Customer Reviews

Refresh, Refresh

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Danica Novgorodoff set a pretty high standard for herself with the gorgeous Slow Storm, last year's poignant work about crisscrossing lives that converge in the onslaught of a huge storm. Just as she showed there, she has an ability to capture the small nuances of human emotion in little movements and facial expressions, a talent she brings to her latest, Refresh, Refresh, an adaptation of Benjamin Percy's prose short story of the same name. (A movie based on the book is in the works, so the story has hit the trifecta of cultural touchstones.)

Refresh, Refresh takes place in rural Oregon. It marks the time three teenage friends spend together as they struggle with growing up without fathers and trying to define for themselves just what it means to be a man. They live in a town where most of the adult men have gone off to fight in Iraq, and they know, as they count down the minutes till graduation, that they will be expected to do the same.

Or not. Life is full of possibilities. But when you change the plan, the one that seems to be carved in stone, you're not only defining yourself and your own views on life--you're also making a statement about the decisions of everyone else surrounding you.

The title refers to one of the constants in the boys' lives: refreshing their email to check for news on their dads. As they await news of their fathers' fates, they come closer to their own.

Refresh, Refresh, fittingly given its background, plays out much like a small movie, with Novgorodoff using the pages as her own personal cinema. It's beautifully done, and the story itself offers a perfect meshing with her talents.

-- John Hogan

I don't really know how to write a review of this book, which I guess is why it took me so long to do so. It's so sad, all around, and so hopeless in so many ways. The three boys that are at the center of the story aren't the only ones affected by the war, most of the town is, so there isn't really anywhere for them to go to get away from the worry and fear that they themselves feel. Each of them deals with it in their own ways, coming together for their fights. The prevailing feeling is pain. The fights just make that pain physical, shared, and visible.

Most of the story is told through the artwork. The dialog and text are pretty sparse. It works so well in this graphic novel that I can't imagine the short story it was based on. The lack of words make the faces and feelings take on so much more meaning and, in the end, the feelings are what this book is about. And it's beautifully drawn. The images pulled me into the story in a way that I don't know if the short story would have.

Anyway, I really thought Refresh Refresh was very good, but I know that I'm not doing it any kind of justice here. Just trust me, it is well worth the read.


Book source: Philly Free Library

But everything about this seemed contrived by the end. To summarize everything with the kid repeating the same exact mistake his father had made is complete propaganda. Like war is the ultimate calling. Nicely illustrated, sometimes moving, ultimately a letdown for me.

Refresh, Refresh is about the effect of soldiers leaving for the War in Iraq on a young boy and a whole town.

The most exciting thing about Refresh, Refresh is that it is a cool and captivating book for teen boys to read. Many teens consider joining the military and this book offers a realistic perspective on this decision.

Overall the book is timely, believable, and relevant.

Three boys whose fathers enlisted are left behind to be the men of the house. So sometimes they fight. They fight as if they have something to prove, to their fathers, to their friends or to themselves. When their lives don't turn out exactly as planned and they end up pulling some stupid stuff. Enlisting themselves might be the only way for them to save themselves. But then, who is left?

This was a gut-wrenching depiction of war-torn families. The title comes from these boys constantly refreshing their e-mail inboxes trying to get word from their fathers. Boys pounding on each other to vent their frustrations on having life not be the way they want it. Not that everyone gets the life of their dreams, but most don't have to face their parents' mortality so suddenly. This was a good graphic novel, with matching illustrations. It was very brief but powerful nonetheless. If you have a chance to pick this up, I suggest you do. Enjoy.

First Line:
"Hit him in the face!"

Favorite Line:
"Hit him in the face!"