Human Tribe – Alison Wright

Beautiful! Just beautiful! I can definitely see this photography book featuring people from all over the world making its way to my coffee table. I want to look through it over and over, and show specific photos to specific people:
“Look at those amazing eyes! They seem to look straight into your soul.”
“Check out the incredible composition of this shot.”
“Oh, that lighting…” satisfied sigh
“How cool is that?!”
“That depth of field of that one is perfect.”

I saw stories in the eyes of these people – humility, laughter, hardship, hope, pain, joy. Some even appear to have a slightly amused look on their face as if surprised that the photographer chose them as subjects.

Now, more than ever, we need to be reminded that as people we are more alike than not. We may look different and have varying world views and experiences, but the human experience ultimately remains the same. We’ve all had struggles, fears, sadness and pain, we’ve all (I hope) experienced happiness, love and the comfort and joy of friendship. We all have dreams, goals and ambitions for our life. Although maybe not everyone has quite as many soapboxes as I do…

The only things I would personally liked to have seen added to this gorgeous book are the first name of each subject and perhaps a sentence or two about who they are.

Human Tribe would make a lovely gift and would be a great talking piece as a coffee table book. Aspiring photographers could use this book to learn about what makes a captivating portrait, experienced photographers can appreciate the technical expertise of Alison Wright and anyone who loves photos will enjoy poring over this book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Schiffer Publishing Ltd. for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

A page-turner in the most exquisite sense, this book of over 160 portraits expresses the emotive beauty and grace of the human face. Documentary photographer Alison Wright traveled to every continent to capture the diversity of the human tribe, from toddlers to those who’ve lived a lifetime, and from South America to Africa, Asia, and points in between. Some of the people photographed are privileged, some live ordinary lives, and others live close to the land and in communities that may not last another generation. Collectively, these surprising studies of the human face remind us of our common bond and the inherent dignity in being ourselves.

Superhero Harry – Rachel Ruiz

Illustrations – Steve May

OK, so on the cover Harry has rockets attached to his shoes and his shirt has a picture of Einstein sticking his tongue out on it. I’m in!!! Harry wants to be a superhero and loves to make superhero inventions to make himself more superhero-ish, although they don’t always work quite the way he plans. Superhero Harry has four stories.

In The Superhero Project Harry’s teacher, Ms. Lane, gives his class an assignment to give a presentation at the end of the week about how they are a superhero in their everyday life. Harry is determined to make his best superhero invention yet. Will Harry win the prize for the best presentation?

In The Recess Bully a new boy, Jeremy, joins Harry’s class at Parker Elementary. Jeremy is mean to Harry and his friends at recess each day. Harry tells his parents about Jeremy’s bullying and they suggest Harry try talking to Jeremy again, but Harry thinks he can solve the bullying problem and reclaim recess for himself and his friends with a brand new superhero invention.

In The Runaway Robot Harry is fed up with doing chores. His solution? Super Roby, his latest invention. Super Roby works so well Harry decides to bring him to the class science fair. Can Harry find a solution when something goes wrong?

In The Wild Field Trip Harry’s class is going on a field trip to the zoo. His latest invention will make him a super swinger like monkeys, his favourite animal. You know by now that where Harry is, adventure is sure to follow.

While each story can be read separately, they’re best read in order. Children and parents alike will love Harry and Macy, his best friend, classmate, next door neighbour and superhero sidekick. Amongst other things, Harry is funny, clumsy, adventurous, smart, and a good friend.

Rachel Ruiz has created a superhero whose optimism and determination will endear him to readers, and whose exploits will keep them entertained. Steve May’s illustrations are brilliant! They’re so bright, colourful, full of life and draw you in. Just seeing the cover or flipping through the book, you just know the story has to be fantastic if the illustrations are this good.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Capstone for the opportunity to read this book. Apprentice superheroes everywhere are going to love Harry. I’m going to be rereading this book and hope to see future books featuring more of Harry and Macy’s adventures. Mission complete! Over and out!

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Harry is a bit messy and a lot clumsy. But he truly believes he is a superhero. He constantly leaves messes and chaos in his wake, yet he still manages to make every situation better. So who’s to say he isn’t a superhero? This comical early chapter book series will prove that having a positive attitude and energetic spirit are just as heroic as fighting evil villains.

