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As The Crow Flies #1
As the Crow Flies
Melanie Gillman's webcomic about a queer, black teenager who finds herself stranded in a dangerous and unfamiliar place: an all-white Christian youth backpacking camp.
276 pages, webcomic
First published August 1, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 721 reviews
July 26, 2018
It's interesting that I've read two graphic novels in a row featuring a prominent black female with thick ankles named Charlie, short for Charlotte. Was that a writing assignment for last year?
I don't know what to do with this graphic novel.
I mean, look at the summary: A queer, black teenager finds herself stranded in a dangerous and unfamiliar place: an all-white Christian youth backpacking camp.
It sounds like the kind of stuff I've been reading like crazy lately but I don't actually know what this is.
I put it on my Christian shelf but I can't tell if this is Christian or if it’s chastising contemporary American Christianity. I added it to my racism shelf but I can't tell if there was any racism going on or if Charlie was the only black girl in the group and was uncomfortable because she's tired of being stuck with clueless white people all the time.
Ok, yes, there was racism going on mostly in the form of careless language but I can’t tell if it’s being spotlighted here or not. At one point, camp counselor Penny says she’s half Diné but it seems that she’s only ever been introduced to her camp leader mother’s disparaging remarks via this hike, thanks to Charlie pointing them out, sort of like how Charlie’s mom didn’t realize there were only white kids at this camp when she dropped her daughter off and it took her daughter saying something to make her aware. So only Charlie sees racial disparity? As for my Feminism shelf, the most vocal feminist is the one who seems to be a misandrist. She may also have cancer. It’s hard to tell.
Anyway, her angry feminism is upsetting to camper Sydney, who is visibly uncomfortable every time the camp leader starts spouting her weird stories. But this could either be showing that these kids are aware of how language is used to marginalize groups OR it could just as easily be showing that these kids are too sensitive and need to stop being snowflakes. I just can’t tell what we’re aiming at here. If I was this confused, how confused will young readers be? Maybe it won't be confusing at all, maybe I am not giving younger readers enough credit.
We have this cataloged as YA but I'd put it at the very lowest end of YA, like for 13-year-olds; the dialogue and situations are pretty simple and unfaceted. I think I'd be more comfortable with giving this to the 10- to 14-year-old crowd except that the main themes in this story, so far, are mostly invisible, you have to pick up on contextual clues to get them and even then they can be easily misread. So while it seems to be a summer camp story geared toward a younger audience, there’s a lot running in the background that isn’t going to be picked up by readers not already savvy to looking deeper for information about gender identity, sexual preference, and Christian feminism.
For instance, I would not have known Charlie was queer had it not said so in the summary. She is obviously interested in the camp leader's daughter, Penny, developing a crush on the 18-year-old, but it's not uncommon for 13-year-olds to get crushes on older kids they think are cool, regardless of gender and sexual orientation. Mostly, it's Sydney, the painfully subtle character, who hints to the reader that Charlie is not-straight but Charlie never confirms this, herself, nor does Sydney ever directly say, "Hey, I think you’re a lesbian/bi/sexually interested in women or, at least, that one particular woman" so even her outing of Charlie isn't obvious if you're a reader who hasn't been introduced to this topic before.
Sydney spills her own big secret just as subtly and Charlie, who somehow recognizes the coded message Sydney's sending, understands immediately. Again, a reader new to these topics may not pick up on the one silly clue regarding Sydney's gender identity which, I imagine, would make the story more and more confusing as it goes along.
I'm not sold on this being a volume-by-volume story. This book leaves off at an awkward place with no resolution to anything, such as why Charlie is at this all-white Christian camp in the first place, the answer to which may help the reader get on board with this journey much more quickly but, no, it has to be a slowly-unfolding mystery, so vaguely unfolding. While there's no indication that this is not a single-volume tale, the webcomic is ongoing so I assume they'll collect and publish the next set of comics at some point, but, as it stands, this is not a good introduction because it's leaves off with unanswered questions and in an illogical place. I mean, for the webcomic, it's a completely normal place to leave off - at the end of Day 3. But for an actual compiled story? Not so much. I think this would work better if it were published as the complete set, once the story is finished.
The art is fine. It’s like a mix of Peanuts and the 3-tone colored pencil drawings in books from my childhood.
The author clearly loves the outdoors and creates some lovely landscapes.
Their people are more cartoonish, however, which gives the whole thing that strange Gumball juxtaposition where there's an overlay of unserious, child-like drawings against a more realistic background.
