“Visceral, hilarious, utterly human, and unlike anything you’ve ever read. An explosive debut.”
Description
An Arab-American college student struggles to live with epilepsy in this starkly colored and deeply-cutting graphic novel.
Isaac wants nothing more than to be a functional college student—but managing his epilepsy is an exhausting battle to survive. He attempts to maintain a balancing act between his seizure triggers and his day-to-day schedule, but he finds that nothing—not even his medication—seems to work. The doctors won’t listen, the schoolwork keeps piling up, his family is in denial about his condition, and his social life falls apart as he feels more and more isolated by his illness. Even with an unexpected new friend by his side, so much is up against him that Isaac is starting to think his epilepsy might be unbeatable.
Based on the author’s own experiences as an epileptic, Mis(h)adra is a boldly visual depiction of the daily struggles of living with a misunderstood condition in today’s hectic and uninformed world.
Reviews
“Mis(h)adra is singular, vibrant, and raw; Iasmin’s depiction of epilepsy lives at an eye-opening intersection of culture and youth.”
“A powerful story about not only physical pain but also the pain of self-doubt and hopelessness. Mis(h)adra beautifully illustrates the struggle to stand up to that inner hopelessness, and come out the other end stronger than ever.”
“Ata renders the story in a vibrant manga style…The details of Isaac's illness feel decidedly lived-in…palpably, dramatically realized…compellingly unique…the spotlight shone on an underrepresented demographic is commendable. Big and stylish—of particular interest to those dealing with epilepsy or wanting to know more about the condition.”