I have not been a fan of comics or graphic novels in general, though there have been some that I enjoyed, in particular a medical graphic memoir called My Degeneration, so when I was given the opportunity to read another book that combined memoir — which I love so much — with the graphic element that I am coming to appreciate, I jumped at it.
Spot 12: Five Months in the Neonatal ICU is Jenny Jaeckel’s story. She shares a bit about a her normal (“safest, most organic”) pregnancy, and delivery which required medical intervention instead of the natural birth she had planned. Her baby girl was born with many medical complications which landed her in the NICU.
That lends itself to many stories to be told.
- Information about the extensive medical conditions makes it a solid medical memoir
- The fears and emotions that Jaeckel feels are on a different plane than many new mothers experience, but one to which all mothers can relate: wanting to protect your child and feeling unsure and helpless
- Her mom comes during that hard time keeping watch at the NICU, which is helpful, but also fraught with undertones of the difficult relationship they’ve had in the past
- The illustrations work with the text, mostly to convey emotions. It adds a completely new layer of context and feeling.
Check out the TLC book tours page for more information about the author and the book.
Graphic novel memoirs seem so have a greater impact on me than to “regular” memoirs. There’s something about the visual medium that really works to convey emotion for me.
Thanks for being a part of the tour!
“The fears and emotions that Jaeckel feels are on a different plane than many new mothers experience, but one to which all mothers can relate: wanting to protect your child and feeling unsure and helpless”
I love that the mothering experience is really a unifying experience, because we all have the same emotions, just, as you mentioned, on different planes (great phrase!).