But in this case, the medium is the same, rather than illustrations over photographs, so there's a strange dichotomy going on in the eyes when looking at the pictures. Why are the people so cartoonish if the backgrounds are so realistic?
I can’t say I’m going to recommend this one to anyone. I’ll let all the awards it has received or been nominated for do that and I’ll just stand over here wondering what the fuss is about.
I don't know what to do with this graphic novel.
I mean, look at the summary: A queer, black teenager finds herself stranded in a dangerous and unfamiliar place: an all-white Christian youth backpacking camp.
It sounds like the kind of stuff I've been reading like crazy lately but I don't actually know what this is.
I put it on my Christian shelf but I can't tell if this is Christian or if it’s chastising contemporary American Christianity. I added it to my racism shelf but I can't tell if there was any racism going on or if Charlie was the only black girl in the group and was uncomfortable because she's tired of being stuck with clueless white people all the time.
Ok, yes, there was racism going on mostly in the form of careless language but I can’t tell if it’s being spotlighted here or not. At one point, camp counselor Penny says she’s half Diné but it seems that she’s only ever been introduced to her camp leader mother’s disparaging remarks via this hike, thanks to Charlie pointing them out, sort of like how Charlie’s mom didn’t realize there were only white kids at this camp when she dropped her daughter off and it took her daughter saying something to make her aware. So only Charlie sees racial disparity? As for my Feminism shelf, the most vocal feminist is the one who seems to be a misandrist. She may also have cancer. It’s hard to tell.
Anyway, her angry feminism is upsetting to camper Sydney, who is visibly uncomfortable every time the camp leader starts spouting her weird stories. But this could either be showing that these kids are aware of how language is used to marginalize groups OR it could just as easily be showing that these kids are too sensitive and need to stop being snowflakes. I just can’t tell what we’re aiming at here. If I was this confused, how confused will young readers be? Maybe it won't be confusing at all, maybe I am not giving younger readers enough credit.
We have this cataloged as YA but I'd put it at the very lowest end of YA, like for 13-year-olds; the dialogue and situations are pretty simple and unfaceted. I think I'd be more comfortable with giving this to the 10- to 14-year-old crowd except that the main themes in this story, so far, are mostly invisible, you have to pick up on contextual clues to get them and even then they can be easily misread. So while it seems to be a summer camp story geared toward a younger audience, there’s a lot running in the background that isn’t going to be picked up by readers not already savvy to looking deeper for information about gender identity, sexual preference, and Christian feminism.
For instance, I would not have known Charlie was queer had it not said so in the summary. She is obviously interested in the camp leader's daughter, Penny, developing a crush on the 18-year-old, but it's not uncommon for 13-year-olds to get crushes on older kids they think are cool, regardless of gender and sexual orientation. Mostly, it's Sydney, the painfully subtle character, who hints to the reader that Charlie is not-straight but Charlie never confirms this, herself, nor does Sydney ever directly say, "Hey, I think you’re a lesbian/bi/sexually interested in women or, at least, that one particular woman" so even her outing of Charlie isn't obvious if you're a reader who hasn't been introduced to this topic before.
Sydney spills her own big secret just as subtly and Charlie, who somehow recognizes the coded message Sydney's sending, understands immediately. Again, a reader new to these topics may not pick up on the one silly clue regarding Sydney's gender identity which, I imagine, would make the story more and more confusing as it goes along.
I'm not sold on this being a volume-by-volume story. This book leaves off at an awkward place with no resolution to anything, such as why Charlie is at this all-white Christian camp in the first place, the answer to which may help the reader get on board with this journey much more quickly but, no, it has to be a slowly-unfolding mystery, so vaguely unfolding. While there's no indication that this is not a single-volume tale, the webcomic is ongoing so I assume they'll collect and publish the next set of comics at some point, but, as it stands, this is not a good introduction because it's leaves off with unanswered questions and in an illogical place. I mean, for the webcomic, it's a completely normal place to leave off - at the end of Day 3. But for an actual compiled story? Not so much. I think this would work better if it were published as the complete set, once the story is finished.
The art is fine. It’s like a mix of Peanuts and the 3-tone colored pencil drawings in books from my childhood.
The author clearly loves the outdoors and creates some lovely landscapes.
Their people are more cartoonish, however, which gives the whole thing that strange Gumball juxtaposition where there's an overlay of unserious, child-like drawings against a more realistic background.