No Virgin – Anne Cassidy

Spoiler Alert!

I feel like I need to start this review with a content warning for the rape scene. If you’ve picked up this book and read the blurb you know it’s coming and if you haven’t read the blurb the first sentence of the book tells you it’s coming. Still, if this is a trigger for you please be safe while reading this book. If you don’t read any further and you’ve experience sexual assault, please know you are not alone and it was not your fault!

This is such an important book. Anne Cassidy has written a book about a serious topic but I enjoyed reading it, except for the rape scene but that’s a no brainer. Of course I wasn’t going to enjoy that bit. Anne made me care about Stacey, her main character, and I felt like I was being let in on Stacey’s private thoughts and experiences. Stacey wasn’t a cardboard cutout character. She had depth. She was real. I could imagine being friends with her if I went to her school.

SPOILER WARNING + maybe just the slightest chance of a therapy session worthy rant to follow

I’m absolutely incensed with the rape in this book, and that’s a good thing. Why? I wouldn’t want to be able to read a book written this well about such a painful subject and not feel, not cry, not want to punch at least one person. It made me want to vomit and I wanted to physically attack both Marty and Harry. Because Anne Cassidy has done a brilliant job with this book and with this subject matter you should have a visceral reaction reading it. Anne’s definitely done something right to get me this riled up.

I don’t know who I hated more, Marty for raping Stacey or Harry for grooming Stacey for his brother. I don’t know. Maybe let’s call it a tie and say they deserve equal amounts of venom.

I appreciated that the set up for this rape wasn’t cut and dry. Stacey had said yes to Harry, but not to Marty. She’d willingly gone alone to a stranger’s apartment with a stranger. She’d been drinking earlier in the day. The reason why I’m glad this was the scenario? So I could say that regardless of every single one of these factors, nothing Stacey did or didn’t do causes any blame to fall on her. She did not give consent so not one of those other details count. She was raped, no ifs, ands or buts. No matter what the circumstance, sexual assault is never the victim’s fault. 100% of the responsibility lies with the perpetrator.

This will sound so weird but hold on; I’ll clarify. I was so glad that Harry’s character was just another school kid, although a rich one, that he had personality plus, he was interested in Stacey’s designs, he offered to help make her dream of being a fashion designer come one step closer … He was a nice guy!

That’s important because despite what the media tells us and what is easier to believe, the majority of sex offenders aren’t dirty old men with trench coats. Sex offenders are peoples’ family, friends, neighbours, workmates, male and female – ordinary people who you would probably like if you had a conversation with them and didn’t know their history. It’s important for young people reading this book to know this!

This book was realistic. Stacey’s dissociation during the rape, her response afterward, her hesitancy at telling anyone, especially the Police … all normal reactions to a horrific experience.

I was so sad that Stacey didn’t feel she could go to her family with this but loved that Stacey had a friend who supported her after she found out about the rape. I love that Patrice recommended Stacey talk to someone at a Rape Crisis Centre. Rape Crisis Centre workers are by and large the most empathetic, understanding, supportive, caring individuals you will ever come across. Nothing you say will shock them as they’ve heard it all before and they will believe you.

I’m a bit ambivalent about Patrice using the “If you don’t report him to the Police, how will you feel if he does it to someone else?” argument, but totally understand why she did it. It’s a difficult thing as a support person to not want to say that sentence because you care about your friend/loved one and you don’t want anyone else to experience what they’re going through. It’s a really tough one, whether to report or not to report, and it’s an individual choice.

The person who has experienced sexual assault often feels more than enough self blame and shame (although they’re not to blame and have done nothing worthy of shame) in the aftermath of their assault without having the guilt of not protecting innumerable other potential victims on their conscience. I’m all for getting offenders off the streets but with such low conviction rates, even reporting a sexual assault to try to protect future victims may not even work because in reality there’s the chance charges may not even be laid. Having said that, if they’ve assaulted you chances are they’ve already done it to at least one other person and they’re likely to continue assaulting more people after you.

Please hear that I’m not saying you should or shouldn’t report to the Police but pressure from other people one way or another adds to an already seemingly unbearable weight. There is no one size fits all answer. I’ve done both (reported to the Police and not reported to the Police) but I still couldn’t begin to tell you what you should do in this situation. I know the benefits and pitfalls of both choices.

