Good Talk

As with all things Michael Jackson, everything is complicated. Mira Jacob, who is the American-born daughter of East Indian parents, and who is now married to a Jewish man, begins her graphic memoir with her dilemma over her six-year-old son’s obsession with the pop star. So launches a mother’s struggle to understand and explain, both to self and son and reader, the role that skin color has played in her American life—in fact the nuances between the varying degrees of pigmentation—as well as ethnicity, gender, race, religion. In a world where physical appearance has been paramount for our author, it’s… show more.

This is one of the best graphic novels out there. Mira Jacob is so funny and tender as she is trying to explain racism to her pre-teen son, who is half Indian-American, half white and Jewish, and wholly obsessed with Michael Jackson. On a personal note, I went to college with Mira and we were in a short story class together and of course she was a fantastic writer at 18. The illustrations are gorgeous and clever, which makes sense because so is Mira Jacob. Get it for yourself and share it with a youth. 

This graphic memoir is one of most brilliant books I’ve had the pleasure to read. In some ways, it’s a modern version of my own parents’ story. To be very clear, it isn’t actually a children’s book, but I see it as both a YA and an adult book (probably from age twelve on up because of some mature content) that could open up important “good talks” between parents and kids. It tells the real story of author Mira Jacob as she navigates her Indian American identity, her marriage to a Jewish man, her difficult in-laws, and how she tries… show more.