But in this case, the medium is the same, rather than illustrations over photographs, so there's a strange dichotomy going on in the eyes when looking at the pictures. Why are the people so cartoonish if the backgrounds are so realistic?
I can’t say I’m going to recommend this one to anyone. I’ll let all the awards it has received or been nominated for do that and I’ll just stand over here wondering what the fuss is about.
March 11, 2018
Melanie Gillman's unique webcomic turned paperback about a queer (but I only learned this for sure from the cover, because it wasn’t obvious throughout) black (though her Dad appears to be white) teenager on a backpacking trip with what appears to be an all-white, cis-gendered Christian feminist organization. The teen, Charlotte, or Charlie, eventually finds that other girls also feel sometimes marginalized by the women leaders. Though I personally don’t see it as deeply disrespectful to either Christians or mainstream white feminists, there is a critique here of white feminism, on the one hand, and Christianity, on the other hand, for not being more inclusive of people of color, or lgbtq folks. It's about and for teens, YA.
These critiques we have been reading about for decades, but are still relevant to Charlie, who seems to be very sensitive to exclusionary language use and some historical references. Mortified by them, and unable to connect to anyone, as a result. I said I didn't think the critiques here are scathing, but if we are meant to really feel this comic is critical of Christianity, or feminism, we may have Sydney to thank, as she gets uncomfortable whenever the leader shares her feminist tales. Whenever she speaks, actually. Because the leader pushes an anti-patriarchal agenda, but Charlie doesn't seem to care about this, particularly. She's concerned not that women are excluded by the male power structure, but that queer girls are excluded from such discussions.
Over time we see that Charlie is not completely alone; there is a trans woman, Sydney, she befriends, who also sees herself as isolated and alienated, and they bond in their silent resistance. The leader appears to be of mixed race, half Navaho, but we don't yet know what to do with this fact; maybe the "point" (and this is a book trying to make points, for sure, more than tell a story) is that even bicultural women can be insensitive or clueless?
This ends abruptly, as we are not quite at the summit of the mountain, and the Christian women’s retreat that is their goal, and a little investigation reveals that this is intended as at least a two part series. I like as I always like pages with fewer words, where we get to see natural settings. The silent landscapes, colored with colored pencils, are my favorite parts of this book, but the cartoony renditions of the girls and women are just okay for me. Though it is not yet clear what the natural world means to Charlie (she seems mainly annoyed by it, as she is everything else), a crow/feather seems to symbolically guide her in her separate experience of the trek. This may get clearer in the next volume, I’m not sure.
This is a book about intersectionality, very consciously so, though I am not sure exactly so far what it will have to say about that. I thought it was pretty good, the story focusing on two “border” girls, thoughtful, just fine. I'm (a little, not much) curious if Charlie and Sydney will get more tolerant and accepting of the leader; or if she will get more sensitive to their needs.
You can read the webcomic version free here:
http://www.melaniegillman.com
These critiques we have been reading about for decades, but are still relevant to Charlie, who seems to be very sensitive to exclusionary language use and some historical references. Mortified by them, and unable to connect to anyone, as a result. I said I didn't think the critiques here are scathing, but if we are meant to really feel this comic is critical of Christianity, or feminism, we may have Sydney to thank, as she gets uncomfortable whenever the leader shares her feminist tales. Whenever she speaks, actually. Because the leader pushes an anti-patriarchal agenda, but Charlie doesn't seem to care about this, particularly. She's concerned not that women are excluded by the male power structure, but that queer girls are excluded from such discussions.
Over time we see that Charlie is not completely alone; there is a trans woman, Sydney, she befriends, who also sees herself as isolated and alienated, and they bond in their silent resistance. The leader appears to be of mixed race, half Navaho, but we don't yet know what to do with this fact; maybe the "point" (and this is a book trying to make points, for sure, more than tell a story) is that even bicultural women can be insensitive or clueless?
This ends abruptly, as we are not quite at the summit of the mountain, and the Christian women’s retreat that is their goal, and a little investigation reveals that this is intended as at least a two part series. I like as I always like pages with fewer words, where we get to see natural settings. The silent landscapes, colored with colored pencils, are my favorite parts of this book, but the cartoony renditions of the girls and women are just okay for me. Though it is not yet clear what the natural world means to Charlie (she seems mainly annoyed by it, as she is everything else), a crow/feather seems to symbolically guide her in her separate experience of the trek. This may get clearer in the next volume, I’m not sure.
