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Kelly (and the Book Boar)'s Reviews > Tomboy: A Graphic Memoir

Tomboy by Liz Prince
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really liked it
bookshelves: liburrrrrry-book, memoir, read-in-2015

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I was going to say “my apologies for this being long and rambly,� but I’m fairly certain 99.9999% of my reviews have become long and rambly so I’m no longer apologizing ; )



Strange little story . . . Tomboy popped up on my library recommendations as an option when I had to go on the waiting list for Gracefully Grayson. Why the library would recommend a book to me that had an even longer waiting list than the one I originally intended to request is beyond me. But anywho, I’m a sucker and put a hold on both books. Then I poked around ŷ and found my friend Erica had already read and enjoyed this story (and wrote an actual review, very unlike the lack of substance and abundance of imagery you are soon to see in this review space). Weird thing is � ŷ did the “you might like this� thing to Erica too. Those evil librarians, they conspire against us EVERYWHERE! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA � I keeeeeeed, Erica, please don’t hurt me.

So long story even longer, my turn finally came around and I picked up Tomboy with little to no expectations regarding whether I would enjoy it or not. Imagine my surprise when I absolutely LOVED it. Tomboy: A Graphic Memoir is just what claims it to be. This is the story of Liz Prince’s childhood as a tomboy. Liz isn’t gay, she isn’t trans, she just DZ’t like wearing dresses . . . and when you’re a kid that is something that can get you bullied . . .



Kids are assholes.

Liz’s story tells about how she dealt with bullies,


^Ha!

negotiated the shark infested waters of puberty, changing friendships and first crushes,



(Wayne’s World reference? CLASSIC!!!!)



and eventually found a great group of people who accepted her for who she was. The story also includes some pretty awesome information regarding how much girls kick ass and to make sure to never sell yourself short . . .



I loved this book. Almost as much as I love the fact that Liz Prince has written all about me for the Adventure Time comic book . . .



Seriously � who DZ’t love Adventure Time????



BWAHAHAHAHAHA!

The only downfall is I want every child in the universe to own this book, but it contains some F-bombs that not all parents will be comfortable letting their tweenage child see. If you don’t mind a “dropped bomb� or three, I highly recommend it for kids � be they the bully, the bullied, or the bystander. Even if you don’t want your kids to read it, you parents should read this one too and get a little refresher course about accepting your child for whoever and whatever they want to be. When you give your kid a little leeway when it comes to choosing his/her own path, you end up with an awesome result.

Like a kid who can drink his Saturday morning chocolate milk out of an Iron Man goblet while rocking a Planet Comicon t-shirt . . .



And participate in the Little League World Series Homerun Derby later that afternoon . . .



That’s just super . . . man.


(See what I did there? So clever sometimes.)

Oh, and one more note to all you parents: It DZ’t hurt to let your own freak flag fly every once in a while too. Lead by example and encourage your kid to take the road less traveled ; )


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Reading Progress

January 9, 2015 – Shelved as: to-read
January 9, 2015 – Shelved
January 28, 2015 – Started Reading
January 30, 2015 – Shelved as: liburrrrrry-book
January 30, 2015 – Shelved as: memoir
January 30, 2015 – Shelved as: read-in-2015
January 30, 2015 – Finished Reading

Comments Showing 1-23 of 23 (23 new)

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message 1: by Jyanx (new)

Jyanx Great review. I am having some serious iron man goblet envy.


Kelly (and the Book Boar) MLE wrote: "Great review. I am having some serious iron man goblet envy."

LOL! Lucky for him he has more money than me 'cause that sucker was a ripoff!


message 3: by Jyanx (new)

Jyanx Kelly (and the Book Boar) wrote: "MLE wrote: "Great review. I am having some serious iron man goblet envy."

LOL! Lucky for him he has more money than me 'cause that sucker was a ripoff!"


Bummer.


Karlyflower *The Vampire Ninja, Luminescent Monster & Wendigo Nerd Goddess of Canada (according to The Hulk)* Great review :)

Also, that bottom picture is adorable.... your freak flag is ADORABLE!


Kelly (and the Book Boar) Karly *The Vampire Ninja* wrote: "Great review :)

Also, that bottom picture is adorable.... your freak flag is ADORABLE!"


Awwwww, thanks : )


Karlyflower *The Vampire Ninja, Luminescent Monster & Wendigo Nerd Goddess of Canada (according to The Hulk)* I was definitely the girl who got the shocked mock-fainting at Graduation because I was wearing a dress, so's you know ;) (Teenage boys, girls.... erm TEENAGERS!)


Nenia ✨ I yeet my books back and forth ✨ Campbell One thing I love about this book is how it prompts everyone to share their stories about what it was like growing up as a tomboy. People can be so insensitive and heteronormative. I actually had a father come up to my parents at one of my birthday parties (I think it was my seventh) and ask them if they were afraid giving me 'boy toys' would turn me lesbian.


