Girl Stories by Lauren R. Weinstein

Even for graphic novels, this one is a little off-beat. But then again, with graphic novels pushing the bounds of literature these days, expect that anything and everything will emerge! “Girl Stories” is a 237 page collection of short stories, pretty much biographical, of the author’s teen years. The stories are a tad random, but that doesn’t matter too much as there does seem to be an over-arching structure holding them in place. The illustrations are very bright and busy – interesting to the eye but not good for those inclined to ADD, methinks. The character of Lauren is fun, and the author is able to reflect on her life with a healthy dose of humor and perspective. I really enjoyed the middle school tales, which seemed right on point. I also liked the belly-piercing story, which had just the perfect level of “gross”. I enjoyed the book but didn’t feel it will “stick with me”, just didn’t get deep enough. The only criticism is one that the author freely admits to from the beginning…she wrote the strips over seven years, using different styles and drawing techniques. That makes it a bit difficult, from section to section, to keep track of who is who (since the character of Lauren looks quite different in each of the stories). It isn’t a major concern, the book was enjoyable and has some nice girl empowerment messages. Worth a read.