Up til now, my knowledge of the US internment camps that held Japanese Americans in WW2 has been woefully little - mostly bits and pieces coming from George’s various interviews over the years. So, reading about his firsthand account of living in the camps as a child is an eye-opening, emotional experience. 

 

There is no holding back in this memoir, and the black and white illustrations are incredibly effective at showing the anger, fear and uncertainty faced by the thousands of people affected. It ends on a somber note as well - this was written before Trump was booted from office, and George touches on Trump’s attempt at repeating history with the Muslim ban and the imprisonment of families trying to cross the Mexican/US border. 

 

To say this book will leave you with some heavy thoughts is a massive understatement. I encourage you all to read it. 

Bootleg Stardust is an entertaining homage to the 70s music industry, centred around a young guy named Levi who is determined to become a star. I really enjoyed it.

It did cause me some anxiety though - I spent a lot of the book anticipating a train wreck. Levi seemed so unprepared and way too trusting to survive that kind of life. He made a series of mistakes that left me convinced his career was going to crash and burn. I won’t even go into the crazy things he learned about his past that left him pondering some heavier questions.  

The story touches on some pretty dark themes and features quite a bit of drug and alcohol abuse. But even with all of that, Bootleg Stardust felt rather light on the heavier emotions and ended on a happier note. It was a nice balance. 

Oh! And apparently Dixon recorded the songs he wrote for the book and I neeeeed to find out where I can listen to them!

Read in a single sitting - it’s that good.