This is a book about intersectionality, very consciously so, though I am not sure exactly so far what it will have to say about that. I thought it was pretty good, the story focusing on two “border” girls, thoughtful, just fine. I'm (a little, not much) curious if Charlie and Sydney will get more tolerant and accepting of the leader; or if she will get more sensitive to their needs.
You can read the webcomic version free here:
http://www.melaniegillman.com
December 27, 2017
2.5 stars. While I agree with most of the messages strewn throughout this YA comic, I'm left conflicted, because here we have yet another LGBTQ non-binary white woman (sorry) who really, really, really believes her experience is exactly the same as a gay black youth's experience and that rubs me the wrong way, hard.
I'm sick of pretty much every LGBTQ person saying their persecution is the same as black people. It's not. Yes, they both suck and are unnecessary and wrong, but LGBTQ people, you're doing the SAME thing you say you're against; you're taking vital roles out of the hands of actual people of color because you want to feel like a special snowflake all around. You're not. You must acknowledge your whiteness IS a privilege and instead of shunning it by writing comics such as these, do something about it.
There's a scene in this book, where the main character is trying to get another girl to help her "destroy" the ceremony, and essentially guilts her into it. That's not cool and, as a person of color, I'm not cool or okay with that.
I dunno. This comic is good, but also really bad.
I'm sick of pretty much every LGBTQ person saying their persecution is the same as black people. It's not. Yes, they both suck and are unnecessary and wrong, but LGBTQ people, you're doing the SAME thing you say you're against; you're taking vital roles out of the hands of actual people of color because you want to feel like a special snowflake all around. You're not. You must acknowledge your whiteness IS a privilege and instead of shunning it by writing comics such as these, do something about it.
There's a scene in this book, where the main character is trying to get another girl to help her "destroy" the ceremony, and essentially guilts her into it. That's not cool and, as a person of color, I'm not cool or okay with that.
I dunno. This comic is good, but also really bad.
March 1, 2018
My absolute favorite thing in this graphic novel is how the incredibly drawn (all in colored pencil) the landscapes are. I think it's worth a read just for that.
August 11, 2019
There's so much rep in this, and it's a really cute and sweet graphic novel. Definitely heavy on the religious/Christianity aspects at times, so if that isn't something you enjoy reading about, be forewarned. I usually don't pick up books with religious sub-plots, but I liked the fact that As the Crow Flies represented the fact that queer Christians exist and that's okay, as I know it's a group of the queer community that gets erased a lot.
September 3, 2019
This book felt so much like home that I almost forgot that representation like this is rare.
Fantastic intersectionality, and I liked recognizing a discomfort with strenuous hiking (paired with a genuine love of the outdoors) like mine. The religious content is ticklingly familiar and adjacent to my own experience.
Really interesting illustrative style, easy to follow panel composition, gorgeous landscapes.
Main complaint is that this doesn't feel like a complete story - it feels like the climax is still coming, which maybe it will in a future volume of the webcomic? I felt like the real revelations here are still to come.
Fantastic intersectionality, and I liked recognizing a discomfort with strenuous hiking (paired with a genuine love of the outdoors) like mine. The religious content is ticklingly familiar and adjacent to my own experience.
Really interesting illustrative style, easy to follow panel composition, gorgeous landscapes.
Main complaint is that this doesn't feel like a complete story - it feels like the climax is still coming, which maybe it will in a future volume of the webcomic? I felt like the real revelations here are still to come.
January 14, 2018
The representation was handled very well while our black possibly-queer protagonist (whose body doesn’t match magazine covers) and the transgirl they gets to know experience the white cis straight ignorance around them. I loved the subtlety of how Sydney mentioned things that Charlie might not have processed yet. I loved how we see their responses to the ignorance through both appropriate emotional experience and through pondering, and then I also love how after calling out ignorance, there is understanding and forgiveness. I shed tears when the protagonist said that being trans is not “weird”. I appreciate the positive/healthy and thought-provoking (but very subtle) commentary about faith (and I’m not even religious!) and about womanhood and community. I appreciate how the author told the story and how it ended. I think the author made the impact that they wanted. I strongly recommend this.
October 29, 2018
A compelling YA graphic novel about what it's like to enter a space you can't be sure is safe, take hit after hit (metaphorically speaking), but try to keep going and bond with others in similar circumstances. Initially published as a webcomic, it's about a queer black teen girl who goes to a Christian feminist camp. Charlie is immediately wary when she realizes every other camper is white. Her black mom immediately gets why she's uneasy, whereas her white father doesn't see what the big deal is. Charlie decides to stay at camp, but the camp's adult leader is painfully classic in her white feminism, and things do not go well. Charlie ends up not only uncomfortable with camp, but questioning why her God sent her there.
