Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth by Apostolos Doxiadis, Christos Papadimitriou and others

I'm happy that so many fabulous graphic novels are being published these days. The title of Logicomix doesn't appeal to me, but that is pretty much my only criticism. It is an ambitious blend of fictionalized biography, math, philosophy and self-referential storytelling. Greek artist Alecos Papadatos and his wife, colourist Annie Di Donna, have used a style similar to that of Herge's Tintin.

The tale centers on the life of British logician, Bertrand Russell. The central question revolves around whether or not logic can be used to solve life's most vexing problems; the context is World War I and II. The concepts of responsibility, justice and a sense of good and evil are shown to fall outside of logical theories. It is an excellent read for people like me who like to ponder.

Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer

Jonathan Safran Foer uses an engaging combination of philosophy, folklore, science, research and memoir to expose why choosing to eat a vegetarian diet makes sense. 99% of meat is raised in industrial circumstances. Because only 1% is raised on farms with decent animal husbandry and environmental practices, Foer makes it clear that the choice is between cruelty and ecological destruction on one hand, and ceasing to eat animals on the other. He takes Michael Pollan to task for sidestepping this ethical issue in The Omnivore's Dilemma. Pollan writes "I have to say there is a part of me that envies the moral clarity of the vegetarian... Yet part of me pities him , too. Dreams of innocence [...] depend on a denial of reality that can be its own form of hubris." I agree with Foer - Pollan is the one who denies reality when he chooses to ignore what he learns about industrial agriculture and continues to eat meat.

Food Rules by Michael Pollan

Food Rules is a compendium of 64 simple statements of food wisdom, one to a page. It answers the question "What should I eat?" Pollan already answered this question with his previous book, In Defense of Food. In both books, he narrows the response to 7 words:

Eat food.

Mostly plants.

Not too much.

Food Rules doesn't really offer much that In Defense of Food does not, but it is much shorter.

One thing that annoyed me was that Pollan perpetuates the myth of food combining. He states that beans eaten with corn will supply amino acids missing from corn and therefore create a complete protein. In fact, vegetables and grains all have complete protein and do not need to be combined in the human diet. It is important to eat a wide variety of foods, but that is not for the reason of protein complementarity. Scientists debunked the food combining myth decades ago.

Love Is the Higher Law by David Levithan

Claire, Jasper and Peter tell, in alternating voices, what it was like to be a teenager in New York City on September 11, 2001. Jasper and Peter were to have had their very first date that night - they had planned to see Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Claire and Peter were in their final year at the same high school, 30 blocks north of the World Trade Center. I enjoyed witnessing the slow development of friendship between the three of them.

Other books, like the graphic novel memoir American Widow, tell of the emotional devastation of losing a loved one when the twin towers of the World Trade Center were destroyed. In Love Is the Higher Law, the tragedy of 9/11 is just as real, but with a loss that is perhaps harder to define. None of the three teens knew anyone who had died in the attack, but they all suffered a trauma that went much deeper than a gap in the skyline. Their road to healing is shared in their friendship.

Twin blue lights were beamed upward from Ground Zero on March 11, 2002. It was in the novel that I first read about the anniversary lights. Afterwards, the cover photo on the edition I read, taken across the water from Manhattan at night, with the blue lights representing ghostly towers, had a much greater impact on me. Grade 9 - up.

A Village Life by Louise Gluck

The poems in this collection are set in a timeless Mediterranean village in the hills, not too close to the sea. There's a fountain in the plaza, a cafe, a bar, a catholic church. Figs and olives and wheat grow there. We step into the simple homes; kitchens, bedrooms, corridors. Moments are calmly examined. Joy, love, sadness and loneliness are details in the greater cycle of the seasons; what it feels like to be human is contrasted with the geography of a place. Louise Gluck is an award-winning American poet and this book is a treasure.

Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude by Jonah Winter and Calef Brown

Written in a playful, repetitive style that plays homage to Stein's distinctive work, this brief biography shows Gertrude and Alice entertaining famous artists in their home in Paris, driving in the country, enjoying picnics and writing (Gertrude) and typing (Alice).

Publishing has come a long way since Heather Has Two Mommies and Daddy's Roommate. I've included this book in a list of recent children's picture books with GLBTQ content at the Edmonton Public Library.

Becoming Billie Holiday by Carole Boston Weatherford

Carole Boston Weatherford used first person and free verse to narrate the life of an unwanted child named Eleanora Fagan who grew up to become a Harlem jazz legend. Art by Floyd Cooper suits this tale of bittersweet triumphs; his grainy images are predominantly in rich shades of brown.

Almost all of the poems borrow their titles from Billie Holiday's songs. In "Our Love is Different" there is mention of the double standard commonly experienced by young bisexuals, even today: "Mom wouldn't hear / of my boyfriends sleeping over / but never said a word when I brought / girls home: prostitutes, socialites / and stars. I won't drop names / but I had them call me 'Bill.' " When I finished this book, I immediately had to listen to some of Billie's music. (Grade 7 - adult)