As a follow-up to the Second Annual Winter Party Book Exchange, members are encouraged to write a blog post about the book they received. I will kick it off…
I received the graphic novel, Cyclopedia Exotica by Aminder Dhaliwal. I was intrigued by the title and sat down on Tuesday evening after the Winter Party and began reading. I read until it was Wednesday and then finished the book the next day. So, it is fair to say it was instantly engaging. Cyclopedia Exotica imagines a world where the cyclops and the human are parallel subspecies that now live together.
My husband was watching a “Mad About You” marathon on TV while I was reading this book. The situations the fictional characters of that 90’s sitcom find themselves in are not so different from the situations that the average cyclops experiences, so why can’t we all just get along? Unfortunately, being a visible one-eyed minority is not so easy.
Because Cyclopedia Exotica is graphic novel about a subspecies that doesn’t exist (that we know of…) the challenges minorities face are shown with humor. Still, I think most readers will put this book down and ask themselves “have I made someone feel that way?”
I really enjoyed this book and will be seeking out other titles by Aminder Dhaliwal. Thank-you to my Winter Party Exchange counterpart for giving me the chance to read this fun yet challenging slice of life.
Shawna M.
Shawna, you are an inspiration. My excuse is that I don’t have a gorgeous cat as a foil for Charlotte Gray’s Murdered Midas.
Lovely blog post Shawna, I’ll have to pick this one up. Such a cute cat cozying up to the book must spell good things.
Wow, Shawna! Thanks for your blog post. It has aroused my interest in this new literary format and that book sounds like a good place to begin. Best wishes, Margaret