I want all young people to read this book. It’s an important educational tool for those who haven’t experience sexual assault. It’s also important for those who have because it says, “You are not alone”, “It was not your fault”, that talking about what happened can help. I loved that this book ends with Stacey taking the first steps toward healing. I was cheering her on the whole time. Well done, Anne! You’ve taken such a difficult topic to talk and write about and left the reader with hope.

So, after this rant, do I want to read the sequel? You bet I do! I can’t wait to read about how Stacey takes her power back and I look forward to seeing those brothers get what’s coming to them. Oh, I hope they get what’s coming to them! I’m emotionally invested in Stacey and I need to travel the next part of her story with her. If I had the sequel with me I’d be starting it immediately but since it hasn’t been released yet (come on, September!!) I think I’ll relax with a nice, calming, sweet children’s book instead.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

My name is Stacey Woods and I was raped.

Stacey is the victim of a terrible sexual attack. She does not feel able to go to the police, or talk about it to anybody other than her best friend, Patrice. Patrice, outraged, when she cannot persuade her to go to the police, encourages Stacey to write everything down. This is Stacey’s story.

Holo #2: Contribute – Kristy Acevedo

Major nerd points to Kristy Acevedo! This book took me such a long time to finish, not because I was bored but because I didn’t want it to be over! I wanted to spend more time with Alex and the crazy lady. My favourite characters in this book were the crazy lady (she was also my favourite from the first book but I admit I was wrong about who I thought she’d turn out to be), the loveable cuddly bear Dr A., and SIDEKICK.

When I received a copy of Contribute from NetGalley I took a closer look and realised it was the second book of a two book series. I was so excited about Contribute but made the decision to take the plunge and buy the first book (Consider) and read that first. I’m so glad I did! While Contribute could be read as a standalone if you really, really wanted to, you gain so much from having experienced Consider first. The first book was a 5 star book for me and this one has to be as well. It’s not often that second books in a series don’t fall flat on their paperback faces.

I won’t wreck either book for you because you need to read them for yourself but during the first book the world is counting down to an apocalypse and individuals are given the choice to stay on earth and hope for the best, even though it’s an extinction level event, or take a chance on the unknown by travelling through a hologram (vertex) to a parallel world. During the second book you follow the final person through the vertex to whatever is on the other side. The blurbs give you more information than this but I’d recommend reading the first book before looking at the blurb for this one.

While the first book had a large focus on Alex’s mental health and it’s still explored in this book to a lesser degree, the overall feel of this book felt darker than the first book to me. I loved the darkness and felt it was necessary in this book. There was a war to fight after all.

Reading this book reminded me of one of lines from Powder (love that movie!!!) that Jeff Goldblum’s character says, “It’s become appallingly clear that our technology has surpassed our humanity.” This quote is generally attributed to Einstein although there’s no evidence he ever said it, but that’s not my point. Contribute offers one possible outcome for society when technology beyond our wildest dreams becomes available and raises so many questions.

Do you trust what the leaders of another society tell you if you never see them in person, only as holographic representations?

If you had the chance to live a life of leisure with free food, free accommodation, free entertainment, free everything, and no work, and all you had to do in exchange was pledge that upon your death your mind minus emotions would be used to power the society for a set period of time, would you do it?

If it sounds too good to be true, is it?

Possibly most importantly, if you had clothes that allowed you to change their holographic design at whim, could you pull off an ocean themed design with sharks swimming across it?

Just like in book one, I spent most of my time reading a few paragraphs, then highlighting either a sentence or a paragraph, then rereading my highlighted passage, then reading a few paragraphs, then highlighting … You get the point. Lots of wonderfully thought out sentences that made me pause and want to think about them and save them for future rereads.

My only real quibble with this book is that the final act felt a bit rushed to me. There was such a lead up to it and yet it felt like, we’re fighting, we’re fighting, we’re winning, we’re losing, we’re … What? It’s over? Although to be fair, maybe I just didn’t want the series to finish.

Ms Acevedo, I really hope you’re hard at work writing your next book. No pressure or anything but I’m sitting here waiting for it!

