and sign only) but that she would stop signing and just talk (p 44)! I don't know a lot of deaf people who sign who would prefer to have no signing in a conversation with several hearing people. It's very difficult, if not impossible, for someone with no hearing in the vocal range (even with hearing aids) to really follow a conversation with several non-signing hearing people. That just struck me.
Worse, throughout the first book it's there, but it's even more so in the second book that speaking (spoken English) is obviously better than signing. That is extremely audist. For example, on page 113 Emily says in her narration:
I'd trade my right arm for his voice, if someone told me I had to choose between the two. Hearing his words, his laughter and hi thoughts means the world to me.
That struck me like a slap to the face.
It gets worse. At one point, Logan admits to his brothers, "You guys all made it really easy for me to retreat and not speak since you all learned to sign." (p 137)
GASP! A hearing family that actually decides to learn to sign! Oh no! We better go out and stop that, because heaven forbid the deaf/Deaf family member not speak! Because (spoken) English is the only "correct" form of communication. Logan hadn't withdrawn. He wasn't depressed. He was communicative and active and interested in the world and his future. Not speaking was his choice, and he was perfectly in his right to elect to sign or communicate it other ways.
So that was really bad. But then there's proof of my suspicion from the first book that the author has no idea what the difference is between deaf, mute, and someone who chooses not to speak.
In my online fiction In/Exhale, the main character, Kai, was mute growing up. That meant he did not have the ability to speak. His vocal chords did not work correctly. That meant that he could not produce ANY sound that required his vocal chords, so he had to rely on clicking his teeth or clapping his hands or some other extra-vocal sources of sound.
On that note, laughter, though in some situations can be controlled, is NOT a voluntary experience. Many times, it just happens, and if you have working vocal chords, you WILL produce sound. Sometimes loudly (which can get deaf people in trouble since they have no idea how loud they're being).
Even Deaf people who chose not to use their voice voluntarily often are very vocal, making noises while they sign, and of course laughing. The fact that the book tells us that not only did Logan not speak before, he apparently did not use his voice AT ALL, even for laughter (his laughter was silent) is just completely ridiculous. Even if he did genuinely choose not to speak, he would still laugh like anyone else. (See for example, "He laughs with no sound (p 144).)
Now, even if I was able to swallow down the egregious audism and ignorance this book perpetuates, and just look at the story, I still couldn't give it higher than the current rating. Why? While I do appreciate the setup, as melodramatic as it is (the one-dimensional evil father and the one-dimensional evil ex boyfriend), there is no real story/character development. In one fell swoop the father goes from bastard to understanding, and I didn't believe it. Then, to make matters worse, there's a ridiculous turn of events that I actually had to re-read a few times in order to believe it really happened, thinking I had to have misread it.
(view spoiler)[Emily's father is nearly hit by a car because he's standing in the MIDDLE OF THE ROAD waiting for her to tie he shoe. Seriously. The guy is supposedly a native New Yorker (as we learn later), and yet he WAITS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FREAKING ROAD. Who does that? Maybe if you live in a subdivision with no traffic, but really?? This felt like yet more proof that the author has zero familiarity with New York City. (hide spoiler)]
Then, if that all wasn't bad enough, including a moment where Logan momentarily forgets he's deaf. (He's been deaf 10 years. How can he just "forget that?), the book ends rather abruptly and suddenly switches to 2 years in the future and one of the other Reed brother's POVs. I get the author was trying to set us up for the next book in the series, but I was just like, wait. What? Did I suddenly skip to the preview of the next book? Where did this come from??
Frankly, it felt a little manipulative, and I was already pissed off, so it just irritated me further.
It's really a shame, but I can't recommend this book chiefly because of the blatant ignorance of signing, deafness, and the audism even without the other problems....more
I really enjoyed this book, probably partially because it's the kind of book I would write. It's a quiet, character-driven read that explores issues oI really enjoyed this book, probably partially because it's the kind of book I would write. It's a quiet, character-driven read that explores issues of self identity/discovery and family, as well as faith. It's also one of the rare books that manages to do PTSD (from child sexual abuse) realistically without it becoming melodramatic.
The book isn't without it's flaws; I wish Jamie's backstory had been revealed slowly throughout the course of the book instead of pretty much dumped in at the beginning and the end, but for the most part it's well paced. I like that you see the journey not only of the two main characters, but also the family members.
