(B) Epileptic (David B.) Grade: A
Certainly one of the best graphic novels I’ve ever read, this work won the French Alph’ Art award in 2000 for comics excellence. A memoir about his brother’s life-long battle with epilepsy, it discusses the ways in which his family tries to cope with the disease, his own struggles with how to help his older brother and the inner demons that possess him. The text on its own is interesting, but it’s David’s illustrations that truly depict the turmoil, anguish and difficulty one faces when confronting a loved one’s pain and being absolutely unable to do anything about it. How affecting? Well, I cried.