Review by Booklist Review
Though she has drawn the weekly Ernie Pook's Comeek and other alternative comics for nigh-on two decades, Barry still manages to surprise and delight. Take this hard-to-categorize book, an ambitious work that combines ink and watercolor drawings, collage, and handwritten and typeset text to explore the creative process by posing open-ended questions ( What is an image? What is a memory? ), and autobiographical passages about Barry's harsh, lonely youth and creative struggles. A freewheeling Activity Book follows, proceeding in the same lively fashion by drawing on exercises from the creativity workshops Barry holds around the country and inviting readers to join in the fun of unleashing their imaginations. Although such content is a departure from the usual for Barry, her distinctive style, with its vividly messy expressiveness, remains a constant. Barry's legions of fans will appreciate the insight she provides into her work, but her entertaining, accessible approach to weighty philosophical matters deserves a still larger audience. Drawn and Quarterly, this book's publisher, plans to bring the Ernie Pook strips back into print good news for us all.--Flagg, Gordon Copyright 2008 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
This brilliant, beautiful, nearly uncategorizable book is a print version of Barry's famous seminar "Writing the Unthinkable" a class about writing from "images," recollected or imagined moments. It's part cartooning, part handwritten text, part ornate multimedia collage (with heartbreaking pieces of decades-old school papers and words snipped out of old textbooks)--all three appear on almost every page, most of which Barry constructed by decorating every available space on ruled yellow notebook paper. The first and longest section is a bizarre and hilarious memoir of Barry's creative impulses: how they developed when she was a child, how they flickered and faded when she started asking herself "Is this good?" and "Does this suck?" and how they returned when she learned to escape that trap. The core of the book, though, explains the "writing the unthinkable" technique; it's narrated by a sea monster and stars a "magic cephalopod." Finally, Barry shows us a sheaf of her note pad, the pages she fills with doodles and spare phrases while she's working on a "real" project; they are, naturally, as vivid and radiantly eccentric as everything else here. The whole thing is overflowing with quirks, strangeness and charm, and makes palpable Barry's affection for her students and the act of art making itself. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Barry's whimsical drawings and knack for collage come together in this half memoir, half how-to book. A colorful exploration meant to instruct and inspire all people to reconnect with their inner artist and inner child. (LJ 5/15/09) (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up--Every so often a book comes along that surpasses expectations, taking readers on an inspirational voyage that they don't want to leave. This is one such book. Each page is a feast for the eyes with beautiful full-page collages of photographs, watercolors, ink drawings, and text, resulting in a gorgeous volume that explores and encourages writing in a combination of ways. The author challenges readers with philosophical questions to ponder, such as "What is an image? Where are they found? Can we remember something we can¿t imagine?" The volume also acts as a workbook that successfully encourages teens to explore their own creativity through writing. In addition, autobiographical glimpses of Barry¿s journey from childhood to adulthood appear throughout the book. The struggles and obstacles she faces while following her path of becoming an artist and writer allow readers to believe in the possibility of writing themselves. This stunning book will appeal to those teens who are interested in delving into their creativity through words and art. The questions posed and valuable exercises that exist within its pages, along with the illustrations, could also make this book a valuable tool for English and art teachers in the classroom.--Lara McAllister, Halifax Public Libraries, Nova Scotia (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