Karlyflower *The Vampire Ninja, Luminescent Monster & Wendigo Nerd Goddess of Canada (according to The Hulk)* Nenia wrote: "One thing I love about this book is how it prompts everyone to share their stories about what it was like growing up as a tomboy. People can be so insensitive and heteronormative. I actually had a ..."

*teeth gnash*

Everything about that statement is just wrong!

By which I mean HIS not YOURS.... for clarity


Debbie "DJ" REALLY got a kick out of your review! Yup, awesome book. :D


Kelly (and the Book Boar) Debbie "DJ" wrote: "REALLY got a kick out of your review! Yup, awesome book. :D"

Thanks!


Erica What? I didn't know you read this!
And you even dropped my name! Awww!
I hate not knowing everything about everything all the time. I could have enjoyed this so much sooner.
>:{
Still, my late-to-the-partyness does not, in any way, diminish my appreciation for this review. Gifs! Pictures! Actual picture-page proof!
I also love Adventure Time! I was just wearing my BMO shirt this past weekend!
I have so many things to exclaim over!

And I already know librarians are Evil. We have to take an oath before we can accept the position. It's just part of the job. How else will we take over the world? (PS, Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians is so much fluff and doesn't even begin to show what we're truly up to)


Kelly (and the Book Boar) How dare you not come here sooner! I should have defriended/blocked you already.

I knew those librarians were conspiring against me. I can hear their whispers of "Ooooh, there she is. She says she's only here for 1 book, so let's recommend a BUNCH more in order to make her all Quasimodo-like as she trudges back up the hill with her overstuffed satchel" every time I log on to the interweb site.


Erica Kelly (and the Book Boar) wrote: "How dare you not come here sooner! I should have defriended/blocked you already."

You can't. You'll get book fines. I've set it up so that if any of my library-going friends try to get rid of me, they get busted by the library police.
You have no idea how deep the evil runs.


Kelly (and the Book Boar) I currently owe the library $.30. And I have no cash dollars with me today so when I check out my new books I'm not even gonna pay it. I feel like a serious hardcore rebel.


Erica Gabe's is up to $9.40, which I know because the screen yells at me to pay up every time I check his books out (this is why you need a spouse who works at the library; they schlep your crap home for you) and I always say, "Oh, no no! I shall not pay for his indiscretion!" and hit the Pay Later button.
Another 60 cents, though, and his account will be frozen.
I will laugh at him when that happens.


Kelly (and the Book Boar) $9.40?!?!?!?! You should definitely kick him out when he reaches $10. I always get laughed at by the librarians when I get a fine because I pay it IMMEDIATELY and it's always a dime (it was $.30 this time because I had three books . . . but it was WAAAAAAY cold outside and I didn't want to return to work with snotsicles so I accepted my fate of being one of "those people" who don't respect due dates).


Erica You know, "those people" are more hated by fellow patrons than by librarians. We hate the ones who damage items then say they didn't do it or, worse, steal items. ON PURPOSE!


Kelly (and the Book Boar) Erica wrote: "We hate the ones who damage items then say they didn't do it or, worse, steal items. ON PURPOSE!"

Oh, I would probably be willing to cut some of those people on behalf of the library : )


message 19: by Mir (new)

Mir Kelly (and the Book Boar) wrote: "$9.40?!?!?!?! You should definitely kick him out when he reaches $10. I always get laughed at by the librarians when I get a fine because I pay it IMMEDIATELY and it's always a dime (it was $.30 th..."

I get so annoyed looking at the "late fee" notice on my account (75 cents -- ours is a quarter a day) but the librarians won't take my money until I owe more.


Kelly (and the Book Boar) Mine is up to $2.00 (I'll be paying it tonight). Construction = no ability to even GET to the dang library for a few days. I feel like I should offer a kidney or ask for a candle to be lit on behalf of my soul which shall burn in eternal library damnation since I failed to return so many books on time : (


message 21: by Mir (new)

Mir You couldn't renew them? Once I couldn't get to the library because of car trouble and I called and they changed the due date to a couple days later.


Kelly (and the Book Boar) Miriam wrote: "You couldn't renew them? Once I couldn't get to the library because of car trouble and I called and they changed the due date to a couple days later."

Not this time. I have an addiction to the "new and notable" rack. It's awesome because it's first come/first served and I work two blocks away from the library, but it sucks because there are no renewals. I also had a couple required reading selections for my slow-reading kids that I had renewed the max number of times.


message 23: by Mir (new)

Mir Oh, yes, we have that, called "Lucky Day." But usually I've maxed out my allotment with online hold requests.


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