Tomboy: a Graphic Memoir by Liz Prince

Pages: 255
Intended Audience: Teens
Genre: Graphic novel / Memoir
Notes for Parents: Has coarse language, smoking, and some mature scenes.

The Inside Cover

Growing up, Liz Prince wasn’t a girly girl, dressing in pink tutus or playing pretty princess like the other girls in her neighborhood. And she wasn’t one of the guys, either. She was somewhere in between. But with the forces of middle school, high school, parents, friendship, and romance pulling her this way and that, “the middle” wasn’t exactly an easy place to be.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

Tomboy follows award-winning author and artist Liz Prince through her early years and explores what it means to “be a girl.”

What’s good?

Liz Prince is awesome! This is an amazing book that challenges social norms and forces the reader to question gender stereotypes. Readers will be able to relate to the awkwardness that is puberty and the ease in which most of us buy into society’s definition of what it means to be a boy or a girl. The nonchalant black and white drawings are clear, characterization is good, and it’s a fairly quick read. The story is intelligent, with wry humor and a knack for confronting gender issues without turning it into a sermon.
Best Part: “I don’t need to look like a super model to be a girl, and yet I’ve been told so through societal osmosis that I do. I want to celebrate being a woman, but I’m shown all the ways that I fall short on a never ending basis.” Page 239.

What isn’t good?

Some of the language, although realistic, is a little harsh which is too bad because this could be a great story for younger readers as well. The font isn’t always easy to read, but the casualness of both the font and drawings adds comfort to this already very relatable story.
Worst part: There’s nothing so bad that it deserves mention here.

Recommendation þþþþo

It’s easy to forget about the heavy expectations that society puts on both boys and girls to act in a way that’s appropriate for their gender. If they don’t, then they must be gay or transgender or abiding by some other label. This graphic novel is the memoir of a girl who just wanted to be a girl on her own terms. It was thought-provoking, succinct, humorous, courageous, and not at all preachy. Definitely recommended.

Prince, Liz. Tomboy: a Graphic Memoir. San Francisco: Zest Books, 2014.