I'm pretty sure it's a duology, and I'm looking forward to the next book.
I'm pretty sure it's a duology, and I'm looking forward to the next book.
March 8, 2018
Kept waiting for something to happen. This book is perfect for fans of Crayola colored pencils who like watching grass grow.
April 28, 2018
Dewey's #Readathon Book 1 - I loved this book so much. The story of a black female questioning teen at an all-white summer camp is just the amount of idealism and snark I liked. And the artwork is well-drawn and gorgeous. However, the ending was a small letdown because I wanted more. I think this does continue further, and I'm down for it.
September 23, 2019
It's definitely clear that Charlie and Sydney are getting close
July 5, 2019
Hmm hmm hmm. There's a lot I liked here--the art is gorgeous, I loved reading about Charlie's story and I think this raises a lot of important issues--questions of faith, microaggressions, macroaggressions, sexuality, gender, Nature... but I guess I didn't realize that this was a collection of a webcomic, and I guess I.................kind of question the decision to collect this at this point in time? The story doesn't come to a conclusion and since it's building up to such an obvious next step (the peak of the mountain) it feels like....IDK maybe could have waited longer before releasing this in print? Just go full Blankets, Melanie!
May 31, 2018
A summer camp hike becomes an enthralling microcosm of a lot of today's hot topics: race, gender, sexuality, feminism, spirituality, microaggressions, bullying, and our relationship with nature.
The only flaw that really needs attention is the fact that the cover design does not include a clear indication that this is only the first volume of a series so the reader does not expect a complete story. I was worried as the book started running out of pages and shocked when the story just stopped. I rushed to Goodreads and was relieved to see other reviewers mention more of the story was forthcoming. It cannot come soon enough for me.
The only flaw that really needs attention is the fact that the cover design does not include a clear indication that this is only the first volume of a series so the reader does not expect a complete story. I was worried as the book started running out of pages and shocked when the story just stopped. I rushed to Goodreads and was relieved to see other reviewers mention more of the story was forthcoming. It cannot come soon enough for me.
July 22, 2018
As many have stated in their reviews, this feels unresolved, but life is also unresolved, so I'll deal.
I really appreciated Charlie and Syndey's friendship. It felt extremely natural and comfortable.
Also, this is the 3rd summer camp graphic novel I've read this month... during the summer... so do with that what you will because I have no clue.
I really appreciated Charlie and Syndey's friendship. It felt extremely natural and comfortable.
Also, this is the 3rd summer camp graphic novel I've read this month... during the summer... so do with that what you will because I have no clue.
November 25, 2018
Wait I LOOOVED this but is that the end!?? Is this volume one!?? What happens!!!!
Oh ok pardon me I just took the two seconds necessary to find out the answer to my screaming and yes this is part one.
Phew.
Ok well so then my review is: I LOOOOOOVED this and am dying for more.
Oh ok pardon me I just took the two seconds necessary to find out the answer to my screaming and yes this is part one.
Phew.
Ok well so then my review is: I LOOOOOOVED this and am dying for more.
December 30, 2017
A sweet, thoughtful story with stunningly beautiful color pencil artwork.
February 1, 2018
Loooved this, though I'm super disappointed at where it left off (I wasn't aware that this was going to be a 2-volume release).
Charlie, a queer black teen, has committed herself to an all-white Christian backpacking camp. Charlie doesn't feel like she fits in with the other campers but is resolute to finish the week-long hike the camp has every Summer.
It's a brief description, but that's more or less the plot. Gillman is much more interested in exploring Charlie - her feelings, thoughts, and doubts. It examines and challenges well-intentioned groups (in this case, Christians and Feminists) and how, despite the good intentions, they often exclude minorities. Gillman also takes on microaggressions, but in a subtle way. None of the characters are outrightly racist, but they say and do things, often without even realising it, that are hurtful to minorities like Charlotte and Sydney (a side character who befriends Charlie and is later revealed to be trans). The way Gillman navigates intersectionality in a small, claustrophobic (in the sense that Charlie is stuck with a small group for an extended period of time) setting like this is nuanced and thoughtful - I really loved it!
Gillman's art is also beautiful. There are many pages and panels dedicated to lush landscape shots drawn with coloured pencils. The way these panels are done helps accentuate the contemplative nature of the story. (They're also just really pretty to look at.)
