Book Review by Allie Davis
MLIS 5603 Literature for Children and Young Adults
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Say, Allen. Drawing from memory. New York: Scholastic Press, 2011. ISBN 0545176867
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Author/illustrator Allen Say tells his own story in the autobiography, Drawing from Memory. His first-hand experience of how he became a comic book artist, against the wishes of his parents and grandmother relives his childhood before the World War II and takes the reader through his immigration to America as a young adult. No citation or bibliography is present within the book as he is telling his story in first-person point of view. He does include an Author’s Note at the end of the book which details Say’s deep emotional attachment to his sensei and the result of this relationship, the creation of the book itself. Although very minor stereotyping occurs, such as American soldiers being the occupier, art not being a respectable profession, and karate only being performed by killers or gangsters, I believe that Say only includes these elements to bring awareness to the historical context of the days he grew up in.
Say tells his story in chronological order from his preschool years through age 15, when he immigrates to America with his father, whom he has been estranged from most of his life. Brief moments of flashbacks occur to help the reader understand different times he is remember in his life. Transition words help the reader follow the passage of time from him learning to read, his childhood before the war, enrollment in public school, entrance into Aoyama Private Middle School to his apprenticeship/art history with his sensei and ultimately up to his journey to America. Throughout, Say uses Japanese words for cultural elements, helping English readers to understand them by providing synonym context clues.
Through his hand drawn cartoon-type pictures (some in color and some pencil), actual historical family photographs, and drawings created with and by his sensei, Say becomes very real to the readers. We feel his emotions and are drawn into his life. At first, I had doubts about my interest in this book, but as I continued to read it, I developed an emotional attachment to the young Allen Say, Kiyoi, He effectively communicates his memories, emotions, and passions, realistically leading the reader to desire more knowledge about Say’s life. He creates suspense and curiosity that draws the readers into the passages through phrases like, “This was scarier than the Aoyama Middle School entrance exam! That was only an apartment. Now I was taking the test to decide my whole future as an artist, the only future I wanted,” and “The room swayed around me…I thought I was drowning until I heard sensei’s laugh.” Ultimately, the book ended up captivating my interest in him as an artist, leading me to research his life further. In teaching the elements of autobiography to children, this book is an excellent choice for teaching this genre.
AWARDS
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REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
· Horn Book Guide, “This rendering of Say's adolescence--a coming-of-age story within the context of a long life and vocation--takes the form of an album, with text, photographs, drawings, and paintings. At the center of the book is Say's relationship with Noro Shinpei, a popular cartoonist who took Say on as an apprentice at thirteen. Throughout the volume, content is reinforced through canny artistic choices and harmonious design.” © January 9, 2012
· School Library Journal, “Up-Say traces his lifelong love of comics and tells of those who disparaged and those who nurtured his talents, including one of Japan's most famous cartoonists who became his mentor and spiritual father. This captivating and seamless melding of words and brilliant pictures provides the lens of memory and inspiration.” © December 1, 2011
· Voice of Youth Advocates, "Say, an award-winning author and illustrator of juvenile literature, has created in this memoir a beautiful tribute to his sensei, Japanese for 'teacher' or 'master.' Taught to read at an early age, Say loved comic books, which inspired a passion for drawing: When I was drawing, I was happy. I didn't need toys or friends or parents. His father, however, had a low regard for artists. At age twelve, Say was sent to live with his maternal grandmother in Tokyo. Used to living alone, his grandmother had little patience for her artistic grandson. He studied and gained admittance into a prestigious middle school, and with his grandmother's blessing, he moved into his own apartment. That night, he read a newspaper article about a boy, an apprentice to the famous Japanese cartoonist Noro Shinpei. Say writes of Shinpei, 'His books were my secret treasures I hid from my parents.' The article set Say on the path to realizing his dream of becoming an artist and into a relationship of mutual respect and admiration. Say's autobiographical story introduces readers to Japanese culture of the 1940s and 50s. Teens will envy the extreme independence accorded to Say at such an early age. The mixture of text, sketches, and photographs illustrates Say's development as an artist and provides a glimpse into his youth and the lives of those closest to him. This book is sure to appeal to reluctant readers. Its brief text and plentiful graphics make it a quick but fulfilling read, and leave the reader wanting more.-Jeanine Fox.© December 1, 2011
· Booklist, "…The scrapbook format features photographs, many of them dim with age; sketchbook drawings; and unordered, comic-book-style panels that float around wide swathes of text and unboxed captions, and the overall effect is sometimes disjointed. Still, as a portrait of a young artist, this is a powerful title that is both culturally and personally resonant.--Chipman, Ian." © August 1, 2011
CONNECTIONS
Use as an introduction to art/artists, history, Japanese Americans/Japan, Asia, biography, and Autobiography.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/04/lp340-03.shtml
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/04/lp340-03.shtml
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Gather more Allan Say titles to read such as:
Link to author, Allan Say: http://biography.jrank.org/pages/1687/Say-Allen-1937.html
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