Blankets by Craig Thompson

by Marady Owens
(Canada)

Craig Thompson's autobiographical graphic novel, Blankets, is a bittersweet glimpse into childhood and the teenage years. With brutal honesty, he recounts such personal and traumatizing events of his childhood as bullying and sexual abuse, as well as the alienation he felt from his God-fearing parents and peers.

He recounts his young adulthood as a tumultuous time of struggling with feelings of sexuality and budding individuality in a world where he is expected to follow the word of God. Like most teenagers, he struggles against the peer pressure to succumb to alcohol, drugs and sex.

Thompson recounts his first love with tender words and thought-provoking illustrations, and describes his turbulent relationships with his parents and his younger brother with both love and heartbreaking honesty.

Blankets is a very inspiring true story.