This is also being published as a webcomic which can still be read for free. Updates seem to be sporadic, but I'm tempted to read up until the most recent strip because I need to know what happens next! Waiting for the next volume is going to be excrutiating.
Charlie, a queer black teen, has committed herself to an all-white Christian backpacking camp. Charlie doesn't feel like she fits in with the other campers but is resolute to finish the week-long hike the camp has every Summer.
It's a brief description, but that's more or less the plot. Gillman is much more interested in exploring Charlie - her feelings, thoughts, and doubts. It examines and challenges well-intentioned groups (in this case, Christians and Feminists) and how, despite the good intentions, they often exclude minorities. Gillman also takes on microaggressions, but in a subtle way. None of the characters are outrightly racist, but they say and do things, often without even realising it, that are hurtful to minorities like Charlotte and Sydney (a side character who befriends Charlie and is later revealed to be trans). The way Gillman navigates intersectionality in a small, claustrophobic (in the sense that Charlie is stuck with a small group for an extended period of time) setting like this is nuanced and thoughtful - I really loved it!
Gillman's art is also beautiful. There are many pages and panels dedicated to lush landscape shots drawn with coloured pencils. The way these panels are done helps accentuate the contemplative nature of the story. (They're also just really pretty to look at.)
This is also being published as a webcomic which can still be read for free. Updates seem to be sporadic, but I'm tempted to read up until the most recent strip because I need to know what happens next! Waiting for the next volume is going to be excrutiating.
March 2, 2018
LOVE SO MUCH
December 5, 2018
Charlie is thirteen and black and maybe queer and at an almost all-white Christian summer camp. As the book opens, she's in a sort of teenaged limbo, not sure she wants to be there. And as the book closes, she's still in a sort of teenaged limbo, because the story is unfinished. There's no real satisfaction to be had here.
As the Crow Flies started as a webcomic. The entire text to date is still available online (there's a note here that says the whole story is eventually meant to be published in two volumes; the first volume, this book, covers the story the author had put online up to that point). But whether the story will ever be finished is unclear: the webcomic version hasn't been updated since June of 2017, and there's no obvious way to tell whether it's been back-burnered or whether Gillman is storing the material up for print publication. Not a big deal if the latter, but frustrating to go into a book that you think is one-off and find that the story is incomplete.
The story itself...it's okay. The art is lovely. It's not clear where on the sexuality spectrum Charlie identifies; the back of the book tells us that she's queer, but as far as the actual content she could easily just be socially aware and prone to platonic crushes. I'm not quite sure if she wanted to be at this camp (until she realised just how white it was) or if it was all her parents' doing; I'm also struggling to understand why Sydney chose to be there.
I hope, if the story continues, there will be some insight into Bee, the trip leader. So far she seems to be a strange, contradictory combination of militant feminist and conservative Christian. I also have serious concerns about her preparedness as a trip leader, although those concerns come most from the part of the comic online that goes beyond the end of this book.
As the Crow Flies started as a webcomic. The entire text to date is still available online (there's a note here that says the whole story is eventually meant to be published in two volumes; the first volume, this book, covers the story the author had put online up to that point). But whether the story will ever be finished is unclear: the webcomic version hasn't been updated since June of 2017, and there's no obvious way to tell whether it's been back-burnered or whether Gillman is storing the material up for print publication. Not a big deal if the latter, but frustrating to go into a book that you think is one-off and find that the story is incomplete.
The story itself...it's okay. The art is lovely. It's not clear where on the sexuality spectrum Charlie identifies; the back of the book tells us that she's queer, but as far as the actual content she could easily just be socially aware and prone to platonic crushes. I'm not quite sure if she wanted to be at this camp (until she realised just how white it was) or if it was all her parents' doing; I'm also struggling to understand why Sydney chose to be there.
I hope, if the story continues, there will be some insight into Bee, the trip leader. So far she seems to be a strange, contradictory combination of militant feminist and conservative Christian. I also have serious concerns about her preparedness as a trip leader, although those concerns come most from the part of the comic online that goes beyond the end of this book.
February 16, 2020
DO NOT RECOMMEND. Jeez where do I start?
Also why are so many people giving this book high ratings??? Are they all white people who really don’t know any better??
I first picked up this book at the library: I was cool! A black queer kid as the main character. Then I googled the author and here comes the first red flag. They are white.. how can they write about the experience of any BBIPOC?
