by Fernando Gabriel Sosa Turtle Bread: A Graphic Novel About Baking, Fitting In, and the Power of Friendship (2023), written by former mental health nurse and Great British Bake Off finalist Kim-Joy, and illustrated by Alti Firmansyah with colors by Joana Lafuente, offers a poignant, highly empathetic, and visually inventive exploration of social anxiety, self-doubt, and the restorative potential of community. The narrative centers on Yan, a young woman overwhelmed by severe social anxiety, impostor syndrome, and a paralyzing fear of failure. After a job interview goes disastrously wrong due to a panic attack, a chance encounter leads her to… Read More
Living with Viola
By Saily Marrero Living With Viola by Rosena Fung is a middle grade graphic novel about Olivia (AKA Livy), a young Canadian Chinese girl, coping with anxiety and panic disorder. Within the first few pages, we’re introduced to Viola, Livy’s anxiety personified as a black and blue version of herself. And whose name is an anagram of Olivia. When Livy feels anxious, Viola arrives, black and blue colors consume the pages, and a large number of speech bubbles appear. The latter shows us the amount of overwhelming and oftentimes negative thoughts Livy has caused by her anxiety. The opposite happens… Read More