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From Publishers Weekly
Revisiting the themes of deep friendship and separation Thompson surveyed in Goodbye Chunky Rice, his acclaimed and touching debut, this sensitive memoir recreates the confusion, emotional pain and isolation of the author's rigidly fundamentalist Christian upbringing, along with the trepidation of growing into maturity. Skinny, naive and spiritually vulnerable, Thompson and his younger brother manage to survive their parents' overbearing discipline (the brothers are sometimes forced to sleep in "the cubby-hole," a forbidding and claustrophobic storage chamber) through flights of childhood fancy and a mutual love of drawing. But escapist reveries can't protect them from the cruel schoolmates who make their lives miserable. Thompson's grimly pious parents and religious community dismiss his budding talent for drawing; they view his creative efforts as sinful and relentlessly hector the boys about scripture. By high school, Thompson's a lost, socially battered and confused soul-until he meets Raina and her clique of amiable misfits at a religious camp. Beautiful, open, flexibly spiritual and even popular (something incomprehensible to young Thompson), Raina introduces him to her own less-than-perfect family; to a new teen community and to a broader sense of himself and his future. The two eventually fall in love and the experience ushers Thompson into the beginnings of an adult, independent life. Thompson manages to explore adolescent social yearnings, the power of young love and the complexities of sexual attraction with a rare combination of sincerity, pictorial lyricism and taste. His exceptional b&w drawings balance representational precision with a bold and wonderfully expressive line for pages of ingenious, inventively composed and poignant imagery.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Adult/High School-Thompson's Good-bye, Chunkie Rice (Top Shelf, 1999) offered readers well-realized but fantastic characters in a tale that nicely combined sentiment with adventure. This second, much longer work shares the acuity for character development and dynamic sensitivity that makes the author so compulsively readable. In Blankets, however, realism reigns supreme in both the story arc and in the humanity of its characters. Thompson himself is the protagonist, and this is his tale of growing up, falling in love (and realizing the physical and moral complications that can imply), discovering the texture and limits of his faith, and arriving at a point from which he can look back at those experiences. The snowy Midwest, peopled by overweight parents, hairy youths, and lovingly depicted younger siblings-including a respectfully and realistically treated minor character with Down syndrome-is energetically realized in Thompson's expressive lines and inking. Much of the story occurs when Craig and his brother Phil are young boys and includes images of such boyish pranks as peeing on one another. Older high school students who have reached an age when nostalgia is possible will warm to Thompson's own wistfulness. This is a big graphic novel, in concept and successful execution.-Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
"SHARED" is the sugar-coated way of saying We were TRAPPED in the same bed, as we were children and had no say in the matter. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
"SHARED" is the sugar-coated way of saying We were TRAPPED in the same bed, as we were children and had no say in the matter. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Truly Amazing Experience,
By
This review is from: Blankets (Paperback)
This is going to be brief because I'm in agreement with most of the others here. It should be known that I never write reviews here on amazon, I've only written one before. Secondly, I rarely read, and when I do, it's hard for me to read for very long even if I enjoy it. Call it ADD, call it someone having trouble sitting in one place for too long, call it whatever you want. But I picked up this book and read it in one sitting. I've never done that. Third, I don't like the majority of comic books out there. I find most of the writing to be corny, forced, and just plain laughable. The dialogue here flows naturally and feels entirely genuine. Beyond the writing, the art is some of the best I've ever seen. It's simple, but incredibly expressive and unique. Craig Thompson is also very gifted when he frames (or composes) his scenes. It's almost like watching a film. He's got the pacing, editing, directing, and quality of "photography" down brilliantly. I really had no idea there were comics (or "graphic novels") like this. I can't recommend this high enough. I will be lending the book to my friends and buying an extra copy for my library. Everyone should read this book. As well, I will be checking out the rest of the quality graphics novels ("Box Office Poison" and "Goodbye, Chunky Rice" for example) that I've missed. Thank you Craig Thompson for this book. I envy you for you have made a brilliant piece of work that will be remembered fondly by many. You can rest easy now!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely Phenomenal,
By "hiro51216" (On, Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Blankets (Paperback)
This is by far one of the most outstanding pieces of literature i've ever had the pleasure of reading. I would have to say my only negative thought is that it rips me out of my terminal state of uniqueness. It's the first thing i've ever read that tells my story growing up to a T. I remember vividly some of the same exact thoughts the protagonist encounters (and even some of the same events). As oddly close to my own experiences it may be, this book finnaly put an answer to that eternal question i've had of "what happened to her?" And what exactly I could do about it.You have to read it to find out.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
"Blankets" comes up short,
By
This review is from: Blankets (Paperback)
Craig Thompson is a master storyteller and exceptional artist. What's unfortunate is that Craig, like most in his medium, paints (or draws) a sketchy two dimensional portrait of Christianity and Christians themselves.This book sucked me in completely and I could not put it down. I ran the gamut of emotions. I could relate with the characters and their plights. I too was raised in a Christian home and made the annual trips with my youth group. I too met my first love at church camp, and I too felt like an outsider. I even admired how the main character questioned his faith, as I had during that time in my life. However, as the book progressed it became apparent that this was yet another trashing and thrashing of the Christian faith. What Craig and others forget is that Christianity, like all other faiths, is practiced by people. Sinful, self centered and yes, (even)critical people. If Craig is drawing on past experiences, then I feel sorry for him. The events portrayed are terrible, and the things programmed early on in his life were a teespoon of truth mixed with a lot of opinion. While questioning ones faith is perfectly normal, one should use the oportunity to speak to as many people as possible, read and pray. Not to simply accept the words of one very misguided pastor and Sunday school teacher. This book concreted my feet in my faith rather than question it which was an intended purpose IMHO. All of these issues aside, the book was incredibly well written and executed.
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