Oh, and a review of this book wouldn’t be complete without a creepy “May your contribution lead to freedom”.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Flux for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

The holograms lied to everyone on Earth and only Alexandra Lucas knows the truth. Now she’s trapped in the year 2359 without family or friends —worse, without her anxiety medication. Alex attempts to reconcile the marvelous scenery, technological advances, and luxurious living with the knowledge that the holograms weren’t being completely honest — what else are they lying about?

With a secret that could shatter her society, Alex tries to find her place among strangers, convicts, and a rebellion striving to bring the holograms down. Alex struggles to find the best way to reveal the truth and reunite with those she loves. But when surrounded by beauty and every convenience, Alex wonders if truth becomes irrelevant in a perfect world.

Good Night Mr Clutterbuck – Mauri Kunnas

Mr. Clutterbuck is reserved and quite boring during the day, consistently turning down offers from people to join them in fun activities. However during his sleepwalking expeditions he becomes a town hero by singlehandedly putting an end to the rivalry between two biker gangs, preventing the impending bankruptcy of the sausage factory and helping a rock band out of a rut, amongst other exciting things. Gus, Mr. Clutterbuck’s faithful guinea pig, tags along to ensure Mr. Clutterbuck remains safe while he wanders around the town asleep.

Translated from Finnish by Jill Timbers, I don’t know if anything was lost in the translation but if it was it didn’t matter. The names of the characters are a hoot! Rip and Roar are leaders of rival biker gangs, Wally Wurst is a hippopotamus that owns a sausage factory and one of the policemen is called Constable Fuzz!

Kids are going to love hearing the jumbled words that come out of Mr. Clutterbuck’s mouth when he’s sleepwalking. I couldn’t tell you why but Mr. Clutterbuck’s voice in my head sounded exactly like Wallace from Wallace & Gromit.

Kids and adults alike will enjoy finding new things in the pictures each time they open the book, like a car on a roof or a snake playing drums in a rock band. Even if you had no interest in this book based on the story I’d still recommend it for the illustrations alone. They’re detailed, quirky, funny and the animals are fantastic!

I’ve already spent a lot of time looking closely at all of the pictures to try and ensure I haven’t missed anything but even so I’m sure I have. There’s just so much to look at! Keep your eye out for the cutest fuzzy little spider with a top hat and cane in the majority of illustrations, adorable bats, and the spoon thief who’s lurking around throughout the book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Archipelago Books for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Mr Clutterbuck is blissfully unaware of his reputation as the fittest and busiest sleepwalker in town.

Nelly Jelly and the Magnificent Tree – Lisa Limbrick

Illustrations – Jemima Trappel

When Nelly gets annoyed with her four year old sister Alice for calling her ‘Nelly Jelly’ and embarrassed that her friend Hannah is there to hear it, Nelly impulsively grabs her sister’s favourite doll and throws it in the air. It gets stuck way up high in a tree and Nelly is forced to confront her deepest, darkest fear, a fear she’s kept secret until now. She is afraid of heights. Will she decide to be brave and overcome the soggy, sticky and squishy things in her way or will she let her fear win?

Hannah is a good friend, using empathy by telling stories to Nelly about situations where her Nana felt the same way to distract Nelly from her fear. The book was full of terrible jokes and puns but young children may find them funny. I would have loved to have read the part where Nelly apologises to Alice for throwing her ‘best friend’ into a tree but it didn’t happen.

This book shows children that by using perseverance and determination you can overcome obstacles and conquer your fears. Hannah and Alice both encourage Nelly as she climbs and celebrate her accomplishment with her. It’s a nice story but I don’t think it will stay with me, unlike some other children’s books I’ve read recently.

The illustrations by Jemima Trappel are really cute and I liked that there was a small picture at the beginning of each chapter showing what the doll experiences in that chapter.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Wombat Books for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

There’s only one thing that Nelly dislikes more than jelly, and that’s heights. In fact, she’s terrified of high places!

But when she has to climb the magnificent tree to rescue her younger sister’s doll, Nelly has to not only face her greatest fear but a series of unexpected … soggy … squishy … and sticky things.

Join Nelly Jelly and her friends for what will be a hilarious, fun and GROSS adventure up into the magnificent tree. 

