I'm sorry I waited until the movie came out (and even saw the movie first) but I think it worked out better that way. I would have been disappointed in the movie had it been the other way around, as this book was super good and I feel had a much better grasp on actual teenaged life than the movie. Yes, I know, the book is always better because you get much more depth to the characters, but the movie really missed out on some great parts in the book that I feel made it more realistic. Such a good, wholesome book. I loved it!

Are you an artist? This book is for you. Are you a feminist? This book is for you. Are you a female artist? THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU!! A sad book written in prose and stories Artemisia's mother told, it certainly paints with words to reveal the life and trials of Artemisia Gentileschi, a seventeen year old girl (woman when it's convenient) who has more talent in her pinkie at painting than her father, also an artist, has in his entire body. Yet this is the 1500's so of course no one gives her the credit that is due. What does a woman know about painting the human form? It's obviously not her own work. Or her own talent.

A trigger warning (also a spoiler to anyone who reads more than the first three paragraphs of the Wikipedia article) and also a rant to follow:

Spoiler

Artemisia is raped by her tutor.

The saddest part? Reading this, even though being from the 1500's--and there is an actual, detailed, written account of the trial she went through against her rapist--the accusations and trial were not so different from what goes on today. Rape culture is about as prevalent today as it was in 16th century Italy, with a man's word having more worth than a woman's, a man's punishment not coming close to the crime committed, a woman being interrogated and doubted and forced to go through her ordeal over and over "just in case she's lying", being quick to be judged as "dramatic" or "she was asking for it". Even if the case is won, the woman has already lost the moment she was used by a man who thinks he has the right to use women as he sees fit.

Look her up, and I'll bet you know at least one of her paintings, knowledge in art history or not. Take a good long look and then read this book!!

Ahhhh, perfect! Just the right length, the right characters, no super-ridiculous romance or love triangle, good ol' space combat, strong female characters. Ahhhhhh -_-

Read as a strong contender for the 2018 Mock Printz. Otherwise I normally don't read non-fiction, and I wasn't left with the feeling of "Oh! I'm so glad I was made to read that!". I mean, it's a great book, easy to read for tweens and teens that want a really good book about the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. It was very well researched and published just in time for the 50th anniversary of his death (which is tomorrow, for me, as of when I'm writing this review).

Sometimes I envy artists and their creativity. Then I realize that most of their creativity is born of pain or loss or mental instability and I am immediately thankful for my thus far painless artistic experience.

Let's start this review with my view on cosplay (which is the main theme of this book). Myself, I have tried it a handful of times but it is not my thing. My body is not shaped to look like the characters in fandoms and my artistic talent does not lie in the realm of sewing. Recognition and praise would be nice, but oggling and snide remarks are not. Being completely ignored with neither praise nor criticism after putting time and effort into something hurts just as much. So I have deemed cosplay not my thing, and I've even become a bit bitter towards it. I recognize it as jealousy on my part because these people (9/10 of the time, girls) have amazing bodies and awesome outfits and the guys are all upons. It didn't help when someone in my personal life who cosplays made me think even less of the community when she did some really shitty things. Then there's those that are pretty much models that make money from modeling awesomely made cosplay but know nothing or care nothing about the fandom. Ah, and therein lies where this book hit me personally. Enter the main character: Cameron, a girl who received an award for best cosplay when she made the outfits for her group of friends to be FFVII characters. When asked "What's your favorite thing about the game?" she replied, "Oh, I've never played it" and thus begins the shit show. While I may not be as awful as the people who are ruining her life by sending her hate mail and trolling her blog and calling her with death threats, I felt incredibly guilty because in the back of my mind, that's exactly what I would have thought. "Another stupid cosplay girl who doesn't even know about the character she's dressed as." Turns out, her friends are super into it and she was nice enough to make all their outfits so they could all be FFVII characters. Sigh. I feel like a turd.

So this book was good for me because at least it let me reflect upon myself and feelings towards cosplayers and to have a moment to walk in their (personally made) shoes. It also involves D&D, comic characters, adorable comic pages of their campaign, super adorable characters, Eugene, OR where my husband's mom lives (near) so I can picture the setting, and an all around wonderfully nerdy book!

TL;DR I am a judgy person towards cosplayers and this book helped me see it from another point of view. Also full of super great nerdy references and adorable characters.

P.S. I still HATE that cosplayer I know IRL.

Okay, I can now say I've read this book. Was it scary? It had its moments, and maybe if I read it all in just a few, long, sittings I would have gotten into it more and therefore gotten into my head. Yet the book itself prevents you from reading it quickly or settling down into it. Your reading is constantly jarred by footnotes or back and forth between Zampano's writing and Truant's spiraling anecdotes, but that doesn't really scare me, it just annoys me.

So yeah, not really my type of horror, but at least I can now say I've read it when I see all those "best horror ever written" threads and whatnot. I guess I'm not "intellectual" enough for this kind of horror?

I do love when books are half illustration, half story. You don't really get to hear about what happens to the Holocaust survivors AFTER the concentration camps are liberated.

The ending to this made me feel like I just watched...like...Donnie Darko or something....

The current story of Dr Foster as the current Thor

Spoiler

while having cancer and going through chemo that totally gets negated whenever she turns into Thor

is very intriguing. But am I the only person SUPER bothered by Loki's pube beard????