#ownvoices books are so important because they are books written by authors or of people Who have lived that experience. A queer whites person will NEVER. Know the lived experience of a Bbipoc. EVER. I will not even pretend to. And no being white and lgbtqia+ does not mean you know what it’s like to be oppressed as an BBIPOC. Nope. Not the same. Sigh.
So what happens is a book full of stereotypes and generalizations. And a white person profiting off other people’s lived experience and oppression. WE CAN DO BETTER PEOPLE! This book was not written in 1978. They have no excuse!!! It was published in 2017. Gah!
As I’m a sucker for a train wreck I chose to pick it up and read it anyways. Personally the only redeeming quality is its artwork.
Story development was terrible and didn’t even really finish : just left the story half way through. I have now idea where this was going and when the book ended I was like what? What just happened and why did it end there? It felt very clunky to me too.
Character development was poor and full of stereotypes of Black folk and Native Americans, and Christians too. Also except for their racial or gender/sexual and to a lesser degree political identities and that’s all this book seems to dwell on and so the characters are come across as boring and I don’t really know anything about them.
Art work: the art work I really liked. The author is a talented comic. But not a talented writer. Maybe if they had chosen to speak about it from the experience of a queer person and left out the being black part then I might have given it two stars. Maybe
But it was terrible and I DO NOT RECOmmend this book. Unless you are wanting to read it and tear it apart more than me and be more articulate about some of the issues I’ve brought up. Then: please share your review with me about it. :-)
Otherwise I gave it 1 star. That’s the for the art work only.
Also why are so many people giving this book high ratings??? Are they all white people who really don’t know any better??
I first picked up this book at the library: I was cool! A black queer kid as the main character. Then I googled the author and here comes the first red flag. They are white.. how can they write about the experience of any BBIPOC?
#ownvoices books are so important because they are books written by authors or of people Who have lived that experience. A queer whites person will NEVER. Know the lived experience of a Bbipoc. EVER. I will not even pretend to. And no being white and lgbtqia+ does not mean you know what it’s like to be oppressed as an BBIPOC. Nope. Not the same. Sigh.
So what happens is a book full of stereotypes and generalizations. And a white person profiting off other people’s lived experience and oppression. WE CAN DO BETTER PEOPLE! This book was not written in 1978. They have no excuse!!! It was published in 2017. Gah!
As I’m a sucker for a train wreck I chose to pick it up and read it anyways. Personally the only redeeming quality is its artwork.
Story development was terrible and didn’t even really finish : just left the story half way through. I have now idea where this was going and when the book ended I was like what? What just happened and why did it end there? It felt very clunky to me too.
Character development was poor and full of stereotypes of Black folk and Native Americans, and Christians too. Also except for their racial or gender/sexual and to a lesser degree political identities and that’s all this book seems to dwell on and so the characters are come across as boring and I don’t really know anything about them.
Art work: the art work I really liked. The author is a talented comic. But not a talented writer. Maybe if they had chosen to speak about it from the experience of a queer person and left out the being black part then I might have given it two stars. Maybe
But it was terrible and I DO NOT RECOmmend this book. Unless you are wanting to read it and tear it apart more than me and be more articulate about some of the issues I’ve brought up. Then: please share your review with me about it. :-)
Otherwise I gave it 1 star. That’s the for the art work only.
May 23, 2018
I don't know where I fall with As the Crow Flies. It is a beautifully illustrated book with an important story, but given this first book's lack of resolution, I'm unsure where it is heading. The story involves a black teen who has joined a women's religious group on a trek up a mountain. She immediately recognises that she is one of the only non-white individuals attending (save for one counsellor), and is discomforted by the lead's way of discussing women's retreats and "purification". Along the way she discovers that one of the other kids is transgender and equally put off by the lead's manner of speaking about women. The interplay between these two navigating their feelings and experiences is fascinating, though there seems to be much more bubbling below the surface that hasn't been touched on yet. The politics Gillman is addressing are complex, and I am very curious to see how she deals with them by the end. Unfortunately, As the Crow Flies seems to be only part one of this work. I think the book would have been much better had it not ended so abruptly. There was no natural pausing point, and unless you follow the comic online, you might be left with the impression that the story is over. Or at least confusion as to whether there was more. In any case, this is a story with potential, but it is not a complete story yet which is why I feel so ambivalent towards it. It is uncomfortable, both because it addresses subjects that are uncomfortable, but mostly because it leaves the reader without any resolution. Hopefully that changes soon!
