Thank you Ablaze and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review!
In this nonfiction graphic novel, Alfonso Casas gives his inner monsters a face and takes us on a journey with him dealing with anxiety. Every monster has their own role and they are not here to go easy on Casas. Throughout the novel we see him trying to manage his monsters while living his life.
CW: Anxiety
Rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ (5)
[Reviewer backstory]
In 2020 I graduated college, which is when I had to make a decision: what to do next.
Because I felt like I was in a good school flow, I decided to take a step higher in education. In the Netherlands there are different levels in college education and when you finish college at a certain level, you can go a level higher.
So I did that. I started as a Freshman again, suddenly the oldest of my class.
But like there are different levels of college education, there are also different level of high school education. All of the classmates who came straight from high school have finished this "higher level of high school education".
I actually hate to talk about these different levels, because to me it doesn't matter what level you are.
I've spend my entire Freshman year picking myself apart and comparing my university experience to that of my classmates. They seemed to be flying through the year like it's no big deal, while I was working through the night to finish an assignment.
I was afraid to show my work in class, because I "knew" it wouldn't be nearly as good as theirs.
Whenever I wasn't doing school work, I was working, because I also have a parttime job.
Whenever I failed a class it felt like my predictions were true: I was not good enough for this "higher education".
My major at my last college was film, which was also a subject at my new college. And do you think I would be shining in that class, because I have a freaking degree in it?
No, because I was worried that people would hate the video I had to make for that class. I assumed they'd thought it was ugly and wondered why my last school even gave me a degree.
[Actual review]
Reading this graphic novel was a big dose of reality. The monsters were very familiar to me, because they are a part of my life too. The parts about imposter syndrome, social anxiety and anxiety about the future were the most relatable for me.
I noticed that sometimes I had to put the book down, because it got a little too real. So be aware that because this is a graphic novel, so very visual, it might feel confronting at times.
But that is also why I kept going. I wanted to know how the story ended. I knew it wouldn't end with "yay, I don't have anxiety anymore", but I going into it, I hoped to see him find some sort of coping mechanism.
I found out I really like to read nonfiction graphic novels or ones about mental health. It's because it hits you in the feels, in a different way. I don't I ever make a mental image how something looks, so I like it when the illustrator does that work for me.
I hope that more of Casas' work will be translated into English. He is really good at telling stories and the illustrations are a perfect addition.
I thank the writer/illustrator Alfonso Casas for feeling comfortable enough to share his story with the readers. Knowing that other people deal with the same things as you, is very validating.
'MonsterMind: Dealing With Anxiety & Self-Doubt' comes out on December 21st 2021!