King of King Court

Starred review from May 13, 2019
Punctuated with close-ups of the details that fill a small boy’s life, Dandro’s debut memoir is an extended poetic gaze on intergenerational helplessness and the violence it begets. Dandro draws both his six-year-old and teenage self with empty circles for eyes, as if he is a vessel for receiving his surroundings—including the inconsistent presence of his father, Dave, a tough guy with dark sunglasses, a muscle car, and a drug problem. It doesn’t help that his mother, despite marrying Dandro's stepfather, alternates between fleeing Dave and rekindling their affair. This is the ’80s, and when Travis hears a story about the kidnapping of Adam Walsh, his anxieties bloom into nightmares. Dandro expertly balances a child’s-eye view with authorial empathy; Dave is drawn both larger-than-life and human and hurting; and Dandro's mother as loving, even as she fails her son. Though over 400 pages, the story flies by in often wordless, poignant sequences. At the end, Dandro watches a fish tank scuba diver repeatedly surge toward the surface, only to be pulled down by the weight of a sunken chest that undoubtedly contains both treasure and tragedy. This gloriously scribbled story doesn’t rest on easy morals, or even attempt to forgive the past—Dandro’s triumph is drawing the reader through both the pain and beauty of his upbringing, and then moving forward. (Aug.)
Correction: An earlier version of this reviews incorrectly stated the author's mother was married to his father.

August 30, 2019

DEBUT In his first full-length graphic memoir, Dandro (Mr. Gnu comic strip) presents the story of his tumultuous family life in Massachusetts, from childhood through high school. This portrait of the artist as a young man in some very bad circumstances depicts how the author's biological father's increasing violence and drug habit intertwine in a boy's life of play, school, and pop culture. The art style is likewise a blend, with straightforward line drawings mixing with hyperrealistic scenes that give way to flights of fancy. The combination of whimsy and trauma create an arresting and compelling read, and work as a whole shares a spiritual kinship to Emil Ferris's My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, the real world presented through a lens of imagination. Using inventive designs and page layouts, Dandro shows how effective the graphic format can be in relating personal narratives. VERDICT A visually engaging and human story of early trauma and how art and the imagination persist through the toughest of times. For those interested in real-world stories of accounts of people coping with difficult family situations.--Chris Kretz, Southampton Lib., Stony Brook Univ., NY

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 18, 2019

Gr 10 Up-It's a rare memoir that immediately engages and builds a story of family dysfunction that is as startling and heartbreaking as it is imaginative. It spans the youth of six-year-old Travis, an inquisitive, dreamy child who spends his time drawing and playing with his siblings while shuttled between homes and forced to tip-toe around a drunken stepfather, a volatile biological father (Dave), and a codependent mother. As Dave slips further into the grips of heroin addiction, Dandro focuses on Travis's relationships with relatives and schoolmates to show how he builds resilience while he is repeatedly uprooted from his homes. As Travis matures, so does his understanding of his father's demons. What makes this compelling story doubly affecting are the subtle, authentic glimpses of reality as seen through a child's point of view. Dandro captures Travis's musings through clever renderings, such as Travis's nightmare of being kidnapped by an enraged Dave, which melds into the real-life newsreel of the notorious Adam Walsh kidnapping in the 1980s. The less frightening but no less poignant detailing of the walls and fixtures of Travis's grandparents' houses convey the function and fluidity of memory. VERDICT This painful but rewarding read about family dysfunction belongs in all libraries' graphic novel collections.-Michael Marie Jacobs, Darlington School, GA

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2019
Dandro was only six years old when he learned about his biological dad. For years, he and Dad Dave had a tenuous relationship that, while punctuated with happiness, was ultimately destroyed by his father's drug addiction. Travis, along with his siblings and mother, moved frequently during his childhood, shuffling between various family members after his mother separated from his stepfather. While Travis was clearly loved, poverty, addiction, and trauma figured prominently in his life, and the few moments of calm stability, such as a safe night at a loving grandparent's home, are deeply poignant. The panels feature detailed backgrounds and simply drawn figures simmering with rage and tension, resulting in an unsettling memoir that captures the essence of Dandro's unstable childhood. The unease is amplified by his father's expressionless face, surreal dream sequences, and the tightly squiggled lines Dandro prefers for shading. Viewed through the innocent eyes of childhood and those of a world-weary young adult, this is a tough but illuminating read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)