Helpful Score: 6
This was a haunting memoir about the author's sad and tragic childhood. The book really deals with some hard issues including parental neglect, lack of family communication, and the fears and nightmares of childhood. This book was recommended to me and was not disappointing. I really hadn't read any graphic novels (or memoirs) since my youth when I devoured comic books, but this is well worth a read/look. The drawings are haunting and go hand in hand with the story. This only took about 30-40 minutes to read but it will be long-lasting in its impressions. High recommendation.
Helpful Score: 3
This is my first graphic novel, and i found the format enriching to the story - the pictures explained beautifully his fears, his nightmares, his losses. I can't imagine words alone would have had the same impact.
Helpful Score: 3
STITCHES is David Small's memoir of his horrific childhood with parents who believed that silence was the best way of raising a child. When David was younger, his father treated his sinus infections with heavy doses of radiation. As a result, he developed cancer, and without telling him the reasons for their actions, doctors removed half his vocal chords and rendered him silent at the age of fourteen. STITCHES is drawn in a sparse, black-and-white style that's reminiscent of noir and horror films, as we the readers perceive David's world through his child's eyes. The result is a stomach-twisting but compelling graphic novel memoir.
Helpful Score: 2
This is a graphic autobiographical novel about the author's upbringing in the midwest with distant and sometimes abusive parents. Because of the graphic format, I was able to read it inside of an afternoon. Though it was a brief read, it was difficult to read about David's mistreatment at the hands of his parents, specifically his mother and grandmother. Nonetheless, I did enjoy reading this and am starting to enjoy the graphic novel format.
Helpful Score: 1
A very emotional story, the facial expressions were really intense and said more than any words could have. This is definitely not a children's book.
