Make Me a Woman [Hardcover]

Vanessa Davis (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 28, 2010

Charming vignettes about being young, Jewish, and single

It’s easy to understand why Vanessa Davis has taken the comics industry by storm and is poised to do the same with the world at large—her comics are pure chutzpah, gorgeously illustrated in watercolors. No story is too painful to tell—like how much she enjoyed fat camp. Nor too off-limits—like her critique of R. Crumb. Nor too personal—like her stories of growing up Jewish in Florida. Using her sweet but biting wit, Davis effortlessly carves out a wholly original and refreshing niche in two well-worn territories: autobio comics and the Jewish identity.

Davis draws strips from her daily diary, centering on her youth, mother, relationships with men, and eventually her longtime boyfriend. Her intimacy, self-deprecation, and candor have deservedly earned her many accolades and awards. Her deft comedic touch, lush color, and immediacy will set Davis apart not only as one of the premier cartoonists, but as one of the leading humorists for her generation, too.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

These beautifully rendered watercolor and pencil collages capture confessional moments from bat mitzvah to the author taking her boyfriend home to West Palm Beach, Fla., to visit her mother. While treading in the autobiographical path of many cartoonists before her, Davis's sweet and well-observed sketch-diary entries and more structured pieces for such magazines as the Tablet deal with growing up as a Jewish woman. Some time is given to fashion and dating, but the focus is mostly on the daily humor of surviving a boring day job and squabbling family. What sets Davis apart, as least as she portrays herself, is her general sanity and good humor. The problems are more Family Circus than Fun Home: a sisterly blowup comes down to the disposition of a doughnut, and a relationship problem involves several half-eaten packages of cheese. An early strip deals with a trip to a fat farm, but even that ends with remarkably little self-loathing. What this collection does show is Davis's evolution from sometimes awkward swirls of penciled diary pages to constantly inventive and very accomplished painted art. It's hard not to find something to identify with or smile at in these pages. (Oct.) (c)
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From Booklist

Womanhood is about femininity, but it’s just as much about maturity and marking cultural passages with formal and informal rituals. By collecting years of earlier story arcs and sketch pages in this volume, Davis offers readers access to all the ways in which she has addressed the goal of making herself a woman and being seen as a woman. The lushness and diversity of page types—many full-color, talkative snippets that extend across dozens of panels; some black-and-white single-panel cartoons; and others employing the busy but expressive nonlinear relational perspective Lynda Barry has honed—echo the varied story elements, which include Davis’ Bat Mitzvah, changes in girlhood friendships, dealing with parental pressure (and lack of thereof), dating, moving, and changing careers. While the volume can be read front to back as a memoir, each piece stands independently and as such may be attractive to different audiences. Good browsing for Davis’ cultural peers, their younger sisters, and their parents as well as any readers interested in the complexity of contemporary womanhood. --Francisca Goldsmith

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Drawn and Quarterly; 1St Edition edition (September 28, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1770460217
• ISBN-13: 978-1770460218
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 0.9 x 10.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #296,954 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #50 in Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Publishers > Drawn and Quarterly

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars LOVED this book!! October 5, 2010

By samantha grab

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a phenomenal book! Vanessa Davis' observations and comments about life are so wry and witty. She manages to see and hear things that go unnoticed by most people. I'm not really a fan of comics, but this book is just amazing. I could relate to so many of her experiences. I highly recommend this book!
'

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Make Me a Davis Fan October 26, 2010

By Reuben

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Vanessa Davis is a gifted storyteller and artist. Her drawings are luscious and her panel pacing is spot on. She let's you in her world, even and especially when a story ends and there are full page drawings from her sketchbook. It's a rare look into someone's funky and inspired mind. The Jewish story threads are pitch perfect, but don't worry, even non-Jews get to laugh. I'm so happy I have this book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing. October 24, 2010

By Jenni

Format:Hardcover

Vanessa Davis is amazing. There were so many times while reading this book that I pointed to a page and told my friends, "Read this! This is totally me." On top of having these really good, charming sketches and paintings, she is so easy to relate to. I love the pacing of this book, and I always feel inspired to draw up my own daily stories after reading anything by her. Be sure to check out her other book, Spaniel Rage, as well! Definitely recommended.