June 21, 2022
Confusing to no end and the only thing that kept me reading was the colored pencil artwork. It says in the description that Charlie is queer, but there's no confirmation from her whatsoever. This might be because the webcomic has more story to tell, but that was not made clear in the book. It also seemed throughout that Charlie was looking for or remembering someone as she was backpacking, but nothing was explained, so I am left confused and unsatisfied.
June 19, 2018
a bit disappointed, as i had been looking forward to this one. the art was lovely! especially the landscapes. but the story felt limited and didn't seem to get any resolution, and most of the characters fell flat. the dialogue was cutesy, though, and i enjoyed the interactions between charlie and sydney.
it would have benefitted a lot from being 2 or 3x the length.
it would have benefitted a lot from being 2 or 3x the length.
November 13, 2020
actual rating: 4.5 stars
THIS WAS SO GOODOFKDBFKSXHDSB
THIS WAS SO GOODOFKDBFKSXHDSB
Read
May 15, 2024Okay, but this book just stops. There’s no proper ending. How annoying.
June 17, 2017
The premise caught my eye when I first saw it. A young queer youth who has been sent off to a Christian summer camp where they are the only person of color.
This is a realistic story of what happens. There is no Christian bashing, if you think that will be what goes on, but Charlie has other feelings, longings, crushes, as they march from the camp up to Three Peaks, where once, women who were there in the time of the early white settlers, fled to get away from their husbands. There is more here than meets the eyes, as Melanie weaves a story that is structured in faith, but also acknowledging how g*d works in mysterious ways.
If you don't want to wait until this comes out in paperback, head over to Maelaine's website, and you can read the whole thing online. It is that amazing that after you read it, you will want to go out and buy this.
It is one of those stories that you stay up way late, even though you have to get up and work the next day.
I hope she's posts the rest of the story, and we all can find out about what the ritual is when they get to the top of Three Peaks.
This is a realistic story of what happens. There is no Christian bashing, if you think that will be what goes on, but Charlie has other feelings, longings, crushes, as they march from the camp up to Three Peaks, where once, women who were there in the time of the early white settlers, fled to get away from their husbands. There is more here than meets the eyes, as Melanie weaves a story that is structured in faith, but also acknowledging how g*d works in mysterious ways.
If you don't want to wait until this comes out in paperback, head over to Maelaine's website, and you can read the whole thing online. It is that amazing that after you read it, you will want to go out and buy this.
It is one of those stories that you stay up way late, even though you have to get up and work the next day.
I hope she's posts the rest of the story, and we all can find out about what the ritual is when they get to the top of Three Peaks.
Read
July 1, 2018I didn't realize this was only Book 1 of... I assume more books, it's not marked anywhere. I thought it was a standalone, but it ends very abruptly and there are more pages online.
I had mixed feelings, which are colored by the fact that while I'm not Black, I was an ethnic minority person in a Christian (specifically Catholic) summer camp and my experience was.... very different and much more terrible. Granted, in a different country. I might need to sit on my feelings a bit before I review this book (if I do; not sure yet). I also didn't realize when I picked it up that it is by a white author writing about how a Black protagonist experiences racism, which might explain the disparity I felt. I loved the art though.
Source of the book: Lawrence Public Library
I had mixed feelings, which are colored by the fact that while I'm not Black, I was an ethnic minority person in a Christian (specifically Catholic) summer camp and my experience was.... very different and much more terrible. Granted, in a different country. I might need to sit on my feelings a bit before I review this book (if I do; not sure yet). I also didn't realize when I picked it up that it is by a white author writing about how a Black protagonist experiences racism, which might explain the disparity I felt. I loved the art though.
Source of the book: Lawrence Public Library
February 3, 2018
This paperback collects the first 250 pages of Melanie Gillman's fantastic webcomic of the same name. I fell in love with this story on the internet years and years ago, and am delighted to have this physical volume to hold in my hands. The story is just as sweet and human on a second read, and I made a conscious effort to linger over the gorgeous silent landscape pages instead of rushing through it. Can't wait for volume two!
December 30, 2017
Really really gorgeous. I have 2 issues with it: 1. It felt unfinished and like kind of a copout to keep talking about a surprise at the summit of the mountain and never go there. 2. I didn't like that she kind of guilted Sydney out of participating. Transfolk should be supported when they choose to take part in traditional gender expression.
May 18, 2018
A short book but yet the best. This book for a teenager you can really relate to a lot. It has all of those detailed moments and it's humorous. I think the character strength is friendship because in the book one of the characters-Charlie meets someone new and throughout the story becomes her best friend.
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