How Do I Draw These Memories?: An Illustrated Memoir

Gr 8 Up–Joshua’s graphic memoir traces her journey from childhood to adulthood in the wake of her mother’s mental illness. Her fond childhood recollections of being surrounded by a loving Black family sit alongside her growing understanding of her mother’s bipolar disorder and its destabilizing effects. Despite having to move back and forth between Savannah, GA, and Willingboro, NJ, she and her two older brothers thrive under the care of their devoted maternal and paternal grandparents. Her talent for art emerged early and was a steadying constant throughout her life. Joshua, now an award-winning illustrator, employs a variety of visual tools to bring the memoir to life. Brightly colored illustrations unconstrained by panels, black and white cartoons, and most charmingly, loads of family pictures and ephemera all work well to evoke emotions around the events she discusses. The memories shared by her mother, grandparents, and brothers, often presented in blocks of text, are at turns funny, joyful, and heartbreaking. This visually engaging memoir stands apart from others by focusing on the joy in Joshua’s loving Black family without downplaying the challenges they faced.