I was a bit taken aback by this book when I opened it to the first page to start reading. The first page looked like a comic book. Confused, I turned to the next page, then the next page, then I flipped towards then end of the book. All comic book style cells. I didn't think this would be any good at all but I thought I would read the first 10 pages (this is normally what I do to see if a story can catch me before I set it aside for another day to try). I read this book in 6 hours and had no regrets in continuing beyond those first 10 pages!

The best way to describe this story is it is a graphic memoir. The story is written and drawn by Laurie Sandell. She grew up with what she thought was a very heroic and amazing father. We learn about his adventures during his tour in Vietnam, how he was friends with Henry Kissenger and the Pope, and he was an Economics professor at several ivy league colleges. When Laurie graduates, her whole life comes crumbling down when she realizes after applying for her first credit card that her dad is not exactly what he has told her all of her life.

I was able to identify with Laurie as I struggled most of my adult life with lies my biological mother told me as I was growing up. It is painful to learn all that what you believed all of your life has been a lie. We also watch Laurie take her anger out on herself as she travels the world trying to find herself. I was pleasantly surprised by this book that I almost put at the bottom of my "to read" pile. If you are looking for something truly different, I recommend this unique telling of a life story.

About the Author

Laurie Sandell is a contributing editor at Glamour, where she writes cover stories, features, and personal essays. She has also written for Esquire, GQ, New York and In Style, among others. In her twenties, she spent four years traveling around the world, having unsavory experiences she later justified as "material."