Thank you to Knopf Doubleday and NetGalley for the Reader's Copy!

If you had one wish, what would you wish for? For the characters in Deena Mohamed's graphic novel, Shubeik Lubeik, this question is not hypothetical. Living in an alternate reality Cairo, Aziza, Nour and Shokry each grapple with their deepest desires as they each get offered one First Class wish. Along the way, we see how wealth inequity, colonialism, and beaurcracy shape this world. The illustrations are breathtaking and I love the level of thought and detail went into imagining this reality. One of the my favorite books this year, hands down!

By turn disturbing and meditative, Davis strives to imagine what life looks like in the future and lurks just under the surface in our present. Each of these brief strips contains a lot of detail and food for thought. My personal favorite was the skinning of the fox & the precise yet spare way Davis describes the skinning which both alienates and draws in the audience. I enjoyed this brief adventure and look forward to more.

This book is very clear and sometimes a little funny. Enjoyed it.

The book has a powerful mix of biographical, historical and mythical narratives, creating a cohesive statement. I think it's easy to forget the marginalization of Asian Americans people, especially in this era when they're praised for being the model minority, but Hong Kingston beautifully traces this oppression throughout AAPI history. She also does a good job of creating emotionally vulnerable male characters.

Interesting enough but a little thrown off by the play format. At times, the language seemed forced or weird.