Sorry this isn't a better review, but I just wanted to jot down a few thoughts. What I really liked about this book was being able to see into the worSorry this isn't a better review, but I just wanted to jot down a few thoughts. What I really liked about this book was being able to see into the world of a Deaf man without a formal language, but I didn't care for the author or her style. There seemed to be a veiled audism to the book that was a little off-putting. However, it is interesting to see how as long as there's is (healthy) human interaction of some kind, there will be a kind of language development, even if it isn't quite the same kind of language that we usually think of as such. It actually made me re-evaluate my "hard and fast" linguistic ideas of what a language is. As long as two human beings can exchange ideas using recognizable "symbols" (even if these are gestures), can't we consider that a language? It's an interesting thought a book worth reading if you're at all interested in Deaf studies or language/linguistics in general....more
Definitely my favorite book of the series. It was nice to finally get some better insight into how Vic got to be who he is, including some co4.5 stars
Definitely my favorite book of the series. It was nice to finally get some better insight into how Vic got to be who he is, including some concrete flashbacks of some of his experiences at Camp Hell. I wish the panic attacks were a little more visceral (especially since this is told from the first-person POV) - I wouldn't recommend this as one of the best portrayals of PTSD, for example.
I really loved the fire ghost, though it'd be nice if the tension with that had been developed a little better. I think that (and the f-pimp, to use Crash's terms) both are elements the series had really been missing before now. Vic is pretty clueless, though....more
Really enjoyed this one. I felt like this one had a lot of what the others were missing, though it was disappointing (view spoiler)[Vic never addresseReally enjoyed this one. I felt like this one had a lot of what the others were missing, though it was disappointing (view spoiler)[Vic never addressed the fact that Lyle had talent (when he said he didn't) - did that mean he only had a little bit, or that he'd lied? (hide spoiler)].
I hope we get to find out what happened to Dead Darla, because she's the only one of the mediums from Camp Hell that Vic hasn't come across....more
Not my favorite book of the series, but I liked the insight we got into Vic in this one, though again, the pa3.5 stars, but I'll bump it to 4 for now.
Not my favorite book of the series, but I liked the insight we got into Vic in this one, though again, the payoff at the end seemed a little weak.
But the sex scenes were particularly hot. I really do love that Jacob is a "psych devotee" of sorts and gets off on psych stuff. It's unique and funny but it also makes you realize one of the reasons that he and Vic work so well together.
It was a little annoying that the book is called "secrets," but I don't really feel like it lives up to its name. I get that Vic is upset that it seems like everyone's been holding out on him, but that just doesn't feel like enough to carry through. Structurally, I think this is one of the weaker books of the series, but I do really like Lisa and Vic together. They feel kinda like brother and sister, and I think it's good for Vic to have to think about someone other than himself....more
These books have the feel of a television series: they're short, entertaining, but don't have a lot of depth.
I loved the way this one starte3.5 stars.
These books have the feel of a television series: they're short, entertaining, but don't have a lot of depth.
I loved the way this one started, with the Thanksgiving scene. In fact, I think it might have been the best opening of the series. My biggest problem was I felt like the main case fell a little flat, and though the beginning starts off with Vic battling with trying to be "clean" for Jacob, the whole pill dependency is dropped for most of the book. Especially disappointing because the issues of moving in together permanently is a theme of the book, and junkies appear more than once. There was some real opportunity there that felt missed.
Still, I get more of a feeling for who Vic is in this book. We see more of his insecurities and awkwardness, which is pretty endearing to me, honestly.
All in all, so far this is an enjoyable series, but don't expect too much from it....more
So much better than the first book. Vic becomes more of a real person here, and more sympathetic, too, as we see how terrifying it can be to be constaSo much better than the first book. Vic becomes more of a real person here, and more sympathetic, too, as we see how terrifying it can be to be constantly surrounded by the dead. I really enjoyed this one.
However, in light of the fact that the topic of "women can't write gay men" that has been on my mind lately, Vic does strike me, at times, as a little bit of a chick with a dick--not always, but there are a few times that, especially since that was at the forefront of my consciousness, I was kinda like, "hmm, this sounds more like a woman trying to hard to write a man than an actual man." For example, there are a few times when Vic outright comments about certain behaviors like "must be a man thing" - and that really stuck out to me. I get the idea of his maybe not knowing how a straight man would think, but he IS a man. It seemed odd. I don't really see myself as thinking (when something happens) "Oh, it must be a woman thing." I could see my self SAYING that, potentially, to someone else, like, "Oh, it's a woman thing," but not inwardly...
Nevertheless, I really like Vic, and I really only noticed these things because I was super cognizant of the idea at the moment. I'm looking forward to reading the next book....more
Gives a good overview of the "history" of anxiety as well as a new perspective. I had no idea that famous people like Darwin and Newton suffered from Gives a good overview of the "history" of anxiety as well as a new perspective. I had no idea that famous people like Darwin and Newton suffered from sometimes debilitating anxiety....more
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