by Sarah Myer (Author)
Monstrous is a poignant, award-winning graphic memoir about a Korean-American teen who turns to fandom and art-making to survive racing bullying.
Sarah has always struggled to fit in. Born in South Korea and adopted at birth by a white couple, she grows up in a rural community with few Asian neighbors. People whisper in the supermarket. Classmates bully her. She struggles to contain her anger in these moments--but through it all, she has her art. A compulsive drawer from childhood, she fills page after page with what she can't say out loud. When she discovers anime, her hobby deepens into obsession, offering escape and identity. Though drawing and cosplay give her a way to step outside her reality, connection remains elusive. As she enters high school, the bullying intensifies--louder, meaner, more isolating than ever. Sarah's bottled rage begins to threaten everything she's built to keep herself together. What follows is a raw, visually arresting journey through anger, imagination, and survival, as Sarah learns that the same forces that isolate her might also be the key to finding her voice.Author Biography
Comic artist, writer, and colorist Sarah Myer (they/them) is an Eisner and L.A. Times Book Prize-nominated author of the graphic memoir Monstrous: A Transracial Adoption Story (First Second). Sarah is the illustrator and cover artist of several issues of the comic series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures, and was previously the colorist of TMNT vs Street Fighter and TMNT: Saturday Morning Adventures comics, as well as a variant cover artist of TMNT Usagi Yojimbo: WhereWhen. Sarah's other work includes their independent webcomic Cheer Up, Michael!, Hello Kitty & Friends Coloring Book, the Ringo Award-nominated anthology Votes for Women: The Battle for the 19th Amendment, for which they wrote and illustrated the installment "Asian American Exclusion," and the graphic novel Maker Comics: Create a Costume!. An avid convention attendee since 1999, Sarah has constructed and worn over fifty cosplay costumes and enjoys cooking, weight-lifting, and spending time with their cat Loki when they are not creating comics. Sarah can be found at sarahmyer.net and on Instagram @smyercomics
Number of Pages: 272
Dimensions: 0.8 x 8.47 x 6.17 IN
Illustrated: Yes
Publication Date: June 27, 2023
Accelerated Reader:
Quiz Name: Monstrous: A Transracial Adoption Story
Interest Level: Upper Grades, 9-12
Reading Level: 3.2
Point Value: 2