The Marvelous, Amazing, Pig-Tastic Gracie LaRoo! – Marsha Qualey

Illustrations – Kristyna Litten

Gracie LaRoo is the youngest synchronised swimmer in the Water Sprites. Gracie LaRoo has four stories.

In Gracie LaRoo at Pig Jubilee Gracie is competing for the first time in a world synchronised swimming competition. She has been practising hard and memorising her team’s routine, but she loses her bag with everything she needs for the competition. Will she find it in time and will she be able to concentrate enough to be able to perform her signature move?

In Gracie LaRoo on the Big Screen Gracie is going to be in a Piggywood movie. When things don’t go as she had hoped can Gracie overcome her disappointment? Is her movie dream over before it even begins?

In Gracie LaRoo Sets Sail Gracie and the rest of the Water Sprites have performances booked on a cruise ship but at their first performance the crowd are mad that they can’t use the pool or waterslide. If they don’t make the crowd happy with their next performance the rest of their performances will be cancelled!

In Gracie LaRoo Goes to School Gracie visits her old school. She’s there to teach a class and give a speech about being a synchronised swimmer and she doesn’t know if she can do it. She’s never given a speech before!

There are very sweet illustrations by Kristyna Litten. While all of the right elements seemed to be there (easy to read, clear storylines, the message that problems can be solved and you can overcome your fears), I didn’t connect to Gracie as I have with the main character in books for this age group that I’ve read recently and I personally didn’t like her.

I never felt like cheering her on when things didn’t go her way and I was particularly annoyed that she blatantly disregarded the authority of the school principal in the final story. I’m all for being yourself but didn’t feel the message that you can deliberately flout authority without consequences was a useful message for school kids reading this book.

I also wasn’t a fan of her arrogance, singlehandedly deciding she was the one that knew best how to fix every problem and seemingly not even bothering to communicate her spectacular plans to her teammates when her decisions often affected them as well. I can’t see how this makes her a good team player.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Capstone for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Gracie LaRoo is a synchronized swimming pig extraordinaire! Follow Gracie as she shoots for the gold medal; uses her dazzling moves in a Piggywood movie; visits her old school and shows her former coach just how hard synchronized swimming can be; and captivates a cruise ship audience with her signature spins.

The Social Butterfly – Beth Bracken

Illustrations – Sofia Cardoso

The Social Butterfly just broke my cute-meter! It’s such a lovely picture book with a great message and the sweetest illustrations.

Charlotte is a gorgeous purple butterfly who makes new friends everywhere she goes. She loves talking, singing and telling jokes, and she also loves school. When her constant chattering one day results in her friends missing out on eating lunch, not being able to concentrate on reading or their maths worksheet in class, or not hearing something important their teacher Miss Flora says, they each get upset with Charlotte. Charlotte talks to Miss Flora about her fears that her friends don’t like her anymore. Will Charlotte take Miss Flora’s advice?

This book has a great message for all of the young social butterflies out there about learning when it is appropriate to talk, laugh and play with your friends and when you need to be quiet and pay attention.

The writing style was engaging and the illustrations were adorable! The layout has been well thought out and the font choice complements the soft colour palette of the illustrations. The childrens’ expressions leave no room for confusion regarding what they’re feeling and the children themselves are simply the cutest little insects ever! The backgrounds are detailed and I loved the attention to detail. I especially loved Miss Flora’s chipped upside down teacup table.

After reading this book I had convinced myself I wanted to live in a mushroom and be friends with Charlotte. I think I want to be a butterfly as well but since my favourite colour is already taken, I may have to be blue instead.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Capstone for the opportunity to read this book. This book would make a fantastic bedtime story and I’d also love to see it in schools and libraries. I’d enjoy reading this book over and over. Charlotte now has a place in my heart.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Charlotte loves talking, singing, and playing. What Charlotte doesn’t love is sitting still, being quiet, and listening, which is a big problem at school. Charlotte’s overly social ways interfere with her friendships and her learning. Will Charlotte be able to modify her behaviour and learn when to be social and when to be quiet? A sweet and relatable picture book story that shines a light on social behaviours.

A Stegosaurus Would Not Make a Good Pirate – Thomas Kingsley Troupe

Illustrations – Steph Calvert

Ahoy, me mateys! This book were bein’ a fun ride. Chock full of colourful pictures and plenty o’ pirate characters, I enjoyed readin’ this story. Gary the Stegosaurus does his best t’ please Cap’n One-Tooth. Avast! He gets fired!

