Dare to Disappoint: Growing Up in Turkey by Ozge Samanci

genre: graphic novel autobiographical memoir

Dare to Disappoint is the story of Ozge, born about the same time I was, but in the country of Turkey. Living in a politically charged climate, Ozge's childhood is full of imagination and creativity centered around loyalty to country and to her family.   Being female required more work and effort if you wanted to be an acceptable citizen and as a second child, Ozge spent much of her time trying to be what everyone else wanted.  Soon, though, she has to figure out if she has what it takes to follow her OWN dreams.

I liked this, for a lot of reasons.  First of all, for me it was very aesthetically pleasing - a lot to look at and mixed media art that gave a depth to the story.  The pacing was good and the stories she shares felt relevant to the overall narrative.   I liked that it opened my eyes to Turkey in general, its' history (briefly) and culture.  I also liked just the overall arc of her experience, the hard lessons she learned and what she finally ended up choosing. The back and forth with parents felt very authentic without feeling overdramatic.  I think older middle schoolers and high schoolers to relate to some of her angst and maybe learn a thing or two about what it's like to grow up in a different place.

I'm glad I picked it up.