Gary was not bein’ the right size for pirate clothes, he be too big, his tail be too spiky, he not be eatin’ pirate food, and he not be good at countin’. Maybe there be ‘nother job perfect for a Stegosaurus, eh?

Cap’n Thomas Kingsley Troupe, ye did a good job. Cap’n Steph Calvert, ye drawin’ ability be full o’ whimsy. Lads and lasses, they be enjoyin’ this here book.

Thanks to me mateys at NetGalley and Capstone for givin’ me the opportunity to be tellin’ ’em what I be thinkin’ of it. Arrr!

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Gary the Stegosaurus wants to be a pirate. But then he gets the chance, things do NOT work out. Getting seasick is the least of Gary’s worries once he’s on that ship! This delightful picture book from the Dinosaur Dreams series includes discussion questions, an interactive look-and-find fact section, and dinosaur facts.

Ink in Water: An Illustrated Memoir (Or, How I Kicked Anorexia’s Ass and Embraced Body Positivity) – Lacy J. Davis

Illustrations – Jim Kettner

Lacy J. Davis has nailed it in this graphic novel memoir of her battle with an eating disorder in Ink in Water. She bravely takes the reader on a journey with her from its inception with thoughts of not being good enough to the beginnings of food restriction and anorexia, to compulsively exercising and finally bulimia. We watch on as her world shrinks along with her body, as she shuts out friends while her obsession with her body takes hold. We’re taken inside her mind as she battles the thoughts telling her she’s too fat and we silently cheer her on from the sidelines as we watch her courageously fight to become healthy again and triumph over her demons.

While everyone fighting an eating disorder is on their own journey, Lacy takes us on an unflinching ride through hers. Not sugarcoating (yeah, I know, weird word to use in a review for a book about eating disorders) her struggles, yet ultimately giving us hope, this book will speak to everyone who has had, has or knows anyone with an eating disorder. People who can’t understand why they just don’t eat more or why they don’t just stop exercising so much will gain much needed insight into what life with an eating disorder looks and feels like.

There are as many stories behind why eating disorders begin as there are people struggling with them and what works for one person may not work for another as they work towards recovery. I applaud Lacy for showing us that recovery from eating disorders isn’t a success only path but that ultimately there is hope.

Jim Kettner’s illustrations are gritty and take us deeper into Lacy’s journey than we could have gone with words alone. We become a part of Lacy’s struggles and her grief, we’re inside her head listening to the voices telling her she’s not enough and we feel the hope that shines through despite her struggle.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and New Harbinger Publications, Inc. for the opportunity to read this graphic novel. If you have an eating disorder I encourage you to keep fighting, don’t stop searching until you find treatment that works for you and hold onto hope. Recovery is possible. Yes, even for you!

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

At once punk rock and poignant, Ink in Water is the visceral and groundbreaking graphic memoir of a young woman’s devastating struggle with negative body image and eating disorders, and how she rose above her own destructive behaviours and feelings of inadequacy to live a life of strength and empowerment.

As a young artist living in Portland, Lacy Davis’ eating disorder began with the germ of an idea: a seed of a thought that told her she just wasn’t good enough. And like ink in water, that idea spread until it reached every corner of her being. This is the true story of Lacy’s journey into the self-destructive world of multiple eating disorders. It starts with a young and positive Lacy, trying to grapple with our culture’s body-image obsession and stay true to her riot grrrl roots. And while she initially succeeds in overcoming a nagging rumination about her body, a break up with a recovering addict starts her on a collision course with anorexia, health food obsession, and compulsive exercise addiction. At the request of her last real friend, she starts going to a twelve-step Overeaters Anonymous course, only to find that it conflicts with her punk feminist ideology.

Blending bold humor, a healthy dose of self-deprecation, vulnerability, literary storytelling, and dynamic and provocative artwork by illustrator Jim Kettner, Ink in Water is an unflinching, brutally honest look into the author’s mind: how she learned to take control of her damaging thoughts, redirect her perfectionism from self-destructive behaviours into writing and art, and how she committed herself to a life of health, strength, and nourishment.